Chapli kababs are originally from Afghanistan but are now more commonly associated with Peshawar in Pakistan and are often called Peshawari Kababs. These Mughal-influenced patties of ground meat are a specialty of Pashtun-style cuisine, which is generally Afghan and Pakistani cuisine. The name “chapli” comes from the Pashto word “Chaprikh”, meaning flat, resembling the way these kababs look. The disks could be round, oval or palm shaped. The sizes vary too, from small to humongous rounds!

They were traditionally made with ground beef or lamb, though chicken chaplis are extremely popular too. This is mixed with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies and a whole lot of eclectic spices. Some use some kind of binders like eggs, cornmeal or just regular flour.

Many crowded streets in Pakistan have roadside stalls with the largest skillets you will ever encounter shallow frying these flat patties. They are cooked on a large scale, as locals adore this favorite street food. In India too, these kababs are popular in cities like Delhi and Lucknow, where the cuisine was influenced by Moghul dynasties.

We have tried this with all kinds of ground meats and it turns out excellent every single time.

What to use:

• Ground Chicken
• Scallions – Regular onions have a higher water content. You can use them in place of scallions, but first squeeze out the water with your hands after chopping.
• Tomato – Deseeded and chopped.
• Herbs – Cilantro and mint, chopped. They impart tons of freshness.
• Binders – Egg and flour. * for keto options, see below *
• Ginger & Garlic – In paste form.
• Green chilies – Jalapeño or serrano, deseeded and finely chopped.
• Spices – Red chili flakes, coriander powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, black pepper. Don’t worry if you’re missing something, it’ll still be great.
• Oil – For shallow frying. Sometimes I use ghee instead, as it gives nice flavors.

Tips to make your chapli kababs soft and juicy

• Use fattier ground chicken. Skip the lean meat, as some amount of fat is very essential to keep them moist and tender. If your ground chicken has less than 10% fat, add a little butter into your mixture.
• Eggs are important. Besides being a binder, the egg adds tons of fat to help your chapli kebabs stay tender.
• Rest the marinated meat in the refrigerator before frying. That’s the secret to not breaking the kababs while frying. And it lets the meat marinate in all those wonderful spices and herbs.
• Moisten your palms with oil or water. The chicken mixture is very soft and sticky. Having wet palms helps tremendously when shaping the patties. After shaping them, place them directly in the skillet rather than keeping them on a plate and then frying them. This way there is less handling and less chance of falling apart.
• Cook them at the right temperature. Keep the heat on medium. Higher heat might make them dry and chewy. Don’t overcrowd them in the pan.
• Take them out on a paper towel and keep them covered until serving, so as not not to dry out.
• Make sure your ground chicken mince is without any liquid or water (you can use a paper towel to dry it). In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients except tomatoes. We add those at the end, as they can leech water into the mix.
• Refrigerate for at least for 30 minutes to a few hours.
• When ready to cook, stir in chopped tomatoes and form your patties. If you find it difficult to shape them by hand, partially shape them, then flatten them in the skillet with your fingers or a spatula, being careful not to burn yourself of course. 🙂
• Shallow fry them in a skillet till they have a nice golden brown sear. The time will vary a little depending upon the thickness of the patties (we do about ⅜ of an inch), but mostly they will need about need 5 minutes per side. Watch the edges, once they are no longer pink or raw your kabab should be done cooking.
• If you are like me and like to taste and adjust seasoning, fry a small patty as a sampler.
• They can be treated as appetizers and served with some kind of green chutney, like my cilantro mint chutney. Pair them with a salad of onions, tomato and cucumbers sprinkled with lime wedges.
• Or they can be a main course when served with piping hot naan or roti. They go excellent with pitas and even over some pilaf or rice. A side of my cucumber raita and you are all set. We personally like them in our salad too, as a leftover the next day.
• You can make a ton of them in advance and freeze them for up to a couple of months. Shape the chaplis and layer them on a parchment paper lined tray without overcrowding. Freeze them completely. Once frozen, place them in a freezer safe bag. When the craving hits, just thaw however many you want to cook that day.

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts, ground, or 3-4 lbs ground chicken
• 4 Tbsp garlic paste
• 4 Tbsp ginger paste
• 5 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp coriander powder
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 3 Tbsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp green chili, chopped (See note 1)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 cup scallion, chopped
• 1.5 cup tomato, chopped - 1 large can, drained
• 1.5 cup cilantro, chopped
• orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped (optional)
• Oil for frying
• Balti seasoning from Penzey's, or a mix close to it

Instructions

1. Fry the onions, peppers, and jalapeno/chile with the garlic and some cumin and curry powder.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well except tomato and oil. Test fry and adjust spices. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to a few hours.
3. Drain the tomatoes and pulse in the food processor to chop.
4. When ready to cook, mix in tomatoes. Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet and glop the mix into the hot oil and shape into round patties. The patties should be thin (about 3/8 inch) so as to cook quickly and evenly. Let them fry for five minutes, till they get golden brown. Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
5. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
6. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve along with green chutney and vegetable salad.

Notes

• While using green chilies, jalapeños and serranoes vary in hotness. Always check the chili hotness and add accordingly to the mixture. Sometimes I add just 1/2 Tbsp if it's a very hot jalapeño.
• Use a paper towel to absorb any excess liquid from the ground chicken. You would want the chicken mixture as dry as possible to shape it into patties. You might feel the mix is too loose to shape them into patties but it works. You can always add a little more flour.
• If you find the mixture is difficult to shape, finish off the flattening in the skillet itself with your fingers or a spatula.

source: https://gypsyplate.com/chicken-chapli-kababs/