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.
What’s to love about this recipe
- The filling is absolutely delicious. Rich and creamy tender chicken, packed with flavour and spices.
- These mini hand pies are perfect for parties, snacking on the go, impromptu appetisers, a twist on curry night or any time you need a flavourful bite.
- Enjoy them warm straight from the oven or chilled. Great for taking on picnics or packing lunches.
- Detailed step-by-step instructions provided. These mini pies come together surprisingly easily. No special baking skills are required.
- No blind-baking.
If you love a good pie made with puff pastry as much as we do, take a look at this creamy leek and bacon chicken pie!
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.
Equipment needed
- 1 x medium-sized bowl.
- 1 x heavy-based, large saucepan or large pan/large skillet.
- 1 x standard 12-hole muffin tin, or 2 x 6-hole muffin tins.
- 1 x 8cm round cookie cutter, or glass/bowl.
- 1 x 9cm round cookie cutter, or glass/bowl.
- 1 x pastry brush.
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.
Top Tips
Allow the filling to chill
Letting the butter chicken filling cool down and solidify slightly in the fridge before assembling the pies makes them much easier to fill and shape. The firmer filling will also be less messy and runny.
Measure the muffin tin
The cookie cutter size measurements provided are based on using a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
You may need to adjust the size of your puff pastry circle cut-outs according to the size and depth of your own muffin tin holes.
To check sizing, simply place a cupcake paper liner into one of the muffin holes. If the paper liner extends slightly over the top rim, it is a good fit.
Open up the paper liner and measure the diameter across. This diameter is what you will use for the larger cookie cutter/glass you’re using.
If the paper liner does not rise above the tin at all, increase your cutter size slightly to allow for overlap.
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
Mini homemade sausage rolls with chorizo
Sausage plait with caramelised onions, apple and crispy bacon
FAQ
No, they are not the same as chicken pot pies. The key difference is that these pies are removed from the muffin tin after baking, whereas traditional chicken pot pies are usually served in ramekins or baking dishes and not taken out of the container they are baked in.
Sure! To make a big butter chicken pie, use a large pie dish. Cover it with puff pastry, making sure it extends a bit above the rim. Fill the pie, top it with another pastry circle, and seal the edges. Bake in a 190C/374F/gas mark 5 oven for 20-25 minutes.
Butter chicken pies
Equipment
- 1 medium sized bowl
- 1 heavy-based saucepan
- 1 standard 12-hole muffin tin
- 1 8cm round cookie cutter or glass
- 1 9cm round cookie cutter or glass
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
For the butter chicken filling
- 160 grams Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
- 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
- 0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 400 grams skinless boneless chicken breast or thighs cut into small cubes
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 100 grams onion diced
- 150 grams tomatoes diced, or used canned diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 0.5-1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 140 grams double cream
- 60 grams butter
For the pastry
- 2 sheets puff pastry circa 375g each
- 1 egg
- poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
Make the butter chicken filling
- Place the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, curry powder, ground coriander and turmeric in a bowl and stir together.
- Add the chopped chicken and coat well with the yoghurt marinade. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for a minimum of two hours to marinade.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft and light golden in colour.
- Add the marinated chicken pieces along with the marinade to the skillet 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 simmer.
- 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 to the chicken curry. Stir together until melted and heated 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, 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 out each muffin hole 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.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush the tops of the 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.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
Delicious butter chicken pie!
Hey Beverley!
So pleased you enjoyed the butter chicken pies – we love them in our house! Thanks for the lovely feedback and happy baking!
Maretha.
How can I use premade pastry puffs?
Hey Sheila,
I’m not entirely sure what you mean by premade pastry puffs (I’m in the UK and I assume you’re in the US?), but if you’re referring to ready-made puff pastry sheets, you can follow the recipe as written – just cut, fill and top with a lid as instructed.
If you mean the pre-formed puff pastry cases (the little hollow ones), those are already baked and don’t have lids, so they won’t give you the same result. You could still use them and spoon the filling in, but they would be open rather than closed pies.
Hope that helps!
Maretha x