I’m dedicating this post to my youngest daughter, Madeline. She is our “sticky little gum drop”, our “oven baked cutie-pie”, our “mushy little sweet pea”, our “chubby little pumpkin”. . One of her favorite books is “You are my Cupcake” by Joyce Wan. The book is absolutely adorable and Madeline brings it up to me, points, says “book” (sounds like book without the “k”) and nods her head (she’s only 18 months old so not speaking full sentences yet). The last page of the book says “Baby, I could just eat you up!” and I add the “nom, nom, nom” and pretend to bite her. She LOVES this and laughs and screams hysterically.
Recently, I quit my job so I could take some time off to stay at home with my daughters. My oldest, Phoebe, is 5 and will start kindergarten soon so it’ll mainly be me and the little one during the day – hanging out, having play dates, going to gymboree (or whatever we find) etc. Even though my girls can misbehave and whine (like all kids do), they are actually really good girls. I feel really lucky and fortunate be to able to stay home with them while they are young . . to see them grow. .
Over the past few weeks/ months, I’ve been watching Madeline (M) and I’m amazed at how fast she is learning new things and really love seeing her personality come to life. She is just the cutest little thing. She is also very spunky, social and loud. Little girl got some lungs. I have seriously been out at the grocery store or at the park or something, M sees something she wants to hold or sees a dog (she loves dogs) and she starts screaming and pointing (again, because she can’t talk quite yet so this is how she communicates) and I’ve had people say to me, “Wow, she’s got quite a pair of lungs.” to which I always reply, “Yup.”
The cutest thing – recently- she has been doing- she will carry around a stuffed animal or baby doll and rock it and hold it just like a real baby. She will even get her favorite blanket/s (we have 3 of the exact same one) and use them to wrap the babies and put them to night-night. She’ll put her tiny finger to her mouth and say “shhh”. She will then immediately grab her blankets, which will unravel the dolls and they go rolling to the floor. Guess, for her, the pretend/play time is over when they go to sleep.
So, again, I’m dedicating this post to my little Madeline, “my cute chicken curry puff.” This recipe is from “Eat, Little Bird”. See her recipe here. I marinated the chicken with my chicken curry recipe and did not mince the chicken like she does. I cut up the chicken breast into tiny chunks. These little puffs are simply divine and oh so yummy! I am definitely making these again, really soon. Dip in a sweet and sour sauce or just by itself! Hope you enjoy!
If you choose to marinate the chicken, you will need the instructions listed here.
Madeline’s Chicken Curry Puffs
Chicken Curry Puffs
Ingredients
- 2-3 large Chicken Breasts or marinated Chicken Breasts
- 1-2 potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped (or just use some crushed garlic)
- 1-2 teaspoons curry powder in addition to what is listed if you marinate the chicken
- 1-2 cups of frozen peas
- Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
- Ready rolled puff pastry make sure you have enough to make about 20 puffs; for me, each puff pastry sheet gave me only 4 puffs but I used the excess pastry dough as well. I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. You might need 2-3 boxes depending on how much you want to make.
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame seeds for sprinkling
- Small bowl or cookie cutter to cut puff pastry about 10 cm in diameter
- Wax paper and foil and/or parchment paper
Instructions
- If you are choosing to marinate your chicken, follow the directions provided in the link above and then cut up your chicken into small chunks. I knew I wanted to make these puffs so I marinated my chicken a day before so it had been marinating for over 24 hours. This marinade is delicious and even though it's curry chicken, there is still a bit of sweetness to it. It's wonderful. You must try!
- Preheat the oven to 370 degrees
- Peel the potatoes, cut them into small chunks and cook them in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked through. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large fry pan over medium- high heat. Gently fry the onion and garlic until it is aromatic.
- Add the chicken and the additional 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder and cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Add the potatoes and frozen peas (no need to defrost the peas) and cook, season with salt and pepper to taste
- Set aside the pan to cool and then mix through the chopped cilantro
- Use a cookie cutter, glass jar or small bowl, to cut round circles from the puff pastry. Cut the puff pastry on wax paper or foil so it's easy to pick up.
- Place a teaspoon or so of the chicken mixture inside and fold over to make a half moon shape. Pinch the edges together to close, either with your fingers or using a fork (fingers are easier and faster).
- Brush each side with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and place on a foil-lined (or with parchment paper) cookie sheet to bake
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden
Madeline, my little Chicken Curry Puff. I love you!
