For a food with so few ingredients, flatbreads are tremendously diverse and damn delicious. Water, salt and flour are mixed and prepared around the world in a variety of different ways, producing subtle or dramatic differences. The resulting breads are the key elements for some of the most beloved, hand-held foods, like the chicken frankie for instance. Flatbreads can have nuanced differences, but if you can’t get your hands on freshly made or frozen roti, don’t count yourself out from enjoying this satisfying Indian street food. You can make a phenomenal frankie with a quality flour tortilla.
The chicken frankie is not just a cute name, but a flavorful street food of Mumbai composed of masala-spiced chicken chunks, maybe some pickled onion or other veggies, all wrapped up in a roti that’s been blessed with a thin layer of omelette. Naturally, the frankie can be riffed on endlessly to meet dietary needs and individual palates, but to me, the most important part is the flatbread and the egg layer.
Roti is usually made with a whole wheat flour, also called atta, water, maybe oil, and a brushing of ghee depending on whose recipe you’re following. Flour tortillas, which might be more readily available in your neighborhood (like they are in mine), are usually made of white flour, water, and shortening. The differences result in slightly different products, but their similarities are notable too: Flour, water, and fat. Both tortilla and roti are flat, chewy, flexible breads that get rolled, or pressed, to be very thin, and cooked on a flat, dry surface. So if you can find a bag of flour tortillas, you’re in frankie business.
Ingredients and tools to level-up your frankie game:
That is to say, find the highest quality flour tortillas you can. That pile of Mission tortillas is probably a last resort. You’re looking for something flexible and chewy, not pasty and likely to crack if you bend it. I think Vista Hermosa flour tortillas are out of this world. They’re Sonoran style—chewy, soft, and slightly flaky. They remind me of rotis in all the best ways.
Tortilla added to the top of a thin omelette layer.Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Scramble an egg in a measuring cup with a teaspoon of water to thin it out, and a pinch of salt. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, add a small amount of cooking oil and spread it around the pan. Add the egg and swirl the pan gently to spread the egg into a thin layer. When you see the bottom of the egg is setting but the top is still gelatinous, add the tortilla and press it to make good contact with the egg.
Tortilla flipped out of the pan with the thin egg layer attached.Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
After about 20 more seconds, the center will start to puff. Turn off the heat, and loosen the sides of the tortilla and egg before scooping underneath with a spatula and removing the entire eggy tortilla. Flip it onto a plate with the egg-side facing up.
The chicken frankie with pickled onion, cabbage, and tomatoes.Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Top the tortilla with spiced, cooked chicken chunks, pickled onions, and any other fresh vegetables or herbs you’d like. Keep it simple with one ingredient or add crunch with sliced, raw peppers and cabbage. Make it vegetarian, or go meat-heavy. I’m happy to report that a cheesesteak frankie is a great idea, just fill your egged tortilla with sliced steak, sautéed bell peppers and onions, and fontina cheese.
The following recipe lists a jarred masala sauce, but you can make your own, or use another spice mix entirely to flavor your chicken.
Tortilla Chicken Frankie
Ingredients:
2 Vista Hermosa flour tortillas2 eggsPinch salt2 teaspoons water1 chicken breast (about 4 ounces), cubedCooking oil for chicken3 tablespoons masala sauceOptional toppings: pickled red onion, sliced cabbage, tomato, sliced bell peppers, or cilantro sprigs.Over medium-low heat, add a thin layer of oil to a frying pan. Cook the chicken in the pan. A pinch of salt here won’t hurt. Add the masala sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the cooked chicken. Set aside.
In a small cup or bowl, scramble the eggs with a pinch of salt and water. In a large nonstick frying pan, add a thin layer of oil and add half the scrambled egg mixture. Tilt the pan to make a thin, wide omelette layer. When you notice the bottom has set but the top is still wet, add the tortilla. Press gently to make good contact. Allow it to finish cooking, about 20-30 more seconds and the egg will start to puff. Turn off the heat and turn out the eggy tortilla onto a plate, egg-side up. Repeat this for the other tortilla.
Top the tortillas with the cubed chicken and any of the optional toppings. Wrap the tortilla around the fillings and enjoy immediately.
