Chicken Patties (Pakistani Bakery Puff Pastry Patties)
چکن پیٹیز
Walk into any Pakistani bakery around tea time and the warmers are full of chicken patties: square parcels of buttery puff pastry, flaky enough to shower crumbs, filled with chicken in a creamy white sauce with a sharp hit of black pepper. They're bought for school lunches, office tea and unexpected guests. With frozen puff pastry from the supermarket, they're simple to make at home, and they freeze well before baking.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 15 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 45 min
- Medium
- Serves 12
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Melt the butter and cook the onion and carrot for 4 minutes. Stir in the flour for a minute, then gradually whisk in the milk and cook until thick, like a heavy white sauce.
Add the chicken, peas, black pepper, green chilli and salt and cook for 3 minutes until very thick. Cool the filling completely.
Heat the oven to 200°C. Roll the pastry slightly and cut into 24 squares. Put a spoon of filling on 12, brush the edges with egg, cover with the remaining squares and press the edges with a fork.
Brush with egg, cut a small slit on top and bake for 20–25 minutes until puffed and deep golden.
Serve warm with ketchup and tea.
Kitchen notes
The filling must be cold and thick; warm, runny filling melts the pastry butter and makes soggy patties.
Keep the pastry cold. If it softens, chill the tray for 10 minutes before baking.
Freeze unbaked patties on a tray, then bag them. Bake from frozen, adding 5–8 minutes.
The bakery’s bestseller
Chicken patties are a staple of Pakistani bakeries from Karachi to Peshawar, sold warm alongside cream rolls, chicken bread and cakes. Their creamy, peppery filling inside flaky pastry reflects the British influence on South Asian bakeries, adapted with green chillies and plenty of black pepper.
Flaky pastry, thick filling
Good patties depend on two things: very cold puff pastry, so the butter layers create steam and rise in the oven, and a thick, cool filling that won’t leak. Make the filling a day ahead if you can.
Puff pastry worldwide
Frozen puff pastry is sold in supermarkets everywhere, often in ready-rolled sheets. All-butter pastry tastes best.
Shapes and sizes
Bakeries make square patties with a fork-pressed border, but rectangles, triangles and small round “cocktail” patties for parties all use the same method. Smaller patties need 3–5 minutes less in the oven. For a glossy, deep golden top, brush with egg yolk mixed with a spoon of milk, and sprinkle with a few sesame or nigella seeds if you like.
Serving
Serve warm with ketchup and doodh patti, or pack them cold for lunchboxes. They’re a great freezer standby for unexpected guests.
Questions people ask
Can I use a different filling?
Yes. Spiced mince (keema), chicken tikka or potato and peas are all popular bakery fillings.
Can I make puff pastry at home?
You can make a quick rough puff with cold butter folded into dough, but ready-made puff pastry gives reliable, flaky results.
How do I reheat them?
In a hot oven or air fryer for 5 minutes. Microwaving makes the pastry soft.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 270
- Protein
- 10 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
