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Indian · Pakistani

Chicken keema paratha

Non-vegetarian

Spiced chicken mince cooked until completely done and dry, cooled, then sealed into wheat dough and griddled. A hearty non-vegetarian paratha popular across North India and Pakistan.

Chicken keema paratha is an Indian bread, ready in about 1 hour 24 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and ground chicken. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
40 min
Cook
24 min
Rest
20 min
Total
1 h 24 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
339

Ingredients

6 parathas

For the dough

For the filling

For cooking

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the atta (opens in a new tab) and salt, rub in the oil, then add the water a little at a time, kneading for about 5 minutes into a soft, smooth dough that no longer sticks to your fingers. Cover and rest for 20 minutes so it rolls out without springing back.

    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil and fry the onion (opens in a new tab) until soft and golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste (opens in a new tab) and chilli and cook for a minute, then add the chicken mince (opens in a new tab), breaking it up with a spoon. Stir in the turmeric (opens in a new tab), chilli powder, ground coriander (opens in a new tab), garam masala (opens in a new tab) and salt.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cook, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no pink remains anywhere and all the liquid has evaporated, 10–12 minutes. Add the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and coriander, then spread out on a plate and cool completely.

    Food safety: Cook the mince fully before stuffing — the paratha's short cooking time will not cook raw meat. It should reach 74 °C throughout with no pink left.

    Mash the cooked keema with the back of a spoon so there are no large lumps.

  4. Step 4

    Divide the dough and the filling into 6 equal portions. Flatten a dough ball into a 10 cm cup, pack in one portion of filling, then pleat the edges up over it and pinch firmly to seal. Turn it seam-side down, press flat, dust with flour and roll lightly from the centre outwards into a 18 cm round.

    If filling peeps through, patch the spot with a pinch of dry flour and keep rolling more gently.

  5. Step 5

    Lay a paratha on a hot tawa or heavy pan over medium-high heat. When small bubbles appear (about 30 seconds) flip it; after another 30 seconds brush the top with ghee (opens in a new tab), flip again and press the edges with a spatula (opens in a new tab) until golden-brown patches form. Brush and cook the second side the same way — 3 to 4 minutes per paratha in all.

    Make sure each paratha is hot all the way through before serving.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
North India and Pakistan · Origin uncertainKeema parathas (traditionally mutton) are made across North India and Pakistan; chicken is a common lighter home variation.Also popular in India, Pakistan
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Sautéed
Taste
savoury, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Cook more with
Whole-wheat flour · Ground chicken · Onion · Ginger-garlic paste · Green chilli · Turmeric
Techniques
Pan-frying · Sautéing · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

339 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 166 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 18%
  • Carbohydrate 44%
  • Fat 38%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy339 kcal205 kcal
Protein15.8 g9.5 g
Carbohydrate38.9 g23.5 g
Net carbohydrate32.9 g19.9 g
Sugars1.1 g0.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6 g3.6 g
Fat15 g9.1 g
Saturated fat5.3 g3.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol58 mg35 mg
Sodium519 mg313 mg
Salt equivalent1.3 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
499 mg
Calcium
35 mg
Iron
2.5 mg
Magnesium
85 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
57 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
27 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Ginger-garlic paste: Raw garlic (FDC 169230) at 75% used as a stand-in for equal parts garlic and ginger (raw ginger, FDC 169231, has about half garlic's energy); the little oil is not reflected.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The keema can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge; stuff it straight from cold.

Common mistakes

  • Stuffing warm, moist keema — steam builds up and the paratha bursts.

Serve with

  • Serve with mint-yogurt chutney, sliced onion and lemon wedges.

Food safety

  • Cook chicken mince to 74 °C with no pink before stuffing; cool it within 2 hours.
  • Keep raw chicken and its utensils away from the dough and the other fillings.

Storage

  • Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking; keeps 2 days in the fridge or 1 month frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat on a tawa until piping hot right through to the centre.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Structure

For the dough

Used in steps 1, 2

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 1 h 4 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 20 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Start to finish: about 1 h 24 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
Whole-wheat flourFlour300 g100%
WaterWater189 g63%
Neutral vegetable oilFat9 g3%
SaltSalt3 g1%
Total flour
300 g
Hydration
63%
With milk, eggs…
63%
Wholegrain
100%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
  • Salt 1% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
  • 100% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

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