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These portable Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns make snacking delightful! Filled with aromatic chicken that’s sauteed with ginger, garlic, and a plethora of spices, these are wonderful to take along on hikes or road trips!

Last week, as my daughter and I were driving down the freeway sipping on our favorite DASANI^® Sparkling beverages, we saw someone seemingly parachuting down. We were on a stretch of the freeway without many cars on it, but, the thought that a wind gust might change that persons trajectory left us unsettled…

But, as we got closer, we noticed that he was doing circles as he lost altitude … circles? 

Yup… circles… because he was tethered to the ground! 

That was the first time I had seen anything like it!

That tethered parachute rider led us to talking about some of our gravity defying bucket list items. My daughter’s is tandem skydiving. Mine is a hot air balloon ride.

And… speaking of balloon rides, I probably shouldn’t tell y’all about the #FlavorContest DASANI^® Sparkling is sponsoring because it might lower my chances of winning!

I kid, I kid!

In all seriousness though, DASANI^® Sparkling wants to join you on your next adventure. From October 1st through November 15th, you can enter for a chance to WIN an experiential trip to Albuquerque, NM for the 2019 Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Festival!

Entering is as easy as 1 and 2.

1- Take a pic of your favorite flavor of DASANI^® Sparkling

2- Post it to Instagram or Twitter using #DasaniSparkling AND #FlavorContest

The Grand Prize winner will win a trip to the 2019 Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Festival in October 2019 for the winner plus 3 guests! The prize package consists of round trip, coach-class air transportation for 4 from a major airport near the winner’s home; 3 nights’ accommodations; rental car; 2 Gondola Club passes (2-day passes) to the Festival; a hot air balloon ride for winner and 1 guest; $1,000 spending money; and travel agent services. Doesn’t get much better than that! Now go enter for your chance to win!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of certain U.S. states and D.C., 18 years or older. Ends 11/15/18.For rules, hashtags, alternate methods of entry, odds, prize and complete details, visit https://bit.ly/2vaka0y. Void in CT, FL, IA, ME, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OK, PA, SD, and VT and where prohibited.

My daughter, always wanting to help me cross off items off my bucket list, Googled balloon rides near us – and, found one that was to take place over the weekend.

It was a tethered balloon ride, but hey, am not picky.

We made plans for our weekend balloon riding adventure, even stopping by our local Kroger to take advantage of their sale and stock up on DASANI^® Sparkling! I also made these Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns for us to snack on during the ride!

Then the weekend came along…

We ended up going hiking, eating the Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns we were saving for the hot air balloon ride and then getting lost! The sad part about this is we were at a park we go to frequently!

By the time we made our way back to our car, it was too late to catch that tethered balloon ride. Which means all the more reason to enter the DASANI^® Sparkling contest to try and win a trip to the 2019 Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Festival! If you think the odds are in your favor, don’t forget to enter the DASANI^® Sparkling contest before November 15th!

If you are looking to stock up on your favorite flavor or three of DASANI® Sparkling, check this link to find a Kroger or Kroger banner store near you that has your favorite DASANI^® Sparkling readily available!

Now, a little tidbit on these Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns. During my younger years in Sri Lanka, all my aunts and uncles had their favorite stuffed bun recipe. Meat and veggie stuffed buns are big in Sri Lanka – kind of like sandwiches are here. back then, while I immensely enjoyed those little handheld, stuffed buns, I was always befuddled as to how the stuffing got into the bun.

But, live and learn – right?

Nowadays, I make my own version of stuffed buns from time to time. Most times I use store bought flaky biscuit dough as the “bun” part. But this time around, I figured I’d break out the yeast and whole wheat and make a whole wheat bun from scratch.

I stuffed the whole wheat bun with ground chicken that was sauteed with onions, ginger, garlic, smoked paprika, coriander, turmeric, cumin and peas. These Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns are so portable and make a delicious snack after a hike or even on a balloon ride – especially when paired with my favorite DASANI^® Sparkling beverage!

Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns

Yield: 12 buns

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

These portable Spiced Chicken Stuffed Buns make snacking delightful! Filled with aromatic chicken that’s sauteed with ginger, garlic, and a plethora of spices, these are wonderful to take along on hikes or road trips!

Print

Ingredients

• For the whole wheat buns
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons butter melted
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp salt
• For the Spiced Chicken Filling:
• 3 tablespoons oil (I used EVOO)
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/3 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/3 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed
• Black/white sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

For the whole wheat buns

Warm milk by placing it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so.

Add sugar to milk and mix well.

Then add in the Active Dry Yeast and set aside for 10 minutes. The yeast should have "ballooned" by this time and be frothy.

Add 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour to a bowl and then add the milk/yeast mixture to it. Mix with a wooden spoon.

Then add in 1 (one) egg, salt and melted butter (I melted my butter by placing it in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it on 20 second intervals until it was melted).

Add in the other 2 cups of wheat flour and mix well. At this point you can set the spoon aside and use your hands to knead the dough.

When dough is slightly tacky, place it in a large greased bowl. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap. Place a warmed towel over it and place in a dark dry place for 1 hour to proof.

While this is proofing you can make the filling.

For the Spiced Chicken Filling:

Chop the onion and add it to a pan over a medium flame with the oil. Let saute for about 10 minutes, mixing as needed with a spatula.

Chop the garlic and grate the ginger and then add these to the sauteing onion. Saute another 2 minutes or so.

Then, push the onion mix to the side of the pan and add in the chicken.

Sprinkle in the smoked paprika, coriander, cumin and turmeric and saute until all the liquid from the chicken has evaporated.

Then add in the tomato paste and salt and stir well. Add in the salt and pepper and chili powder if using. You might want to taste the filling at this point to see if the salt needs to be adjusted according to your taste.

Then add in the peas, saute another 2 minutes and set aside to cool a bit.

To Assemble:

When the dough has proofed and has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and towel and punch dough down. Then, split dough in 2. Wrap one part with plastic to keep moist and spread the other one out using a rolling pin.

Use a bowl to cut circles into dough.

Spoon 2 or so tablespoons of filling into each circle.

Seal the buns by flipping the sides over the filling and pinching them together. Then lay buns down, with sealed side on the bottom on a parchment lined baking tray. Repeat until all the dough and filling are used up.

Preheat oven to 175 degrees, place a damp towel over the stuffed buns and place them in the oven to proof for another 30 minutes.

When they are done, they should be slightly bigger. Remove them from the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the buns.

Sprinkle buns with sesame seeds and place in 375 degree oven for 20-22 minutes.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Notes

*You can use 2 cups all purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour for a more pliable/airy bun - or you can use pre-made, store bought, flaky biscuit dough for the bun.

*Buns can be reheated by placing in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 buns Serving Size: 1 bun
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335 Total Fat: 11.4g Saturated Fat: 3.5g Cholesterol: 70mg Carbohydrates: 39.5g Fiber: 4.7g Sugar: 6.3g Protein: 18.9g