Moreish, puffy, rich, melt-in the-mouth flaky pastry with a delicious shredded chicken filling, pastries the whole family will love. These meat pastry rolls are an absolute treat and make perfect appetizers for hungry teens, savory tea time, your game-day appetizer table, or if you want an impressive appetizer for dinner, a potluck, or party.


The mixture is reminiscent of my Sil’s “Cold Beef Salad” that I used to use up when we could not eat the salad the next day. For us, these are the perfect snack for our weekend chai. 

They can be eaten hot, straight from the oven; or room temperature later on (in the unlikely event you have any left – I didn’t not even for a decent picture!).

It’s undeniably one of the best comfort snacks you can try! It’s perfect for Ramadan as it can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the freezer for at least 1-2 weeks. 

 Bake them right before dinner and you are ready to go!

Making shredded Chicken/beef filling

Ingredients:

• 500gms/1 lb/ 3cups/ of Beef or chicken (I used chicken breast)
• 1 large or 2 medium sized potato cubed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tbsp. garlic paste
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2-3 squirts of ketchup
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot (optional)
• 1/2 cup finely diced green pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp ground coriander & cumin powder- dhana jeera
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 
• Salt – to taste
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
• 1/4 lemon squeezed

Other ingredients

• Puff pastry- 2 sheets (thawed)
• 1 Egg, beaten-for egg wash.
  
  

Instructions

1. Start by defrosting the puff pastry according to package directions. 
   
2. Boil the chicken or Beef with 2 cups of water, 1/2 the ginger garlic paste and 1/2 tsp salt ( pressure cook for 8 minutes or stove top for 14 mins).
   
3. Halfway through, once the chicken is almost cooked, add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, and meat is fully cooked and all the liquid has dried off, the filling should have about 1 tbsp. of liquid left.
   
4. Add the cooked meat and potatoes and combine well.
   
5. Add chili powder, coriander powder, ground cumin, turmeric and salt. Combine well and add ketchup and cook for 4-5 minutes.  
   
6. Finally, add cilantro and a squeeze of lemon juice.
   
7. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
   
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat, let the mixture cool completely.
   
9. Cut the puff pastry sheet vertically into 3 equal rectangles. (If it’s a larger sheet cut into equal rectangles accordingly).
   
10. Cut each rectangle into 4 equal halves (you should get 12 squares).
    
11. Place 1 tbsp. of shredded meat filling onto the center of the square and fold the pastry over the filling.
    
12. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    
13. Give the tops of the pastry a coat of egg wash with a pastry brush.
    
14. Keep on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes or till the puff pastry has turned crispy and golden in color.
    
    

Notes

You could substitute ground beef with ground chicken keema, vegetable samosa masala, leftover pau bhaji masala, masala potatoes,  or a mix of potato/cheese and onion.

Sprinkle white or black sesame seeds or nigella seeds –  totally optional! 

I prebake these and freeze, then just reheat in the Airfryer for 6 minutes or use the “Bake” function if your Airfryer has one.  Otherwise, reheat in the oven for 10 mins on 375° F.

You can also fill the pastries and freeze them then bake them from the refrigerator from frozen, these will require a few additional minutes to cook.