You're going to love this one! It looks and tastes like you've worked all day in a hot kitchen, but in reality, you've probably spent as much time as you would for any throw together weeknight meal. Introducing.... Puff Pastry Herbed Chicken!
I'm pretty sure this recipe is nearly as old as I am as I remember making it when Dave and I were newlyweds. I was thinking I was dishing out the definition of high class. At the time, finding and buying small blocks of garlic herbed spreadable cheese in the store was high end and puff pastry meant you were fancy. I made this recipe now the way it was written way back then, and now, having a little more matured taste buds and a little better skill in the kitchen, I plan to keep it around but I will absolutely put my own touch on it.
I offer it to you here in its original form because you have to start there, I am fully convinced, to get a feel for how you could adapt it to be the perfect fancy not fancy weeknight meal.
The recipe starts with a few chicken breasts. Now I don't know what you're seeing in your space but around here, chicken looks like it's been on 2 decades of Incredible Hulk steroids. One breast could feed three of us and often does. I've gotten into the habit of keeping the biggest ones for chunks or strips (think fajitas, soup or pot pie) and taking the (still huge) smaller ones and cutting them horizontally up the middle to form 2 thinner breasts. Chicken breast has a tendency to plump while cooking, so the seemingly thin piece bulks up fast.
The chicken gets a light hit of salt and pepper on both sides before being put into a hot pan with a few tablespoons of butter. The breasts need to cook about 6 or 7 minutes per side or until cooked through and beginning to brown.
Once the chicken is cooked through, it needs to be transferred to a plate and covered, then placed in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes or as long as 24 hours. This is great! If you have plans, or you want to focus on other courses - the fact that you can cook this chicken earlier in the day is a gift from the heavens. The chicken needs to be cool when you assemble it because any residual warmth will melt the cheese before its time and also muck up your pastry - so take the gift and get the chicken cooked and cooled ahead of time and don't fret.
The puff pastry needs to thaw a bit before it’s workable but don't let it get too warm; you'll have a mess on your hands. Feel free to use additional flour to keep the dough from sticking, but you'll need to roll one sheet of puff pastry out to about 14“ x 14“ square. This will comfortably wrap 4 chicken breasts, so plan accordingly. I was skeptical and almost thawed two sheets, but I had more than enough for the 3 chicken breasts I was preparing and so I ended up tossing a corner.
Once rolled out and cut into quarters, the spreadable cheese is spread (doing its job!) and the chicken placed on top. Fresh herbs like parsley are added to the top and the breasts get wrapped up and placed seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. The original recipe did not call for greasing the cookie sheet, but I did a light layer since I am familiar with stainless steel cookie sheets and dough and I had some "stickage." I'll grease it better next time. If your pan is nonstick, I think I might still go with a light coat of butter to be safe.
The bundles get a brush of beaten egg and water, called an egg wash. Egg wash, which is some part of an egg or a whole egg mixed with a little bit of water, milk or cream with the purpose of helping brown the bread and add extra gloss or shine. I also find it makes a nice surface to add things you want to stick to the bread, like sesame seeds, but no seeds here so we're moving on.
The bundles get placed in the oven for about 25 minutes and then left to cool for about 10 minutes - then they are ready to serve. I used garlic herb spreadable cheese triangles, but any flavored soft cheese will be excellent in this recipe. When the chicken is done. the puff pastry is light and flaky, the cheese is melty and the chicken has a ton of herb flavor. And it looks like you worked hard at it - but I won't tell how easy it is.
When I tackle this again, I may add more cheese, top and bottom and I will find a more pungent cheese as we like things bold. Depending on the cheese flavor, I may also try fresh basil, oregano or thyme to the meat. And I may egg wash with only the yolk and milk to add even more color. And again, depending on the cheese, I may melt some down on the side and add some cream to make a cheese sauce for pouring over the pastry.
But it was good - right out of the original recipe and really required very little prep or effort. So try Puff Pastry Herbed Chicken soon and let me know what you think!
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