These Indian chicken curry puffs are packed full of Indian spices and served inside a flaky, puff pastry. The pastry can be homemade or store bought, making this a quick and easy weeknight meal.
My husband is from Southern India and he kept raving about these chicken puffs he had when he was in India, so we decided to try and recreate them. I had never had these before, but putting a chicken curry type filling inside a flaky, butter pastry sounded like a dream. And boy, was he right. He also taste-tested and approved this easy butter chicken recipe and Kerala beef curry recipe, if you’re looking for more Indian recipes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Full of flavor. Indian spices bring so much flavor to a meal. This chicken curry filling has garam masala, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, ginger, and garlic. You can adjust the spice level however you’d like. I’d label this recipe as mildly spicy.
Side note: These puffs pair perfectly with this Starbucks Guava Passionfruit Drink.
Buttery, flaky pastry. Combine the Indian spices with the butter, flaky pastry and the flavor combination is delicious. The pastry provides a nice balance to the spices of the curry as well as a crunchy texture.
Self contained meal. This all-in-one meal can technically be served on the go if you’d like since you can hold it in your hand. The chicken curry is intentionally not wet so it doesn’t leak out of the pastry. My husband like to dip these in ketchup. I don’t know why, but honestly it works. Try it.
Oven baked curry puff recipe. No frying or need for vegetable oil. These puffs are baked in the oven until golden brown.
Can use store bought pastry for a quick meal. Short on time or don’t want to make your own pastry? No problem. You can use store bought pastry and these curry puffs will be done in under and hour.
Jump to RecipeKey Ingredients
Puff Pastry: If you’re making your own pastry, make sure all of your ingredients are cold. If using frozen, be sure to thaw the pastry sheets before filling. New to making rough puff pastry? Check out this foolproof method for making rough puff pastry.
Chicken Thighs: Chicken thighs have better flavor and tenderness which is why I prefer using chicken thighs when making Indian (or any spicy) dish.
Dry Spices: Because these chicken curry puffs are contained in a pastry, you don’t want the filling to be too wet. All the spices I used are dried (including onion powder) to make sure the filling is the right consistency.
Variations & Substituions
Pastry: Can be homemade rough puff pastry or store-bought. Any brand will do.
Filling: You can also add small pieces of potato to the filling if you want to make it more substantial. Chop the potatoes into small pieces, boil them, and add to the filling.
Spice level: If you want to kick up the spice a bit you can add more chili powder, or add cayenne pepper to your liking. I’d start with 1/2 a tsp and taste it as cayenne pepper is very strong.
Jump to RecipeChicken Curry Puffs Recipe Overview & Tips
If using homemade pastry dough, start the process 2 hours before you start making the filling, giving you time to fold and rest your pastry dough. If using store-bought pastry, remove sheets from the freezer and let thaw while you cook the filling.
Cook the filling. Saute the chicken thighs until done, then add the green peppers, garlic paste and ginger. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the dry spices and let cook for 10 minutes.
Let filling cool completely before filling the puffs. This is key to ensuring the pastry holds it shape while baking.
Shaping the chicken puffs:
You can shape these however you’d like and any size you’d like. I made these sized for a dinner portion (many people like to make bite-sized versions, which is great too!).
Cut the pastry into 4×6 rectangles and place 2-3 spoonfuls of filling on one half of the rectangle. (The trick is making sure you don’t overfill your curry puffs so that they don’t leak in the oven.)
Fold the pastry over the filling to make a square and seal the edges. You can seal the edges with a for dipped in water to give it a decorative edge. Or, you can pinch the edges together with slightly wet fingers.
Eggwash the curry puffs to make sure the pastry becomes a nice golden brown when baked in the oven.
Bake and enjoy!
Baked puffs will last 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped in foil.
Yes, you can make and assemble them the day before as long as the filling is cold before you fill them. Assemble and place on a baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Indian Chicken Curry Puffs
Ingredients
Chicken Curry Filling
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1/2 green bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
Homemade Rough Puff Pastry
- 225 g cold butter, chopped (2 sticks)
- 230 g all purpose flour
- 5 g salt
- 125 mL icy cold water
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Make the pastry: Combine the butter, flour, and water into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 8×10 rectangle. Fold the pastry in thirds. Cover and chill for 20 minutes. Repeat 3x. Roll out into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. If using store bought frozen pastry, remove the sheets from the freezer and let thaw while cooking the filling.
- For the filling: Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook until done. Add the bell pepper and cook until soft. Add the ginger and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add spices. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off and let cool before filling pastry.
- Cut the pastry into rectangles. Fill the pastry with 2-3 spoon fills of the filling. Fold over and pinch together the ends (wet your fingers or a fork). Using a brush, cover the pastries with an egg wash.
- Bake chicken curry puffs at 400 °F for 20-25 minutes until pastry is flaky and golden brown.
