These golden ground chicken puff pastries are a cross between a chicken empanada and a chicken filled croissant. With just a hit of spice from green chilis, it’s a crowd pleaser that will become a household staple.
I went to a college football game in Nebraska and had something called a Runza. It’s a baked, yeasty dough pocket fulled with ground beed, onions and cabbage. It was a cold winter day with a warm pocket of goodness in my hand. I have been chasing that treat ever since.
Fast forward and a few years later when I tried this recipe! Its easy, quick, and checks all the boxes for, lean meat, carb and veggies within a meal.
Serve with a freshly made guacamole from scratch with a side of rice or a baked potato. I shared this recipe with a friend once and they subbed aioli for the guac which I thought was creative!
This has become a family staple, my 15month has been enjoying it since she was 6 months old! It is a great option for adding to your baby led weening dinner/lunch menu!
This combination of ingredients is just the tip of the iceberg. For a dinner party, add a some beautiful diced mushrooms or truffle oil. Instead of a guacamole or aioli use creme fraiche topped with fresh chives! I treat this recipe like meatloaf, I kind of throw the kitchen sink at it. What do I have that I need to use up in my fridge? It’s a satisfying moment to not waste anything in the fridge but also come up with a great variation, right? Have fun with this one!
Ingredients
Phyllo Dough – Thin sheets work the best, I use the pre-made ones by The Phyllo Factory sold at whole foods.
Green Chilis – canned are best but you can use fresh as well. Note: if you are giving to baby make sure to get the mild ones not HOT like I did and baby did not care for 🙂
Shredded Cheese – try to shred your own, I like to use raw monterey or raw sharp cheddar!
For a full list of ingredients head to the recipe card below!
Can you use other protein options?
Of course, this is great with ground beef or ground turkey. I’ve never experimented with a vegetarian option but a refried been option sounds really yummy as well!
I feel like a great option for vegetarians would be a Mediterranean themed roll and that has a bunch of tasty feta with cucumbers, tomatoes and all that jazz. Then topped with a Tzatziki dip on the side yum!
Is phyllo dough the only dough to use?
No! Try with puff pastry, rough puff or even tortillas! I’ve tried with all of these and I always go back to phyllo because I just love the crunch it gives! The pastry options seem to get more into the realm of empanadas.
How long do they keep?
If you pop some in the fridge, eat them within 4 days. If you freeze them I would consume in 3-4 months. Obviously these are just recommendations so do what you think is right. To be quite honest we NEVER have leftovers at the end of the night so I not an expert at this hehe!
The way I prepare the phyllo dough for this recipe
- The pack I buy (The Phyllo Factory) comes precut at 18″W x 13″H so I thaw before use (I sometimes forget to thaw so when I turn the oven on I put the package in the middle of the oven to speed the thawing up!
- Lay the sheet out wide and do a book fold so now its 9″W x 13″H panels.
- Then take kitchen scissors and cut from bottom to top on the fold
- Now the sheets are all stacked on top of each other and are 9″W x 13″H, we are ready to add the chicken!
How to make Ground Chicken Puff Pastries steps
- Combine ground chicken, green chilis, diced onions and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Add seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder
- Add the filling evenly to the bottom side of the sheet
- Then pull the bottom of the sheet up and over the filling, pat in the two ends just like you would when rolling a burrito, all the way until you reach the top.
- Then lay the roll, seam down on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Top with oil or butter to get that golden crunch!
Tips for rolling up your rolls
- Use two sheets of phyllo per roll. Using one doesn’t give you as much crunch and using more than two the dough / filling ration wont be right
- Use parchment and not foil to avoid them sticking
- Don’t forget the cheese!! Once rolled there is really no turning back without a mess. I have done this and although still yummy not as scrumptious.
- Oil up – brush oil or butter on top of the rolls before going in oven to get the golden crunch
- You can add the filling in a gallon ziplock and cut one corner to have very even rolls, but I just add with a fork and eye mine now days
Step by step:
Step 1: Lay chicken evenly along the bottom of your sheet stacks. Decide how thick you want yours to be here and grab two sheets per roll before beginning your upward movement
Step 2: Pull bottom up and over the chicken. Then grasp the roll to get the sheet to fully wrap around the chicken so it adheres well to begin your wrap
Step 3: Push in the ends and grasp the roll to make it even and tight so none of the filling will spill out the sides when baking. I’ve never made sushi before but I think this is how it would go 🙂
Step 4: With both edges secured make your way all the way to the top and end seam down. Transfer the roll to the parchment covered baking sheet
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Ground Chicken Puff Pastries
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 400℉
- Combine ground chicken, green chilis, diced onions and shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and mix
- Layout the 9×13" phyllo dough sheets, 9" side top to bottom
- Add the filling evenly to the bottom side of the sheet
- Pull the bottom of the sheet up and over the filling, pat in the two ends just like you would when rolling a burrito, all the way until you reach the top.
- Lay the roll, seam down on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Top with oil or butter to get that golden crunch!
- Let rest for 3-5 mins, cut in the middle on a diagonal and serve with guac
Notes
- Use two sheets of phyllo per roll. Using one doesn’t give you as much crunch and using more than two the dough / filling ration wont be right
- Use parchment and not foil to avoid them sticking
- Don’t forget the cheese!! Once rolled there is really no turning back without a mess. I have done this and although still yummy not as scrumptious.
- Oil up – brush oil or butter on top of the rolls before going in oven to get the golden crunch
- You can add the filling in a gallon ziplock and cut one corner to have very even rolls, but I just add with a fork and eye mine now days
- Depending on how lean your meat is, you may have to drain the juice mid way
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