Yogurt Turnovers With Chicken and Veggies
Yogurt turnovers with chicken and veggies are fun, tasty, and healthy version of hot-pockets kids will love! Part pie, part sandwich, and all delicious, you can mix and match ingredients to your heart's content. Shall we?
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Background
If Balkan fried dough balls (uštipci) and Balkan ratatouille (djuveč) had a baby, it would look and taste like today's yogurt turnovers.
These golden hand-held pockets with a hearty filling are a great, fun, family dinner. Alternatively, you can tuck them into lunchboxes, or pack them for a picnic!
What sets these turnovers apart is the yogurt based dough. Yogurt gives it a soft, pliable texture that's easy to roll, fill and fold without tearing.
The filling consists of sauteed chicken and veggies of choice. (You can pretty much put in whatever veggies you want.)
The result is a is a tender interior with a lightly crisp exterior once fried. Give them a try, and you make them again and again.
Why You'll Love It
Great for kids! Mild but flavorful, yogurt turnovers are perfect for sneaking in all kinds of veggies. Kids go gaga over these! And they love making them with you too!
Balanced dish! Chicken, veggies and dough in one - it's like eating a salad, main course, and a side all at once.
Perfectly portable! Neat, hand-held, and sturdy, yogurt turnovers are the perfect choice whether packed for work, school, or a day in the wild.
Make‑ahead magic. Both the filling and the dough freeze beautifully, so you can have homemade chicken yogurt turnovers ready whenever you want.
Ingredients
Yogurt turnovers with chicken-veggie filling can be made with these ingredients:
The Dough
- Flour. All-purpose white flour. Avoid substitution flours.
- Yogurt. Plain regular yogurt works best. Substitute with Greek yogurt, but thin it out with water until you reach buttermilk consistency ahead of making the dough.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
- Egg.
The Filling
- Chicken. Chicken breast is the best choice, although skinless thighs work well too. If in a pinch, most white chicken meat will do.
- Medley of veggies and aromatics. Onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, green beans, zucchini, garlic, parsley etc. You can play Tetris with the combinations. Avoid cruciferous vegetables.
- Seasonings. Salt, pepper, and bouillon.
- Tomato paste. Tube or canned work well. Substitute with tomato sauce.
- Oil. Vegetable, sunflower, coconut, etc.
Instructions
Here are the instructions to make yogurt turnovers with a chicken and veggie filling.
Step 1. Prepare the filling. Heat up oil, and work in veggies, and then chicken. Cook until done. Rest.
Step 2. Make the yogurt dough. Combine ingredients in a bowl and work the dough for 7-10 minutes, until a smooth ball forms. Divide into 16 pieces.
Step 3. Stuff the turnovers. Roll each piece into a circle, add some filling, flip halfway, and seal. Repeat for all.
Step 4. Fry. Heat oil, and fry in batches. Rest fried ones on a paper towel, then serve.
Variations
- Cheesy twist. Add some shredded cheese to the filling for extra richness.
- Spicy. Toss in hot peppers or hot paprika.
- Herb‑packed. Adding dill or basil to the filling, takes yogurt turnovers to the next level.
- Simpler filling. If you're short on time, make a simpler filling. A little bit of tomato sauce with some ham and cheese almost transforms these into panzerotti.
Handling
Here are a few handling suggestions.
Serve yogurt turnovers hot or at room temperature. Pair with ajvar, pindjur, scallion-sour cream salad, or any other sauces or salads.
Store in a closed container, bread box, or a cool (turned-off) oven for up to 3–4 hours. If keeping overnight, transfer to the refrigerator. Chicken yogurt turnovers will keep for 2–3 days in the fridge, though they gradually lose their freshness.
(You can also prepare the dough and the filling a day ahead and leave it in the fridge.)
Reheat turnovers in the oven (10-15 minutes), or on a grill (2-3 minutes). Alternatively, use the microwave.
Freeze there are two ways to freeze these. One is to freeze filling and the dough separately for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then take out. Once it reaches room temperature (few minutes), roll out the dough, fill it up and fry.
Alternatively, after shaping the turnovers, place them on a lightly floured tray. Freeze for 10–15 minutes, or until firm. Transfer to freezer-safe containers or bags and return to the freezer. This quick freeze helps prevent sticking.
When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature, then fry as directed.
Thoughts?
If you make today's yogurt turnovers with chicken and veggies and like them, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5-star) rating. This will help others find the recipe more easily!
You can also leave a comment, I read every one! Finally, if IG is more your thing, consider tagging us @balkanlunchbox.
Prijatno and bon appetit!
Yogurt Turnovers With Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 onion large; yellow or red; diced
- 1-2 bell pepper(s) diced
- 1 large tomato skinned and diced
- 2 ounces corn
- 2 ounces green beans
- 8 ounces chicken breast
- ½ zucchini diced
- Seasonings to taste seasoned salt, ground pepper, parsley
- 2 ounces tomato paste
Dough
- 1 pound all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- salt to taste
- 1 egg
- 12 ounces plain yogurt if using Greek, water-down to buttermilk consistency
- oil for frying
Instructions
Filling
- Heat butter and oil in a wok over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add diced chicken breast and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in bell peppers and tomato. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until vegetables soften.
- Add green beans, corn, zucchini, seasonings, and tomato paste. Simmer for 7-10 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Dough (parallel to the filling)
- In a large bowl, mix all dough ingredients except yogurt. Slowly add yogurt while kneading until a smooth, elastic dough forms (7–10 minutes).
- Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each into a 5–6-inch (12-14 cm) circle. Place 1-2 tablespoons filling on one half, fold over, and seal edges with wet fingers or a fork.
- Heat a generous amount of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry turnovers in batches, about 1 minute per side, until golden.
- Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Handling
- Serve hot or at room temperature with ajvar, pindjur, or a simple salad. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3–4 hours, or refrigerate overnight. Keeps 2–3 days in the fridge.Reheat prepared turnovers in the oven (10–15 min), on a grill (2–3 min), or in the microwave.(You can also make ahead & reheat the dough and the filling 1 day ahead, and keep it refrigerated until shaping and frying.) Freeze dough and filling separately for up to 1 month, or freeze shaped turnovers after a quick 10–15 minute pre-freeze to prevent sticking. Thaw overnight in the fridge, bring to room temperature, then fry.
Notes
- Ingredient Swap
- Timing
- Nutrition Information
- Variations
- Expert Tips
