Chicken Puffs — light, crisp, flaky pastries stuffed with spicy chicken filling —a stunning starter for any occasion

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Would you believe me if I told you how everything keeps happening at such great pace that I find it challenging to keep up with the swing? Oh yeah, it's true. Or that's how I feel at least. With no surprise. As expectations run high this month; heat index is at its highest; and we are in the middle of spiritual, physical and mental restrains.

Preparing for Iftar usually takes up a lot of my energy, thoughts and time. The highlight of the day being the table laid for a memorable meal with family and friends—sometimes elaborate, sometimes simple—by sunset.

So, whatever else I wish to do in between keeps getting pushed to the background. Well, we cannot control everything, can we?

To say that I’ve been very lucky to have made some lovely friends through this space would be an understatement. But, lucky I have been.

In the short span of half a year, I’ve had plenty of memorable moments, and I'm grateful. Besides being able to let go of some baggage that my heart held hostage, making room for new beginnings, I was also able to connect with consequential strangers, albeit virtually, who inspired me, educated me, gave me company and most of all, with whom I was able to stretch myself beyond familiar roles.

Surprisingly, I came by these opportunities through this little space. And you, my readers and friends, made it possible. You lifted my mood when I was feeling down, energized me, and motivated me to take the struggles of daily life with optimism and a smile that reaches my eyes. Among other things, when loved ones tend to typecast us (no complaints), it is the new people we meet that bring a fresh breath of energy to our lives.

Sometimes we form unique bonds with consequential strangers, and they become good friends. Like Gayathri, Anita and Kadhija, for instance. I was fortunate to come across these girls, a while ago, through their wonderful blogs. What's more, I was even more lukcy to meet two of them for real, recently. Yes, a face-to-face meeting in the real world. 

A few weeks ago, Gayathri, who lives in Doha, dropped by my place one evening to check out my books. We had a wonderful time chitchatting, really. She’s such a vivacious person that I feel like I’ve known her for long. Though she’s much younger to me in age, and newly married too.

Then, there is Anita from Bahrain. I connected with her through our blogs, and particularly after she tried out my apple pudding recipe and—it might sound cheesy to say, but I will all the same—raved about it on her space, Slice of my Lyfe. The prospect of meeting her in person was more than appealing and I was really excited when she agreed to share a few hours of her precious time in Doha, with me. In fact, she joined us for Iftar, last weekend, with her hubby and cute little daughter, Mimi. I didn’t have much time to prepare an elaborate meal but they were happy with what little I managed to put together. It was truly a wonderful experience. Something that’ll bring a smile to my face, no matter what circumstances.

Now, I met Kadija a few months ago through her lovely blog, Creative Mind. She is a student who lives in Islamabad, Pakistan, with her parents, and what impressed me most was her great positive attitude, besides her creative ideas with arts and crafts. Needless to say, I was thrilled and honored when she wanted to feature one of my recipes—mini pizza—on her beautiful space, as part of her Iftar meal series. I hope you take some time to stop by her blog, say hello and spend a while looking through her great ideas.

Hmm, I’m sure now you believe me when I tell how lucky I have been.

Allow me to quote Robert Brault on this occasion, "I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar." I realize how blessed I am to have such friends from different walks of life: especially from work, school, and now through this space. Thank you all!

Okay, where was I before I got so emotional? Oh yes, with the recipe for chicken puffs!

After my last post, I’m sure at least some of you must have thought that fruits are all we have for Iftar. In truth, there’s so much more on our table than just drinks and salads with seasonal fruits. In fact, there are some very different palettes at home that I have to take into account everyone’s preferences. For instance, my kids love to much on hot and tasty snacks like samoosa, pakora, bhaji, cutlet, spring rolls or puffs, for Iftar. My brother, on the other hand, is a fitness freak and usually skips these fried or baked goodies in favor of super healthy sandwiches.

So, coming more to the point, no meal would be complete without a platter full of tempting fritters and bite-sized savories. That’s our Iftar tradition.

I’ve been making these puffs for almost ten years now. We simply love biting into spicy meat nestled in crisp, flaky pastry. Ha. And never grow tired of it. Quite on the contrary.

Each Ramadan I'm inspired to try something new. A new shape or filling, or a slightly different recipe to tickle the fancy of my kids and our regular guests. I find the options endless and experiments inspiring, particularly when I can easily buy pastry sheets from the stores here and it comes handy for special occasions like this. Sometimes it is the extra touches that can make a difference. 

So, you'll see a few of my puffs recipes here—traditional ones, plus new interesting twists—hoping to tempt your fancy too. And I hope you are really tempted to give them a try. Because they taste even better than they look!

I like to keep the puff masala a bit moist, as I feel that it improves the taste. Make the meat masala and store it in the refrigerator in airtight containers, like I do, to take some pressure off your time in the kitchen before the meal. This way you are ready to fill, shape and bake the pastry in a snap.

Now, before I proceed to the recipes, please excuse the poor photo quality and repetitive food styling. The truth is, I’m shooting in the PM, in low light conditions, and just a few minutes before breaking the fast. So the standards are much lower than what I’d normally strive for—sorry.

Okay, are you ready for some fun and scrumptious ideas to impress your guests or family?  These irresistible appetizers pack a whole lot of flavor. And it doesn’t get any better. Try it—you’ll  see I’m not kidding.

Spicy Chicken Masala

Minced chicken cooked with lots of spices and veggies makes a delectable filling to satisfy your carvings. I usually sneak in a bit of veggies into our meat dishes, so the use of beans and carrots.

Ingredients

2 cups chicken, cooked and minced

2 tablespoon oil

2 cups onion, finely sliced

1 ½ medium tomato, chopped

1/3 cup coriander, chopped

handful curry leaves, torn to small pieces

1 green chili, sliced

1/3 cup green beans, finely sliced

1/3 cup carrot, finely grated

3 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1 ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder

1 ½ teaspoon garam masala powder

pinch turmeric

1 ½ teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon pepper powder

1 teaspoon fennel powder

2 teaspoon meat masala (I used Nirapara)

juice of one small lime

salt, to taste

generous splash water

Directions

For the meat, I cooked 2 chicken breasts with salt to taste, ½ teaspoon pepper powder, ½ teaspoon fennel powder and a pinch of turmeric. Then the meat was drained and minced by hand. You may use a food processor to pulse-process the chicken, if you like. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and stir-fry for 10-15 minutes or until the onions become translucent and a bit brown. Add ginger–garlic paste, sliced chili and curry leaves and cook for 1 minute, before adding the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until soft and pulpy, about 3-4 minutes. Then add carrot and bean and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Tip in turmeric, coriander, chili, fennel and pepper powders and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt. Now, tip in the minced meat; add garam masala and meat masala powders. Drizzle with lime juice and stir fry everything together for 3-4 minutes adding a generous splash of water to keep the masala moist. Finally add the chopped cilantro, mix well and cook for two more minutes. Before you take off the heat, you can add a drizzle of coconut oil for an authentic Kerala taste, if you like.

Chicken Puffs

My family and I, and invariably the guests too, prefer bite size puffs for Iftar meals. I trim the sides of the pastry squares to make them smaller, and more appealing.

Ingredients

10 square puff pastry, thawed (I generally use Alkaramah)

1 egg, beaten

chicken masala, as needed

Directions

Thaw the pastry squares, as needed, separating the sheets and laying them on a tray lined with parchment paper, at room temperature. Thaw until completely and evenly moist, but not dry. With the high heat index, it usually takes me around 30-45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375^oF or 190^oC.

Meanwhile, trim the sides of the pastry with a sharp knife, to make smaller squares, if you like. Don’t worry about wasting pastry—you can put them to great use with a simple, yet delectable recipe. Just scroll down toward the end of this post to have a sneak view.

For rectangular shapes, spread the mixture lengthwise over half of the dough to within ½ inch of edges. Then, fold dough over the filling, and pinch or press the edges together to seal. Use a fork, if you like.

For triangular puffs, place the filling in the center and fold from one corner to the opposite corner to form a triangle. Seal the edges by pinching or pressing.

Place the pasty about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg, and bake at for 8-12 minutes, or until puffed, flaky and golden brown—adjust baking time as necessary. Serve warm.

Scrumptious Chicken Bowls

These savory puff bowls look sophisticated and taste delicious. They'll sure be a hit in parties.

Ingredients

puff pastry squares, thawed

1 egg, beaten

tomato ketchup, as needed

chicken masala, as needed

cilantro leaves, to garnish

Directions

Heat the oven to 375^oF or 190^oC.

Lightly grease the cups of a muffin pan. If you wish, use mini-muffin pans for bite sized treats—just trim the pastry sheets accordingly.

Press the pastry squares into muffin cups. Trim the edges, if you like, and brush the top with egg. Use a fork to prick the centers. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up.

Remove from oven and use a rounded teaspoon to press down the centers and sides of the cups to make an indentation. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove and cool on a wire rack for additional 5 minutes. 

Spoon 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup into each pastry cup and top with chicken masala. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, if you like. Serve warm.

Bite-size Pizzas

Pastry sheets make excellent pizza crusts—perfect for entertaining. Though the pictures don’t do justice to the recipe, it is oh so good!

Ingredients

puff pastry squares, thawed

shredded mozzarella cheese, thawed

sliced black olives, to garnish

For the sauce

4 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dry basil

½ teaspoon dry marjoram

salt, to taste

Directions

Heat the oven to 375^oF or 190^oC.

Meanwhile, mix the entire ingredient for the sauce and set aside.

Roll out the pasty sheets to stretch it a bit, one at a time, on a slightly floured surface. Cut into 4 equal squares using a sharp knife. Prick the surface with a fork, and spread a teaspoon of the sauce on to each mini square leaving a tiny edge, if possible. Then top with a teaspoon of the chicken masala. Sprinkle with the cheese and place a sliced olive on top.

Place the squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes until the pastries are golden brown and the cheese is melted. 

Cool on wire racks. Serve warm.

Frosted Flakes

Mmm, here’s what I do with the left over thawed pastry sheets as well as the wasted trimmed pastry strips. It’s so simple—yet simply delicious!

Ingredients

2 pastry squares, thawed

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

confectioners’ sugar , for dusting (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 400^oF or 204^oC.

Place the sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag and shake to combine; set aside.

Meanwhile, cut the pastry squares into 1-inch strips with a sharp knife, and then cut the strips into small triangles. Place the pastry triangles, separated, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes in the tray. Then, add the pastry to the bag and shake to coat, taking care not to crumble. Serve dusted with extra confectioners’ sugar, if you like.

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.