Chicken Samosa

One thing I’ve found myself missing as I have to cut certain things from the menu? Punjabi samosa.

I used to get the BEST samosas in my hometown, during Folklorama. Several pavilions would serve them - they’re a super popular snack in Indian cuisine.

Obviously I had to try them all, and I’d always have an inner debate on which crispy samosa was my favourite in any particular year.

Then I had to go gluten free, and getting my hands on a good samosa became more difficult - so, homemade samosa was the answer!

I developed my Gluten Free Samosa Recipe, and life was good.

Then I needed to adopt a low carb lifestyle, and even my homemade samosas were off the table.

Until now.

This easy samosa recipe is both gluten free AND low carb, and it really hits the spot. Sure, there’s a little texture difference when it comes to the pastry dough - a variation on fathead dough, rather than regular samosa dough - but the flavour is ALL there.

Rather than deep frying them - something I’ve never been fond of doing at home - these cook up perfectly in the air fryer.

Serve them individually as a hearty, satisfying snack... or serve a few more as a meal.

And hey... Cilantro-Mint Chutney is keto, so load it on!

Anyway, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to put on a batch of these low carb samosas!

Ingredients

I like to say my recipes generally use simple ingredients, but this one really depends on the kind of cooking you tend to do, and what spices you have on hand.

It’s a long ingredient list, but the vast majority is just that - spices. Anyway, as always, here are some ingredient notes for you:

Ground Meat

You can use pretty much whatever kind of meat you like. I tend to use either lean ground chicken, or lean ground beef, but ground turkey and ground pork will work fine, also.

If you’re less concerned about carbs and want to use this recipe more as an easy gluten-free samosa recipe, you can even swap in Beyond Meat.

Fresh Produce

There are a few different veggies and such in this recipe

Turnip - used in place of traditional potato, and you absolutely cannot tell the difference in this recipe! If you’re not worried about the carbs, feel free to use a potato.

Onion - I’ll usually use yellow onion, but I’ve used white and red onions - no problem.

Green Chili - Depending on your grocery store, you may find yourself needing to swap this one out. Jalapeno works best as a sub, but you can use a scotch bonnet or habanero... it just won’t taste quite the same.

Cilantro - if you can’t handle cilantro, either skip it or use parsley.

Spices

For this recipe, I use:

Cumin Seeds
Fennel Seeds
Garam Masala
Ground Coriander
Ground Cumin
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
Ground Black Pepper
Salt

There is a LOT of flavour packed into these delicious samosas, so if you’re missing an ingredient... it’s probably not the end of the world.

Sam for if there’s something you want to swap out. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder isn’t always a common pantry item, for instance... so use Cayenne Powder, regular Chili Powder, etc, if you need to.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Super Fine Almond Flour
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Cream Cheese
Large Eggs
Garlic Paste
Ginger Paste
Olive Oil
Baking Powder
Cooking Spray

... I just really don’t have anything to add, here. Not really any great substitutions or anything, so just use these ones as-is.

How to Make Keto Samsosas

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through:

Samosa Filling:

In a large pan, saute the turnips, onion, chopped chili pepper, and olive oil together over medium high heat until onion is translucent and soft.

Add the garlic and ginger pastes, stir well and continue to cook for another minute.

Add the spices, stir until well distributed. Cook another 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.

Add in the ground chicken and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring / breaking up the chicken until mixture looks relatively uniform.

Continue to cook – stirring often – until all of the liquid has cooked off.

Remove from heat, stir in the chopped cilantro, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cool to room temperature, before starting the dough.

Keto Pastry Dough:

Measure mozzarella cheese and cream cheese into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat - 30-45 seconds at a time and stirring in between - until cheese has melted.

Measure remaining ingredients into a food processor, blitz to combine.

Add melted cheeses to the food processor, pulse until well combined - you don’t want to see any sections of unmixed cheese.

To Assemble the Samosas:

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces.

Using wet hands - and a wet work surface - flatten one piece of dough out to a 6-7" square-ish piece. Cut in half, diagonally.

Working with one of the two cut pieces, fold the dough in half along that cut edge, so the cut edge meets up with itself. Press and crimp to seal.

Pick up the piece of dough, gently separating the formed "pocket" into a cone shape. Stuff with filling, then flip the uncut corner edge over to meet the cut edges.

Pinch edges to seal.

Repeat with the other cut piece, then repeat with remaining dough balls.

Note: If your dough stops sticking to itself , heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so. If it starts sticking to YOU, wet your hands again!

Cook the Keto Samosas:

Once all of the samosas are assembled, preheat your air fryer to 375.

Once heated, spray the air fryer basket with a small amount of oil, and arrange samosas in a single layer, leaving a bit of space between each. (You’ll need to do this in batches). Spray the tops with a little nonstick spray as well.

Air fry for about 8 minutes. About halfway through, re-spray the samosas, then use a pair of tongs to flip each piece. Spray the new “top” side, and continue cooking.

Serve hot, with Cilantro-Mint Chutney.

Note: Freezing the samosas first will prevent them from sticking to the air fryer. They don’t have to be frozen all the way through, either - an hour or two in the freezer works wonders. You’ll end up cooking frozen samosas for about 10 minutes.

Leftovers

Once cooled to room temperature, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, best served reheated.

We’ll usually microwave them for 30-45 seconds or so, then air fry them for a few minutes. This makes them taste freshly made!

More International Keto Recipes

Looking to add some international flavour to your menu? Try some of these low-carb versions of my favourites!

Easy Keto Ramen
Keto Cabbage Rolls
Keto Chicken Biryani
Low Carb Chicken Korma
Keto Doro Wat
Keto Gyoza [Potstickers]
Keto Manakish
Keto Orange Chicken
Keto Pad Thai
Jamaican Beef Patties
Jamaican Curry Chicken
Paska Bread
Keto Perogies
Keto Sauerkraut Buns
Keto Fried Cauliflower Rice
Low Carb Shanghai Noodles
Keto Sushi Rice
Low Carb Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Paleo Stuffed Grape Leaves
Sugar Free Furikake Seasoning