An unbelievably delicious and easy chicken samosa recipe with a crispy, golden crust and the tastiest spiced chicken filling.
My Indian husband says these chicken samosas are better than any restaurant.
And guess what?
The recipe is so easy that the freelance videographer I hired made them perfectly on her first try—and also said they’re better than a restaurant’s! 😎
Super delicious served with a steaming hot of Authentic Indian Chai.
Here’s What You Need
Let’s break down the ingredients you’ll need for this chicken samosa recipe. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating these tasty bites.
Chicken Samosa Ingredients
Samosa Dough Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour: Known as maida in India.
- Salt
- Vegetable oil: Adds moisture and helps with the dough’s texture.
- Water
Chicken Samosa Filling Ingredients:
- Onion
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Salt
- Minced chicken: Ground chicken breast or thigh.
- Ground cumin seeds
- Coriander Powder
- Chili powder
- Garam masala: A blend of spices that provides rich flavor. You can swap in curry powder.
- Frozen green peas
- Green chillies (optional): For extra heat and flavor. I often add minced fresh cilantro as well.
Variations and Substitutions
Feel free to customize this recipe to suit your preferences or dietary needs. Here are some ideas:
- Vegetarian: Try my super-popular potato samosa recipe.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free flour blend for the samosa dough.
- Different Protein: Try using ground turkey, or make my beef samosas.
The samosa filling is so yummy that I sometimes make it on its own just to eat with butter naan for dinner.
I even stuff it into puff pastry for shortcut samosa puffs over the holidays.
Grab these Tools
Make sure you have these tools on hand before you start cooking. Each tool helps ensure the recipe comes together smoothly.
- Mixing bowl: For preparing the dough.
- Rolling pin: To roll out the dough.
- Frying pan: You’ll need a large skillet for cooking the filling.
- Pastry brush: To apply oil or water on the dough edges.
- Deep fryer or pot: For frying the samosas to golden perfection.
How To Make Chicken Samosas
1. Make The Samosa Dough
The samosa dough recipe is a simple mixture of flour, oil and water, rested and then formed into balls.
Flatten the balls then slice the oblong rounds down the middle to make half-moons.
Take one half in your hand, brush some water on the edges, and fold the edges in to form an open cone.
Add some filling to the cone and then seal the edges.
2. Make The Chicken Samosa Filling
The filling is a tasty mixture of sautéed onions, ginger, garlic and spices along with minced chicken.
You will have to exercise 100% willpower to shovel it into the samosa dough and not directly into your mouth.
3. Fry The Samosas
WAIT! Don’t run away. Deep frying is not scary.
My 7 Tips For Perfect Samosas
Frying homemade samosas can be intimidating, but avoiding common mistakes can help you achieve perfect results. Here are five essential tips to keep in mind:
- Use a big pot: Choose a heavy dutch oven or a wok. Something bigger pot than you think you need, to allow for the oil to expand and bubble up a bit. I use my dutch oven and fill the oil to 3″.
- Use a thermometer: It’s ideal to use a cooking thermometer. Fry the samosas at a low temperature of 200ºF for 15 minutes, then briefly increase the heat to get a golden and crispy exterior. This ensures they cook through without burning.
- Roll Dough Thinly: Roll the dough thinly to ensure a crispy, evenly cooked crust. Thick dough can result in a chewy, undercooked exterior.
- Avoid Overcrowding the Pan: Don’t overcrowd the hot oil with too many samosas. This can cause the oil to bubble up and reduce its temperature. Fry in small batches so the samosas have enough space to cook evenly.
- Seal Edges Properly: Use water to seal the edges tightly. Improper sealing can cause the filling to spill out during frying, making a mess and compromising the final product.
- Avoid Overfilling: Use about 2 tbsp of filling per samosa. Overfilling can cause the samosas to burst open during frying, leading to uneven cooking and loss of filling.
- Rest the Dough: Allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This relaxes the gluten, making the dough easier to handle and resulting in a tender, flaky crust.
Make Ahead and Storage
Here are some tips on how to make ahead and store your chicken samosas:
- Prepare ahead: Make the filling and dough a day in advance. Store them separately in the fridge.
- Freeze uncooked samosas: Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag.
- Reheat leftovers: Use an oven or air fryer to maintain crispiness. Avoid microwaving to keep them crunchy.
How to Serve this Chicken Samosa Recipe
Serve these chicken samosas hot and fresh. They make a great side dish, appetizer or snack, especially with a dipping sauce.
I love to serve them with side of mint chutney, mango chutney or or tamarind sauce.
You can also enjoy them with a simple salad for a light meal.
About These Chicken Samosas
This chicken samosa recipe is adapted from Kankana Saxena’s recipe for Chicken Shingara from her BEAUTIFUL book, Taste of Eastern India.
Shingara is to Kolkata what samosa is to the rest of India.
I tweak her recipes for my pantry (I don’t usually have mustard oil or nigella seeds), and still they always turn out delicious.
Other Favorite Samosa Recipes
More of My Indian Husband’s Favorite Recipes
I’m sure you’ll love many of these other super tasty fan-favorite Indian recipes, too! Here are a few other favs not to miss:
- Lamb Vindaloo or Pork Vindaloo Curry
- Adarsh’s Chicken 65
- Saag Paneer Curry
- The recipe for chicken korma that Adarsh says is the best I’ve ever made
- Amma’s delicious recipe for Masoor Dal
- This delicious Butter Paneer Masala recipe
- This Butter Chicken Sauce is incredible
- Madras Lentils are one of my fav vegetarian comfort food dinners.
- Malai Kofta
Chicken Samosa Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the samosa dough:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp water
For the chicken filling:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1 tsp salt divided
- 8 oz minced chicken
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ¼ cup frozen green peas
- 2 green chillies chopped (optional)
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Combine flour and salt in large mixing bowl, then stir in oil.
- Add water, little by little, to form a workable dough. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in a damp kitchen towel to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make the Filling
- Heat oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt and stir. Cook for 2 minutes or until onion softens.
- Add ground chicken, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, cumin, coriander and chili powder. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle with garam masala and add frozen peas. Stir and cook 5 more minutes.
- Taste for salt and add more if needed. Add chopped chillies if using (filling will be mild without).
Assemble the Samosas
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, then roll each into a smooth ball on a well-floured surface.
- Roll each ball into a thin, oblong shape, then use a knife to slice in half lengthwise to make a half-moon.
- Take one half in your hand, brush some water on the edges, and fold into an open cone shape, pressing edges to seal.
- Hold the cone and fill with about 2 tbsp chicken filling. Pinch to seal Allow it to sit on a cutting board to form a flat bottom. Finish shaping remaining samosas.
Fry Samosas
- Pour the oil into a deep saucepan or dutch oven to a depth of 3" over medium heat.
- Fry the samosas in batches once the oil reaches about 200ºF. Fry for 15 minutes until golden, then increase heat to high and cook for 5 minutes at a hotter temperature until deep golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
Notes
- Storage: Freeze unbaked samosas on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Reheat fried samosas in an oven or air fryer to retain crispiness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
For me the filling was a tad bland even with the addition of two freshly chopped green chilies. I added a 1/4 teaspoon of a very hot (I’m not kidding) Bangladeshi brand chili powder (Which until now I’ve been too scared to use, heh heh) and a teaspoon of amchur powder and upped the garam masala by another teaspoon. This achieved a very satisfying level of heat and a depth of flavour. I also added two further spoons of oil into the flour to get full saturation and then 6 dsps of cold water. The protein content of the flour I used was 11.4% and the ambient humidity was high at around 70% (that’s The Eastern Cape of Good Hope for you). Room temp was 25degC. As with the potato and pea filling I had a small bowlful left over so that’ll do for breakfast on toast with maybe a fried egg on top! Lots of fun and once you have the trick of the cones is an easy peasy snack that looks and tastes great. Like your husband, I gave up going to Indian Restaurants in favour of making my own Asian meals. Any chance of coming up with a Durban style breyani made with lovely mutton, black lentils and potato? I haven’t had a good one since I left Natal in the early ’90s. Thanks!
Hi Rod, you’re a true heat lover! Amazing.
Made these this weekend and they were EXCELLENT. Great recipe.
They are good for children’s lunch
hi. could you do the chicken samosa in the oven or on the stove top instead of frying
Hi Lorraine, it’s a great idea and I’d like to try it but I haven’t yet! You could brush it with oil and bake for about 20 mins at 400, turning once. You’ll have to cut into one to make sure the pastry is cooked through.
I wish you would show metric measurements too!! So simple for the rest of the world…
Hi Camilla, I totally agree and the metric measurements are actually there! 🤗 You just have to tap the “Metric” button beside “US Customary” by the Ingredients heading in the recipe card.