Bakery-Style Chicken Vol au Vents & Chicken Patties Recipe With Homemade Shortening

If you want to master the art of making perfectly flaky, crispy, and layered bakery-style Chicken Patties and Chicken Vol au Vents at home, this recipe is for you! By using a secret homemade shortening (puff pastry fat), you can achieve that ultimate shatteringly crisp texture right from your own kitchen. Perfect for high tea, parties, or a special evening snack!

Ingredients:

1. For the Homemade Shortening & Puff Pastry Dough:

• All-purpose flour (Maida): 2 cups
• Chilled butter or Ghee: 1 cup (for making the puff pastry fat/shortening)
• Salt: ½ teaspoon
• Cold water: As needed to knead a firm dough
• Lemon juice or Vinegar: 1 teaspoon

2. For the Creamy Chicken Filling:

• Boiled & shredded chicken: 1 cup
• Butter or Oil: 2 tablespoons
• All-purpose flour (Maida): 1.5 tablespoons
• Milk: 1 cup
• Finely chopped onion: 1 small
• Black pepper powder: ½ teaspoon
• White pepper powder: ¼ teaspoon (optional)
• Salt: To taste
• Fresh coriander or green chilies: Finely chopped (optional)

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Step-by-Step Instructions:

Step 1: Make the Creamy Chicken Filling

1. Heat butter or oil in a pan and sauté the finely chopped onions until soft and translucent (do not brown them).
2. Add 1.5 tablespoons of flour and roast it on low heat for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Gradually pour in the cold milk while whisking continuously to avoid any lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens.
4. Stir in the shredded chicken, salt, black pepper, and white pepper. Mix well and cook for another minute until the filling is thick and creamy. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely.

Step 2: Roll out the Puff Pastry (Vol au Vents & Patties Shaping)

1. Roll out your prepared puff pastry dough using your homemade shortening technique to create beautiful, clear flaky layers.
2. For Chicken Patties: Cut the dough into square or round shapes. Place a spoonful of chicken filling in the center, fold, and seal the edges gently.
3. For Vol au Vents: Cut out round discs using a cookie cutter. For every bottom disc, cut out a second disc of the exact same size, but use a smaller cutter to remove its center, creating a dough ring. Stack the ring on top of the base disc using a tiny bit of water or egg wash to stick them together. Fill the center cavity with your creamy chicken filling.

Step 3: Bake to Golden Perfection

1. Place the shaped patties and vol au vents on a greased baking sheet.
2. Brush the tops gently with beaten egg yolk (egg wash) to get that signature shiny, bakery-golden color.
3. In an Oven: Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry completely puffs up into beautiful visible layers and turns golden brown.
4. In a Stovetop Pot (Pateela): Preheat your pot with a stand on high heat for 10 minutes. Place the baking tray inside, cover tightly, and bake on medium-low heat for 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from heat, let them cool slightly to crunch up, and serve hot with chili garlic sauce or ketchup!