Homemade Butter Chicken Pies (Mini Chicken Pies)

These mini butter chicken pies combine the rich, creamy flavour of classic butter chicken with the crispy, flaky texture of puff pastry.

Wrapping this iconic Indian dish in a pastry parcel makes for an ideal single-serve, pop-able appetiser or snack.

To make things easy, we are using shop-bought puff pastry. We also bake the pies in a muffin tin for perfectly shaped, snack-sized chicken pies. These little gems are small but mighty. And let's be honest, who doesn't love a mini chicken pie?

Puff pastry is such an easy and versatile ingredient to use for both savoury and sweet dishes. For more creative ideas on how to use it in your own kitchen, see these mini sausage rolls with chorizo, creamy chicken and leek pies, cheese and onion pasties or this reader-favourite easy chicken sausage rolls recipe.

Key ingredient notes and substitutions

**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.

Greek yoghurt

We prefer the thicker, creamier texture of Greek yogurt but any plain yogurt works perfectly well in this recipe too.

Mild curry powder

If you prefer just a touch of spice, stick with a mild curry powder. For something more boldly spiced, feel free to use a hotter curry powder or add an extra teaspoon of mild curry powder.

Chicken

Either skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs work beautifully in this recipe.

Tomatoes

For convenience, we use canned chopped tomatoes in the recipe but you can certainly use fresh tomatoes if you prefer.

Sugar

We add a small amount of sugar which serves to balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes rather than make the curry taste sweet. You can leave the sugar out if you are sugar-free.

Double cream

Also called heavy cream in the US. Can be replaced with single cream or whipping cream if unavailable.

Puff pastry

Shop-bought fresh or frozen puff pastry will work just fine in this recipe. Look for the puff pastry sold in sheet format, rolled up in a paper wrapping and packaged in an elongated box.

In the UK, the standard size for most brand packets is around 320g. You need right around this quantity. A few grams over or under is fine.

Some popular brands are:

Jus-Rol - United Kingdom

Pampas - Australia

Today - South Africa

Pepperidge Farm - USA.

Poppy or sesame seeds

Adding these seeds on top is optional and mostly just for visual appeal. But the seeds do add some nice texture.

Instructions

To make the butter chicken filling

• Marinate the diced chicken in the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, curry powder, ground coriander and turmeric for a minimum of two hours.

• Fry the onions in oil in a skillet over medium heat until they are soft and light golden brown in colour.

• Add the marinated chicken pieces along with the marinade to the saucepan and continue frying for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Pour in the canned chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil.

• Lower the heat and gently simmer the mixture for 10 minutes until the chicken pieces are cooked through and tender.

• Add the butter and cream and heat through.

• Transfer the filling to a container to cool in the fridge until it begins to firm up slightly, about 30 minutes.

Cut out the pastry

• Roll out both puff pastry sheets into roughly 45x38cm rectangles.
  
  Top tip: Don't bother flouring the surface, just roll the pastry out on the paper it was wrapped in, it saves cleaning up later.

• Using the 9cm round cookie cutter, cut out 6 circles from the first pastry sheet. Also, cut out 6 circles with the 8cm round cookie cutter.

• Repeat for the second sheet of pastry so you end up with 12 large circles and 12 slightly smaller circles. If you don't have cookie cutters, you can use glasses or bowls of similar size.

• Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin baking tin with a neutral oil or cooking spray. You can simply dip a piece of kitchen paper in oil and wipe each muffin hole out with it.

Assembling the pies

• Preheat the oven to 190C/374F/gas mark 5.

• Gently press the larger sized puff pastry circles into the indentations in the muffin tin, letting the pastry extend slightly over the top rim of each muffin cup hole. This overhang will help with sealing the tops later.

• Scoop roughly one generous tablespoon of the chilled butter chicken filling into each muffin cup, being careful not to fill it higher than the rim of the cup.

• Top each filled muffin cup with one of the smaller-sized puff pastry circles. Gently press and pinch together the edges of the bottom and top pastry circles together to seal them securely, closing any gaps.
  
  You can also use the tines of a fork to seal the two sides together.

• Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush the tops of each pie with the egg wash.

• Use the tip of a sharp knife to poke 2-3 small slits or holes into the top of each mini pie. This will allow steam to vent during baking.

• Optional: Sprinkle the tops with sesame or poppy seeds if you wish.

• Bake the assembled pies in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is nicely puffed up and golden brown on top.

• Allow the pies to cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing them.

Serving suggestions

• Serve on their own as an appetiser or as part of a charcuterie board.

• Makes a delicious meal served with potato salad, a green salad, naan bread or chips.

• They work well in a packed lunch or for a picnic.

• Sprinkle with fresh cilantro (coriander).

Storage

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in a preheated oven of 190C/374F/gas mark 5 and bake for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

For making ahead, you can assemble the pies and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking them at 190C/374F/gas mark 5.

To freeze unbaked pies, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove from the freezer the day before and keep in the fridge until defrosted. Bake for 20 minutes at 190C/374F/gas mark 5.

To bake from frozen, add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.

Other puff pastry pie recipes you might enjoy

Cheese and onion pasties

Mini homemade sausage rolls with chorizo

Creamy chicken and leek pies

Easy chicken sausage rolls

Sausage plait with caramelised onions, apple and crispy bacon

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