Sri Lankan Chicken Patties
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour (2 cups) — 250 g (8.8 oz)
- Cold butter, cubed (4 oz) — 115 g (4.1 oz)
- Salt (1/4 teaspoon) — 1.5 g
- Tablespoons ice water (90-105 ml) — 6-7
- Egg, beaten, for glazing — 1
- Minced chicken, for the filling (10.5 oz) — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Small onion, finely chopped (100 g) — 1
- Garlic cloves, minced — 2
- Curry powder (1 teaspoon) — 3 g
- Chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon) — 2 g
- Curry leaves, chopped — 1 sprig
- Potato, boiled and diced small (100 g) — 1
- Oil (1 tablespoon) — 15 ml (1 tbsp)
- Salt and pepper — to taste
Method
- Make the pastry by rubbing the cold butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- For the filling, heat oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic and curry leaves until fragrant. Add the minced chicken and cook, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in curry powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper, then add the diced potato and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until well combined and fairly dry (a wet filling will make the pastry soggy). Cool completely before assembling.
- Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Roll out the chilled pastry to about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thickness and cut into rounds about 10 cm (4 inches) across.
- Place a spoonful of cooled filling on one half of each round, fold over to form a half-moon, and press the edges firmly to seal, crimping with a fork.
- Arrange on a baking tray, brush with beaten egg, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and flaky.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Introduction: Chicken patties are a bakery-counter staple across Sri Lanka, part of the wider 'short eats' tradition of small savoury snacks displayed under glass and sold to office workers, students and commuters throughout the day.
Cultural Background: Chicken patties are a bakery-counter staple across Sri Lanka, part of the wider 'short eats' tradition of small savoury snacks displayed under glass and sold to office workers, students and commuters throughout the day. A flaky, buttery pastry shell encases a well-spiced minced chicken filling, showing the same colonial-era pastry influence seen in cutlets, but here baked rather than fried, making them a slightly lighter counterpart on the short eats table.
Tips: Keep the butter and water very cold when making the pastry – this is what creates the characteristic flaky layers. Make sure the filling is completely cool before assembling, or it will melt the butter in the pastry and make it difficult to seal. Crimp the edges firmly with a fork to prevent the filling leaking out during baking.
Variations: Fish or beef mince can replace chicken for other popular patty fillings. A vegetable version with mixed diced carrots, peas and potato in a mildly spiced sauce is a common vegetarian short eat. Not typically converted to vegan due to the butter pastry and egg glaze; a vegetarian version substitutes a spiced mixed vegetable filling for the chicken.
Storage: Refrigerate baked patties for up to 3 days in an airtight container; unbaked assembled patties can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Reheating: Reheat in an oven at 180C (350F) for 8-10 minutes to restore flakiness; avoid microwaving as it makes the pastry soft.
Nutrition: Approx. 230 kcal, 9 g protein, 13 g fat, 20 g carbohydrates, 1 g fibre per patty
FAQs:
Q: Why is my pastry not flaky?
A: This is usually because the butter softened too much before baking; keep all ingredients cold, handle the dough as little as possible, and chill it again before rolling if it feels warm.
Q: Can I make the filling ahead of time?
A: Yes, the filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, which also saves time when assembling patties for a party.
Q: Can chicken patties be frozen unbaked?
A: Yes, assemble and freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag; bake from frozen, adding about 5-8 extra minutes.
- All-purpose flour (2 cups) — 250 g (8.8 oz)
- Cold butter, cubed (4 oz) — 115 g (4.1 oz)
- Salt (1/4 teaspoon) — 1.5 g
- Tablespoons ice water (90-105 ml) — 6-7
- Egg, beaten, for glazing — 1
- Minced chicken, for the filling (10.5 oz) — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Small onion, finely chopped (100 g) — 1
- Garlic cloves, minced — 2
- Curry powder (1 teaspoon) — 3 g
- Chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon) — 2 g
- Curry leaves, chopped — 1 sprig
- Potato, boiled and diced small (100 g) — 1
- Oil (1 tablespoon) — 15 ml (1 tbsp)
- Salt and pepper — to taste
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