These Curry Lime Chicken Phyllo Rolls were adapted from Ina Garten’s Crab Strudel recipe, which is awesome. But I’m not an established TV personality who regularly throws around phrases like “good olive oil” and “lunch in East Hampton,” so lump crab meat isn’t something that I’m shelling out money for very often. That’s why I decided to make a version with chicken.
I also kind of shy away from calling this recipe a “strudel,” because whenever I think of strudel, I’m seeing cinnamon, apples, and powdered sugar. Maybe that makes me a close-minded, ornery traditionalist. But oh well.
You can make these as an awesome appetizer, or, you know…a nice light snack for one when you’re home alone. hehe…heh…..heh.
I added onions to the recipe as well, because whenever we make curry chicken in our house, the best part about it is the caramelized onion that’s almost melted into the sauce. And I used cilantro rather than parsley, because, well…it’s only right. It has a much punchier flavor with the lime, and I think it goes better with the curry.
A couple more points to consider…
- I know that some people aren’t really fans of cilantro, including Ina, so you can also substitute it with parsley if you want.
- This is a pretty simple dish, but you can make it even easier by using some leftover chicken or buying a rotisserie chicken.
Yeah…so I just ate an unreasonable number of these, and they were REALLY good. Let’s just jump right in, shall we?
You’ll need:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, zested
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 8 sheets phyllo dough
- ¼ cup panko or plain dry breadcrumbs
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the sliced onion. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
Then add the scallions and garlic and continue to cook until everything gets slightly golden, about 8 more minutes. It’s oniony garlicky goodness in a pan.
Lower the heat, and add the curry powder.
Give it a stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off.
Add the shredded chicken to the scallion and onion mixture…
Add the chopped cilantro…
The lime zest…
And the lime juice.
Add salt and pepper to taste and stir it all up.
Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a sheet pan with a layer of nonstick foil or parchment paper, and melt 4 tablespoons butter. Set it aside along with the breadcrumbs. Get a pastry brush out.
Take your phyllo dough and lay out one sheet on a clean surface. Brush it with a little melted butter and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs will create a bit of separation between each layer of phyllo. Translation: These little rolled up delights are CRISPY. Crispy and delicious.
Put another layer of phyllo dough on top, and repeat the butter and breadcrumb process again and again until you have 4 layers. Spoon half of the curry chicken mixture along one edge (lengthwise) of the phyllo.
Roll it up tightly and set the roll seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the rest of the phyllo and chicken mixture to make a second roll.
Brush each roll with the rest of the melted butter…
And score both rolls diagonally into 1 inch pieces with a serrated knife. You want to cut them about ¾ of the way down, without cutting all the way through. This will keep them all together while also making it easier to cut after they’re baked.
Bake for a blissfully brief 12 minutes.
…until the tops are golden brown.
Slice them the rest of the way through and serve! Feel free to throw some chopped scallions on there if you’re feeling fancy. Enjoy it, and maybe shoot us a comment below so I know I’m not just talking to myself here. You’ll really be helping my self esteem if you do! That is all.
Until next time!
Curry Lime Chicken Phyllo Rolls
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition
Cindy says
These curry rolls look so delicious! Just wondering if you used salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?
Sarah says
Hi Cindy, we used salted butter for a little extra flavor
justeastofwest says
Really tasty! I personally think it needs a dip though. I made a dip of about 2 cups Greek yogurt blended with one whole bunch of cilantro (stems included), garlic, and salt. It pairs perfectly.
I’d also like to try this again with some minced, dried apricot.
Sarah says
Thanks for the suggestions!
okiegirl says
I finally got around to trying this delicious recipe. This is so good it truly is addictive. Wish I had not waited so long! I made exactly per the recipe except that I added one whole bird chili with the onion and removed it before adding the chicken.
I experimented a bit and found that the uncooked rolls can be frozen (wrapped very tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Taken straight from the freezer, unwrapped, and cooked at 400 for 20 minutes they came out like I had just made them. So I’m likely to keep a roll in the freezer at all times. :) Also, cooked leftovers wrapped in foil reheated well in the oven. If someone has a tip for reheating in the microwave without the phyllo losing its crispiness, I’d love to hear it.
Thank you, Sarah!!!
Sarah says
You’re welcome okiegirl!! I’ve heard that putting crispy food on top of parchment paper or wrapped in a dry paper towel in the microwave can help preserve crispiness. Never tried it myself, but let us know if it works!
Thanks so much for sharing your freezer tips as well. I’m sure other readers will find that super useful. :)
okiegirl says
Wrapping in a paper towel did not help in the microwave. I’m not optimistic but will try it with parchment paper.
Sarah says
aww man. well, at least now we know (on the paper towel front anyway––let us know if parchment paper is the answer!)
Wendy says
I love these rolls, they are very tasty and easy to make. I used puff pastry instead of phyllo and they turned out really good. I will definitely be making these all the time from now on.
Sarah says
Great idea to use puff pastry, Wendy! Bet they’re even more buttery and delicious.
Patchouli says
I have made these twice now and they turned out perfect and taste superb. I also made the carrot cake ( with some modification to reduce sweetness )and the result was terrific. First time ever for me that recipes have turned out exactly as described. Thank you.
Sarah says
You’re welcome!
Tyler J says
I made this recipe last week for a 4th of July part and they came out great! I did modify the recipe a little by using red curry paste instead of curry powder and also added coconut milk (1 tbs of red curry paste and 4 tbs of coconut milk, enough to add flavor without making it all soggy). Was a hit at the party and I was sharing the link in no time! Thank for for posting this!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Tyler! That’s awesome!
Winn says
Looks delicious! I am thinking of putting in ground lamb with raisins. And make them into triangles for lunches and leftovers in the freezer. Looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Winn. Lamb sounds like an awesome idea.
Tuppenny says
I added some szechwan pepper and some chili paste when I made this. It also warms up nicely in the microwave should you have any leftovers!
I am thinking of trying this with puff pastry instead of the phyllo – or even thin biscuit dough
Sarah says
Let us know how that goes; it sounds like an awesome idea!
Judy says
Hello, I’m somewhat confused!!! On the curry chicken rolls—you have 4 layers of phyllo dough and end up with two rolls—so you roll two layers of the dough together getting two rolls?? On Ina ‘s crab tools she using 5 layers and gets one roll?? Thank you Judy
Sarah says
Hi Judy, thanks for your question! Yes, I use 4 layers of phyllo dough for each roll. Ina uses 5 sheets for each roll. You can feel free to use 4, as written in this recipe, or add an extra layer if you like!
Sara says
That looks delicious! Shared on Facebook!