A savoury pie with a fragrant curry filling brings together two much-loved cooking traditions. The combination of flaky pastry, tender chicken and warming spices creates a satisfying dish that is particularly appealing during colder weather.

British chef Calum Franklin offers his interpretation of the balti pie, inspired by Birmingham's distinctive food culture. His recipe uses layers of frozen paratha flatbread instead of conventional pastry, giving the pies a crisp, buttery exterior.

A vibrant green chutney made with coriander, mint and chilli provides a fresh contrast to the rich filling.

What Makes Balti Pies Special?

Balti cooking developed in Birmingham during the 1970s, drawing on Pakistani and Kashmiri culinary influences.

Its characteristic flavours come from a combination of tomatoes, onions, peppers and aromatic spices.

Balti pies later became popular at British football grounds, where their convenient individual portions made them an ideal hot snack.

Franklin's version transforms this familiar dish into small, homemade pies, using a muffin tin to create eight individual servings.

Ingredients For The Chicken Pies

Preparation: 15 minutes

Chilling: 15 minutes

Cooking: approximately 2 hours

Servings: 4, making 8 small pies

For the filling:

6 bone-in chicken thighs

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, diced

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped

400 g canned chopped tomatoes

1 tsp tomato purée

200 ml chicken stock

1 heaped tbsp cornflour

1 tsp medium curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cinnamon

70 g butter

1 lime, zest and juice

10 g fresh coriander, chopped

Fine salt, to taste

For assembling:

16 frozen roti paratha flatbreads

1 egg yolk

1 tsp water

A pinch of nigella seeds

A pinch of fennel seeds

Preparing The Chicken Filling

Preheat the oven to 210°C, or 190°C fan.

Season the chicken thighs with salt, place them in a roasting tin and cook for approximately 25 minutes, until thoroughly cooked. Allow them to cool before removing the meat from the bones and cutting it into small pieces.

Reduce the oven temperature to 205°C, or 185°C fan. Spread the ground spices on a piece of foil and warm them in the oven for 10 minutes to intensify their fragrance. Turn the oven off.

Meanwhile, melt 50 g butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic and ginger, cooking gently until softened.

Stir in the toasted spices, followed by the tomatoes, tomato purée and chicken stock. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by approximately half.

Mix the cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water. Add this mixture to the sauce and heat gently, stirring until thickened.

Fold in the chicken, lime zest, lime juice and coriander. Adjust the seasoning, cool the mixture and refrigerate it before assembling the pies.

How To Assemble And Bake

Grease eight compartments of a non-stick 12-hole muffin tin with the remaining butter.

Take eight frozen parathas and work with them as soon as they are pliable enough to roll. Roll each to approximately 11 cm in diameter and carefully press into the prepared compartments.

Spoon the cooled chicken mixture into each pastry case, filling it about three-quarters full.

Moisten the exposed pastry edges with water, cover with the remaining parathas and press the edges together to seal.

Refrigerate the assembled pies for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C, or 200°C fan. Make a small opening in the top of each pie to release steam.

Brush with the egg yolk mixed with water, then sprinkle with nigella and fennel seeds.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling is piping hot.

Ingredients For Green Chutney

Preparation: 15 minutes

Yield: approximately 150 ml

1 garlic clove

2 cm fresh ginger

1 green chilli

½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted

Juice of ½ lemon

60 g fresh coriander leaves

40 g fresh mint leaves

4 tbsp water

A pinch of fine salt

Making The Spicy Green Chutney

Place the garlic, ginger, chilli, toasted cumin, lemon juice and water in a blender.

Blend until smooth, then add the coriander, mint and salt.

Process again until the herbs form a vibrant green sauce.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. For a milder flavour, remove the chilli seeds before blending.

Transfer the chutney to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. It can be stored in the fridge for up to one week.

Serve the freshly baked pies with a small bowl of chutney for dipping. The combination of buttery pastry, warmly spiced chicken and refreshing herbs makes a delicious meal for sharing.