How to Make Chicken Fatayer

Chicken fatayer are savory Lebanese spinach hand-pies that are easy to make with a homemade dough. They are delicious and nutritious, especially when stuffed with chicken keema or cheese. Fatayer are a popular part of the Lebanese mezze or appetizers served before meals and for snacks. They are also a great option for breakfast!

To make the dough, mix water, brown sugar, and yeast. Then add flour, salt, and olive oil. Mix and knead until the dough becomes soft, smooth, and elastic. Then cover and set aside to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

If you are making both the meat and the spinach fillings, start by making the meat pies first. Then when the dough for the spinach pies is ready, you can work faster to finish making them as they bake in the oven. This will also help to reduce the juices that sometimes leak from the pies during baking.

Cooking the spinach is another way to minimize any excess moisture. It is a quick and simple process that can be done in a skillet or pan. It helps to concentrate the flavor of the spinach and makes it easier for the dough to hold the spinach together.

Some recipes call for a lemon juice mixture to be added to the dough. However, I prefer to substitute the lemon juice with Middle Eastern ground sumac. Sumac has a citrus-y flavor and doesn’t introduce additional moisture to the spinach that can cause the dough seams to open during baking. فطاير دجاج