Chicken and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Buns
Description
I adore these little beauties. Not only are they cute as a button, but they are also so delicious that they never last long in my house. I love making these for picnics, potlucks, or for a quick snack on the go. As a child, when my mum made these for us, I always marveled how did she manage to get the stuffing into the buns, but now I’m older and wiser (I think?). These seem a bit daunting to make, but honestly, they are not as hard to make as they look. If you make them from scratch, then yes, making the dough, and proofing it takes close to two hours, but hey, you can use store-bought crescent roll dough or even biscuit dough. These will turn out fine. Though the made-from-scratch buns taste considerably better than ones made from the store-bought dough. But regardless, these buns are delightful. Sometimes, I skip the meat and make these with veggies or beans, and they are still impressive.
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Method
Buns
- In a bowl, add ½ cup lukewarm water and one teaspoon sugar and mix well. Next, add the yeast to it. Let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes or until it becomes foamy.
- In a separate bowl, add the cubed butter and salt. Heat one and 1/4th cup of water till it is at 125-130F temperature. Add the hot water to the butter and salt. Mix till the butter melts.
- Next, add 1.5 cups of flour to the mixture and mix until everything is well incorporated.
- Next, add one egg and the yeast mix to the bowl, mix everything well, cover with a cling wrap and keep in a warm, dry place for 15 minutes. I usually keep it in my oven with the light turned on.
- After 15 minutes, remove the cling film, add 3 cups of flour, and the remaining sugar to a separate bowl, and mix until everything comes together in a rough, sticky dough. Next, turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface, gradually add the remaining ½ cup of dough and knead the dough to bring everything together to form a soft but not sticky dough (you can use a stand mixer at this stage and knead the dough using the dough hook attachment at low the lowest speed).
- Wash, and dry the bowl. Add oil to the bowl and add the kneaded dough to the bowl. Cover with a cling wrap and keep in a warm, dry place to prove the dough. The dough should double in size, which should take approximately an hour. It can also take longer for the dough to prove, so pay mind to the size of the dough rather than time alone.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the air out.
- Divide the dough into 3-inch balls. Roll out the dough ball, so the edges are thinner than the middle.
- Take two tablespoons of the filling and place it in the middle of the rolled-out dough. Bring the edges together and pinch the dough to seal the filling. Gently roll between your palms to achieve a nice round shape. Repeat the process for the remaining dough.
- Once all the buns have been made, place them at an inch distance from each other on a baking tray. These will increase in size during the final rise and while baking. Therefore, keep them at a distance from each other to prevent touching.
- Let the buns double in size for another 45-60 minutes.
- Glaze with an egg wash or milk, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the buns.
- Using a skewer, poke a small hole on the top of the bun. This will help the steam escape and prevent the buns from getting soggy.
- Place the buns in the oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Once baked, they will turn golden brown.
- Once the buns are cooked, take them out of the oven and let them cool.
- Eat within 2-3 days. These can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Bun filling
- Cut the onions into slices.
- Place a cast iron or stainless-steel pan on medium heat.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onion to the pan and sprinkle some salt. Cook on medium-low heat till the onions get golden brown. Cook the onions on medium-low heat to prevent burning. To properly caramelize the onions, it will take between 30-40 minutes.
- Once the onions are caramelized, remove from heat, and allow to cool completely.
- Once the onions have cooled completely, add the shredded chicken, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and cheese to them, and the filling for the buns is ready.
