This recipe was given to me by a dear friend who is originally from Pakistan—which explains this particular combination of spices in the filling. She is a really wonderful cook in all ways—and she is especially good with meat dishes. This one was served to a big group at a brunch recently, and adults and kids alike kept going back for more. This filling is good by itself, with rice, on toast—you’ll see, it is very versatile. You can also make these with pie-dough (which is what I have pictured here…and what I had on hand). I just rolled out the dough and used a 3-inch cookie cutter, filled, folded them in half and ended up with a basket of nice 2-bite pieces that make good finger food while watching a game or a movie. You can also re-warm these and they hold up pretty well. My son took them to school for lunch one day and asked that I make them again soon—no better recommendation than that!
Chicken-Stuffed Biscuits
Makes 30
Ingredients for the chicken:
1/4 cup olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
5 – 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, washed, dried and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 medium onion, sliced thin
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
salt to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriander or ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
1-½ cup flavorful tomatoes (cherry, Campari or plum) diced
2 tablespoons fat free plain yogurt
15-20 count frozen biscuit dough (not the pre-cooked ones, you need dough you can roll out!)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-2 tablespoons flour
Preparation of the Chicken:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook them until they start to turn light brown and give off their lovely roasted aroma. Add the onions and garlic, and cook on low heat until light golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and the salt, pepper, paprika and coriander or cilantro. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring the chicken frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pan and the spices don’t burn. Continue to cook until there is almost no liquid in the pan, just the chicken and bubbling oil, this takes about 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in the fresh spinach leaves, diced tomatoes and yogurt. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, literally almost shredding. If the chicken begins to stick to the pan, add a little water to deglaze and continue to cook until it is done. The chicken can be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to make the biscuits.
To assemble the biscuits:
Thaw the frozen biscuits. Roll the dough pieces until they are about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Cut each circle in half.
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the cooked (almost shredded) chicken mixture onto each semi circle, fold over, and press a fork along the open ends to seal shut.
Brush or spray a small amount of oil on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place the prepared biscuits about an inch apart. Brush each biscuit with a little of the beaten egg mixture and cook for 15 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees, checking every five minutes or so—until they are puffed up and golden brown.
