Indian chicken curry pies

Name: Indian chicken curry pies recipe
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 185 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tsp cornflour; 100g plain yoghurt; 2 frozen sheets shortcrust pastry, just thawed (we used Careme); 2 frozen sheets puff pastry, just thawed (we used Carême); 1 egg, lightly beaten, to brush; 20.00 ml nigella seeds; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 50g ginger; 2 tsp ground turmeric; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 80ml vegetable oil; 1kg skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3-4cm cubes; 1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped (including stalks); 1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 2 long green chillies, roughly chopped; 25g ginger; 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 clove; 20.00 ml caster sugar; Juice of 1 lemon

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1h 30m

1h 35m

Digi Chicken, turmeric and coriander Indian curry pie4584 — Mark Roper

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by Michael James

Jul 30, 2026

Looking for an instant crowd-pleaser? Spiced with warm turmeric and coriander, these perfect pies from baker Michael James hit all the right notes. They’re incredibly freezer-friendly, so you can prep them ahead of time for busy weeknights. But the best part is how adaptable this recipe is – you can bake it as one large, rustic pie or skip the bottom crust altogether by filling your dishes directly and baking them with a simple, golden puff-pastry lid.

You’ll need to start this recipe a day ahead, and you’ll need 8 x 200ml-capacity metal pie dishes.

Credit: Mark Roper

2 tsp cornflour
100g plain yoghurt
2 frozen sheets shortcrust pastry, just thawed (we used Careme)
2 frozen sheets puff pastry, just thawed (we used Carême)
1 egg, lightly beaten, to brush
1 tbs nigella seeds

Marinated chicken

2 garlic cloves, crushed
10cm piece fresh ginger (50g), peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp ground turmeric
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
1kg skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3-4cm cubes

Curry paste

1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped (including stalks)
1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 long green chillies, roughly chopped
5cm piece fresh ginger (25g), peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 clove
1 tbs caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1.

For the chicken marinade, combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, lemon juice and oil in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the chicken and massage coat. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge to marinate.
2.

For the curry paste, whiz the coriander, mint, onion, chilli, ginger and garlic in a blender or food processor to form a paste. (You may need to add a little water.) Place the whole spices in a dry frypan with 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and toast over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, moving the pan constantly to avoid burning. Grind toasted spices into a powder, then add to wet ingredients and stir to combine. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine, then refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
3.

The next day, place marinated chicken and curry paste in a large saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce thickens slightly.
4.

Mix the cornflour with 1 tbs water. Add to the chicken and stir until sauce thickens a little more, then add yoghurt and season to taste with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to cool completely.
5.

To assemble pies, preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Lightly grease 8 x 200ml metal pie dishes.
6.

Lay the savoury shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured bench and cut out 8 discs of pastry for the bases, 2cm wider in diameter than the base of your pie dishes. Line each pie dish with a round of shortcrust pastry and press well into the edges of the dish with your thumb. Trim off any excess pastry.
7.

Lay the puff pastry on a lightly floured bench and cut 8 discs slightly larger than the diameter of the top of your pie dishes.
8.

Fill each pie generously with chicken curry filling. Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and top each with a puff pastry lid. Press the edges of the pastry base and lid together to seal. Trim off any excess.
9.

Brush the top of each pie with beaten egg, pierce three times with a sharp knife or a fork, and sprinkle with nigella seeds.
10.

Bake pies for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 180°C/160°C fan-forced and bake for a further 40 minutes, until pies are golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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Recipe Notes

You can also make your own pastry. You’ll need 1 quantity savoury shortcrust pastry and a half-quantity of puff pastry. Roll out the savoury shortcrust pastry into a sheet roughly 4mm thick. Wrap the sheet in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Roll out the puff pastry into a sheet roughly 3mm thick, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Let the pastry rest after rolling it out – this will stop it shrinking once cut.