Chicken breast in puff pastry

Since I had two beautiful organic chicken breasts in my fridge I thought they´d deserve a "special treatment". The following recipe I found adequate for them. Just served with some baby leaf spinach that I only leave in a pan with a little melted butter, salt and a dash of pepper for a minute. The chicken takes a little time but is worth it.


Stuffed chicken breast in puff pastry


click HERE for a printable version

4                          single chicken breasts without skin (each 130 g)

                            salt

                            pepper, freshly ground

2-3 tablespoons   Butter

200 g                  white mushroom

1                         shallot

50 g                    heavy cream

1                         thin slice of cooked ham (50g)

420 g                  frozen puff pastry

1                         egg yolk

                           little flour

For the chanterelle:

250 g                 chanterelle (or brown mushroom)

1 tablespoon      butter

                         salt, pepper

For the sauce:

200 ml                  chickenstock (homemade if possible)

2-3 tablespoons    dry sherry

20 g                      butter, very cold

                       

Rinse the chickenbreast and pat dry with a paper towel. Give some salt and pepper over them and fry them in hot butter one to two minutes on each side. Let them cool off on an oven rack that you´ve covered with paper towels first.

Now you clean the mushrooms and cut them into very small cubes (this needs some dedication). The same happens with the shallot. Fry the shallot in one tablespoon butter until they are transparent. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and let them fry on medium heat for 10 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated. Then add the cream, let it cook for 2 more minutes and take it from the stove to cool. Cut the ham into tiny dice and mixe with the cooled mushrooms. Preheat your oven to 200C°.

Take always two of the rectangular puff pastry pieces, lay them ontop of each other and roll them out on some flour. Then cut 4 rounds of 20 - 24 cm diameter from them. Lay them on a baking tray and leave them (if you have the space) in the freezer.

Make two deep cuts lenghtwise on each chickenbreast and fill each cut with one to two tablespoons of the mushroom mixture. Place each breast onto the lower half of a puff pastry circle, paint the edges with egg yolk fold over the other half of the pastry and press the edges together firmly. Paint the rest of the egg yolk onto the pastry and place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake them in the oven until golden brown for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Now you have time to clean your chanterelle mushrooms. Once clean you fry them in the hot butter and then add salt and pepper. Fry them until all the liquids have evaporated and take them out of the pan. Pour the good quality chicken stock into the pan and let reduce a little (careful, might otherwise get to salty). Then add the Sherry. Mix in the ice cold butter. If you like you can add a shot of cream.

Arrange on pre-warmed plates with the baby leaf spinach.

Bon appétit!