Flaky, easy to make Chicken Samosas with Yogurt Mint Dip brings the best of Indian street food straight to your home. With Phyllo, these samosas are quick and easy to make. Once assembled, bake in the oven for a crispy exterior without a greasy mess!
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I lived on baked samosas for more than a year during my college days.
Flavorful potato, cheese or chicken filling in a light and fluffy dumpling, served with a ton of ketchup. It was delicious, filling, and best of all, dirt cheap! It was my breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I didn’t have a family to support now, I’d still eat them every day!
How to make homemade chicken samosas
the Baked Chicken Samosas Recipe I’m sharing here is a nod to the baked samosa from my “golden days”.
make you do itKeema, just a Hindi name for ground beef (chicken in this case), is cooked with a homemade tikka masala spice mix. This filling is then wrapped in phyllo leaves and baked in triangular pockets until crisp.
To make it even better, I added a sumac mint dipping sauce. No ketchup this time!
Samosa is a very popular street food in India. In the northern parts of India you can find samosa vendors on pretty much every street corner!
In short, samosas have two components – a filling (usually savory and spicy) and a wheat flour crust, similar to a pie crust.
Samosas are triangular in shape, filled and sealed like a dumpling. They are then typically shallow fried in oil until the shell is golden and crispy.
Can you bake samosas?
Alternatively, another form of samosas popular today in “modern India” is made from dough sheets and baked. Using pre-made phyllo sheets makes this recipe pretty quick, and once you master the technique you can use different types of fillings, from a traditional potato filling to cheese, paneer, or chicken.
How to fold a samosa
When working with Phyllo, you want to make sure it doesn’t dry out or crumble – but you also don’t want it to get wet or stick together. Drape a slightly damp cloth, wrung out fully, over your stack of phyllo, working one or two leaves at a time.
To fold a samosa with phyllo sheets, first carefully coat the tray with the butter and oil mixture. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise. Place a ball of stuffing on one corner of the phyllo sheet. Fold the corner with filling into a triangle. Lift the loose side and place it over the wider side of the triangle and continue until all the phyllo is used up.
Place filled samosas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
What is the best sauce for samosas?
Samosas are usually served with a dip. The purpose of the dip is mainly to cool off the heat of the samosa.
The dip used for this recipe is made with yogurt, fresh mint leaves, some black pepper, and a Middle Eastern spice called sumac.
The yogurt balances out the hot and spicy taste of the samosa and gives it a cooling effect. Sumac gives the dip a nice sour kick, and the herbal aroma and mint flavor make it refreshing.
Can you make samosas ahead of time?
To save time the day you want to serve and enjoy the samosas (this is especially helpful if you’re preparing them for a party), You can prepare the filling and dip two days in advance.
While you can prepare the filling ahead of time, I recommend baking the samosas soon after filling and eat right away. The phyllo leaves can become soggy if left at room temperature for too long.
How to store and freeze samosas
Alternatively, you can freeze the samosas.
Freeze, Fill and wrap samosas. Place the unbaked samosas in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place the sheet in the freezer for about an hour until the samosas are frozen.
Once frozen, place the samosas in a ziplock bag or storage container and place between sheets of parchment. Put them back in the freezer. Samosas will keep in the freezer for four to six weeks.
When you are ready to bake, keep refrigerated. Take the samosas straight from the freezer to the oven. Just give them 3 to 5 more minutes in the oven. Samosas are ready to serve when the outer shell is golden brown.
Looking for more great Indian recipes?
- Indian Butter Chicken
- Pressure cooker Saag Tofu
- Indian Butter Chicken
- Tandoori chicken
- How to make naan
- Chicken Korma
Baked Chicken Samosas with Mint Yogurt Dip
I use dried mango powder in the tikka masala spice mix and sumac in the dip The mango powder adds a tart note and lightens the other flavors, much like using lime or lemon juice without adding extra liquid. Sumac has a tart and nutty flavor. You can omit both, but it’s worth visiting an Indian grocery store or spice shop, or you can find it on Amazon.
You can also add dried lemon zest to the spice mix and a squeeze of lemon juice to the dip to mimic the effect.
ingredients
- For the tikka masala spice mix:
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1 tablespoon coriander seeds
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1 tablespoon cumin
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1 tablespoon paprika or 8-10 Kashmiri Lal Mirch chilies
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1 tablespoon garlic powder
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1 1/2 teaspoons dry mango powder or lemon zest
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1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
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1/2 teaspoon dry mint leaves
- For the samosa:
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1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
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1 cup chopped red onion
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1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno
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1 pound ground chicken
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1 teaspoon of salt
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1 tablespoon tikka masala spice mix
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1 cup cilantro
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2 pounds phyllo leaves (about 2 boxes)
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1/4 cup melted butter or oil for brushing the phyllo leaves
- For the mint yoghurt dip:
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3/4 cup plain yogurt
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1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
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1 teaspoon ground sumac or lemon juice
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1 teaspoon olive oil
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1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
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1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
special equipment
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Spice grinder or mortar and pestle
method
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Make the spice mix:
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, add the cumin and coriander seeds. Dry roast the seeds for 5 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Turn off the heater. Let the seeds cool completely.
In a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) add the roasted seeds, paprika, garlic powder, mango powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and mint leaves and grind together until it’s a uniform fine powder.
Transfer to an airtight container. Store cool and dry.
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Make the samosa filling:
In a large skillet over medium heat add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and jalapeño. Sauté for 5 minutes until onion softens.
Turn the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, 1 tablespoon of the tikka masala seasoning, and salt. Break the ground chicken into pieces, stirring a little to combine the chicken with the onion and jalapeño. The chicken is done when it’s browned and all the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the coriander.
Turn off the heater. Let it cool down completely.
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Preheat oven to 375°F
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Assembling the samosa:
Place a stack of thawed filo sheets on your workspace. Work with 2 full leaves at a time and cover the rest with a damp but not wet cloth. Some of your leaves may be broken or brittle. Try to use whole leaves.
Stack the two sheets on top of each other and lightly brush the phyllo with butter or oil. Fold the leaves in half lengthwise.
Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of filling on one corner of the filo sheet. Fold the corner with the filling into a triangle. Now lift the bottom of the loose end and fold it over the longer edge of the samosa to make a triangular package. Tuck the loose ends underneath. Brush the top with butter or oil. Place the samosa on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Repeat with the rest of the filling and the phyllo leaves.
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Bake samosas:
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges of the samosas are golden.
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Make the dip:
While the samosas are baking, prepare the dip. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, mint, sumac, olive oil, pepper, and salt. Stir it up.
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Eating samosas:
Remove the samosas from the oven, transfer to a serving platter, serve with the mint dip and enjoy hot!
