These Russian chebureki are made with a homemade dough from scratch, the dough is rolled out, stuffed with a seasoned ground chicken and pork filling, then sealed and fried until perfectly golden and crunchy. Served with a generous dollop of sour cream.
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- ½ pound ground pork
- 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup filtered water
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
- 7½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
- 2⅔ cups warm filtered water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 cups vegetable or canola oil
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In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, ground pork, finely chopped onion, salt, water, and parsley(if using) until all ingredients are well combined. Place into the refrigerator to chill for one hour. This will allow for the onions to slightly soften up.
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Add the salt and vinegar to the water.
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Place the flour into a large mixing bowl. Pour the water over the flour. Mix with a fork until the dough starts to come together.
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Add the olive oil to the dough and begin to knead the dough by hand in the bowl. If the dough is very sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional flour and continue to knead. If the dough is stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
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Turn dough over onto a well floured surface and knead the dough with your hands until it is soft, smooth, and no longer sticks to your hands. Additional small increments of flour may be added to the dough if needed.
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Completely wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
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Cut the dough and divide it into 20 small balls.
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Roll out the first dough ball on a lightly floured surface into a circle, until it is about 1-2 mm thick. Keep the other dough balls covered with a kitchen towel while assembling the chebureki so they do not dry out.
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Place about ¼-⅓ cup of the filling on one side of the circle. Leave ½-inch border around the edge. Fold the dough over in half and pinch the edges of the dough with your fingers to seal the chebureki. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Place onto a sheet pan or a clean surface and set aside.
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Repeat with remaining dough until it is gone. Ensure the chebureki are not overlapping otherwise the dough will stick together.
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Heat 2-3 cups of vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium/low heat. Add 1 cheburek at a time into the pot and fry 1-3 minutes per side, until golden crispy and meat is cooked through. Add more oil to the pot, as needed throughout cooking.
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Remove the cheburek from the pot and place onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the oils. Let rest 5 minutes to cool and serve with sour cream.
Pre-made, uncooked flour tortillas can be used to replace homemade dough if you’re not up for kneading your own from scratch.
Here I use my favorite type of meat, chicken. Feel free to swap it out with your favorite. Pork was my mom’s go-to. Another option is to use a combination of your two favorite meats. Chicken/pork or pork/beef.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, until warmed through.