Belarusian Draniki Stuffed with Chicken
Thick Belarusian-style potato pancakes with a hidden layer of garlicky ground chicken, fried in sunflower oil, finished in the oven and served with sour cream, applesauce and chives.
Belarus treats draniki as its own. The Belarusian government's official portal says potatoes entered the Belarusian diet in the 18th century and became the base of many dishes, from draniki ("thick potato pancakes", served in restaurants with apple and sour cream sauce) to kolduny, potato pancakes with meat. In March 2026 the newspaper Nasha Niva reported that the government had proposed "Dishes from grated potatoes: traditions of preparation and consumption in Belarus", mainly draniki and babka, for UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with the Ministry of Culture to submit it by the end of March 2026; these dishes have been on Belarus's State List of Historical and Cultural Values since 2022. Ukraine calls its very similar pancakes deruny and Wikipedia lists draniki as a national dish of several countries, so who owns them is DISPUTED.
Why it works the kitchen science
A thick batter
Grinding the potato fine and adding flour until the batter is lumpy and thick lets each pancake hold a layer of filling without leaking into the oil.
Fry, then bake
The skillet sets a crisp crust, and 10 minutes in the oven cooks the raw chicken in the middle through without burning the outside.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400°F. Finely chop the onion. Grate the potatoes, then pulse them with the onion in a food processor until finely ground with a few small bits left, not a purée.
- Step 2
Season with 3/4 to 1 tsp salt and pepper. Gently mix in the 4 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup flour. If it looks watery, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it is a thick, lumpy batter; keep adding a little as it sits.
- Step 3
In another bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, parsley, the remaining egg, salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Heat 1/4 inch of sunflower oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat to about 350°F, until shimmering. Spoon in 1/3-cup portions of batter, a few at a time, and press each into a 1/2-inch-thick disk.
- Step 5
Make a shallow well in each pancake without breaking through, press in a generous tablespoon of chicken, and cover it with about 2 tablespoons more batter.
- Step 6
Fry about 4 minutes, until dark golden; lower the heat if they brown too fast. Tilt the pan away from you, flip each pancake onto the dry side of the pan, let the oil flow back, and cook about 3 minutes more.
- Step 7
Move the draniki to a sheet pan and repeat with the rest. Bake 10 minutes at 400°F, until the chicken in the center reads 165°F.
- Step 8
Blot with paper towels and serve hot with sour cream, applesauce and chives.
Belarusian Draniki Stuffed with Chicken
Serves 4 · 8 to 10 stuffed draniki · 1 hr 15 min total
Potato batter
- 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (4 to 5 large), peeled
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 3/4 to 1 tsp kosher salt, plus black pepper
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
Chicken filling
- 1/2 lb ground chicken
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper
Frying and serving
- Sunflower oil, about 1/4 inch deep in the skillet
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup applesauce or fruit preserves
- Sliced chives
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Finely chop the onion. Grate the potatoes, then pulse them with the onion in a food processor until finely ground with a few small bits left, not a purée.
- Season with 3/4 to 1 tsp salt and pepper. Gently mix in the 4 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup flour. If it looks watery, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it is a thick, lumpy batter; keep adding a little as it sits.
- In another bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, parsley, the remaining egg, salt and pepper.
- Heat 1/4 inch of sunflower oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat to about 350°F, until shimmering. Spoon in 1/3-cup portions of batter, a few at a time, and press each into a 1/2-inch-thick disk.
- Make a shallow well in each pancake without breaking through, press in a generous tablespoon of chicken, and cover it with about 2 tablespoons more batter.
- Fry about 4 minutes, until dark golden; lower the heat if they brown too fast. Tilt the pan away from you, flip each pancake onto the dry side of the pan, let the oil flow back, and cook about 3 minutes more.
- Move the draniki to a sheet pan and repeat with the rest. Bake 10 minutes at 400°F, until the chicken in the center reads 165°F.
- Blot with paper towels and serve hot with sour cream, applesauce and chives.
Adapted from Chef David Nayfeld's "Draniki", developed for The Inherited Plate recipe blog and published by The Splendid Table (November 26, 2018), as written. It makes 8 to 10 draniki; we call it 4 servings. The Splendid Table gives no oil temperature; we give 350°F as a target. The 165°F check for the chicken is from USDA FSIS. Calling these stuffed draniki "kolduny-style" follows the Belarusian portal's description of kolduny as potato pancakes with meat; the recipe itself is the chef's, not an official Belarusian one. The Splendid Table. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (4)
Tips
- Check the seasoning of the filling the chef's way: cook a small bite in the microwave and taste it before stuffing.
- Salt keeps pulling water from the potatoes, so the last batch of batter may need another spoonful of flour.
- Plain draniki: skip the filling and fry 1/3-cup disks 3 to 4 minutes per side.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Draniki are Belarus's national dish. Disputed: Belarus's portal and its 2026 UNESCO proposal treat grated-potato dishes as a Belarusian brand (Nasha Niva), but Wikipedia says draniki or deruny are national dishes of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and Slovakia.
- The first draniki recipe was printed in 1830. Disputed: Tasting Table and Ukrainian and Russian sites repeat an 1830 date, crediting a Polish cook or German influence; we found no primary source. Do not use the date.
- Potatoes arrived in Belarus in the 18th century. Documented per Belarus's official portal.
- Draniki with meat are kolduny. Disputed: the Belarusian portal describes kolduny as potato pancakes with meat; other cooks use "kolduny" for potato dumplings.
- Always served with sour cream. Documented as traditional (Wikipedia: "traditionally eaten with sour cream"); the Belarusian portal adds apple.
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