Chicken Mushroom Fricassee en Croute

A lovely dinner entree of a chicken and mushroom filling baked in flaky puff pastry with a pepper cream sauce. The French would call it Poulet Champignons Fricassee en Croute. I would call it “Tarragon Creamed Chicken and Mushrooms in Puff Pastry”. What’s in a name anyway - the flavor is what we’re going for!

If you’ve never met puff pastry (the French, pâte feuilletée) let me introduce you. The glorious laminated French dough (laminate - meaning layers created by applying butter to the dough and folding dough over the butter, repeatedly, ending up with thin, thin layers of dough between thin layers of butter). Don’t fret, you don’t have to make your own. It is readily available in the frozen section of your grocery store near other doughs and phyllo pastry (don’t confuse them). But for the adventurous baker, what fun it is to make puff pastry, at least when it turns out with the layers of crunchy, buttery pastry! But perhaps that finicky task is for another day or perhaps a professional or the grocery store frozen version will do. Frankly, when you don’t have the time or patience the Pepperidge Farm’s version comes to the rescue and at that point, prepared and frozen, the dough is very easy to work with.

I’m sure you’ve eaten puff pastry before, perhaps not realizing it, in Napoleans or millefeuille, palmiers, tarts, Beef Wellington - all of these use puff pastry,

And the filling - if you can make chicken stew or chicken with dumplings or chicken pot pie - you’ve got it down. As simple as that - cooked chicken. combined with vegetables and aromatics, a sauce and herbs and there’s your filing. Rolling it up in the puff pastry is as simple as rolling a large eggroll, then brush with egg whites and bake.

Chicken Mushroom Fricassee en Croute: (Creamed chicken in puff pastry)

1 pound chicken tenders, trimmed

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, slivered

4 chopped green onions, with green tops

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

8 oz. fresh sliced button or cremini mushrooms

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup cream

¼ cup white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of Cayenne pepper

1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

2 tab. chopped fresh parsley

Flour for dredging

1 package puff pastry sheets

 
Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion finely chopped

1 whole head of garlic, roasted

1 1/4 cup chicken broth (stock)

1 1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream (or evaporated milk)

1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

For Chicken en Croute:

-Cut chicken thighs into 3 long portions each. Lightly flour and salt and pepper chicken tenders and thighs.  In medium skillet, melt butter, and 1 tablespoon oil and over medium-high heat sauté chicken until lightly browned on both sides (about 5 minutes total.)  Set aside. 

-Add a bit more butter if needed, to skillet and over medium heat sauté shallots, garlic, green onions and mushrooms until soft, stirring frequently – about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in tarragon, chicken stock, wine and cream.  Allow ingredients to temper about 5 minutes.  Add chicken to the cream mixture and cook at a low simmer until liquid is reduced by about half.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and dash of cayenne pepper.  

-Stir in almonds and parsley to chicken mixture and allow to cool to room temperature. 

-Place puff pastry sheets side by side on lightly floured work surface.  Press the seam together, joining the 2 sheets into one sheet of pastry.  Roll pastry out, pressing the seam firmly to just under a 1/4 inch thick, and keeping a basic rectangular shape.

-Place the cooled chicken filling down the length of the center of the pastry.  Picking up a long edge of the pastry, carefully roll the pastry over the filling to enclose the chicken mixture completely.  Press all the edges, seam and the ends firmly together.  Decorate top of roll with pastry leaves if desired or 2 strips of reserved puff pastry, braided. 

-Place the filled pastry roll on a parchment lined and sprayed cookie sheet. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

-Place the pastry roll into the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes or until golden brown and the pastry feels firm and crunch when tapped.  Remove from oven and let sit about 10 minutes. 

-Transfer to a serving platter and carefully slice with a serrated knife into 1 1/2 inch slices.  Serve with Pepper Cream Sauce.

-Meanwhile prepare sauce:

-Peel the outer skin off the head of garlic, leaving the cloves intact. With a paring knife, slice about 1/4 inch off the top of each clove of garlic leaving the garlic flesh of each clove exposed. Place in a small oven proof dish and pour 3 tablespoons olive oil over the top and around the head of garlic. Cover with foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes until cloves are very soft. Set aside and let cool.

-Add the butter and 1 tablespoon oil to a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, saute the onions for about 10 minutes until very soft. Separate the cloves of garlic from the head, remove each clove and from the thick end of each, squeeze the garlic flesh into the saucepan. Stir and continue cooking another 2 minutes breaking up the roasted cloves of garlic as you stir.

-Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any browned bits of onion and garlic and let simmer and reduce to half, about 5 minutes.

-Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the cream. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for about 2-3 minutes, combining all of the flavors together.

-Add and stir in the Parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper and continue cooking gently for about 2-3 minutes until cheese melts, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt to your taste. 

-Stir in chopped parsley. Drizzle a bit of sauce down the center of the sliced Chicken Puff Pastry Roll. Serve the remaining sauce on the side so people can add more to their serving if they would like. 

Serves 8 - 10

Roll out puff pastry to about 1/4th inch thickness, pressing seam firmly.

Place cooled chicken filling in the center of the puff pastry, lengthwise and roll gently to encase, securing seam and edges firmly.

Bake then cool about 10 minutes. Slice into 1 - 2 inch slices and serve with Pepper Cream Sauce.

Bake chicken roll until deep golden in color and crust feels firm and crunchy when tapped.

An elegant chicken and mushroom version of chicken pot pie and just as easy when using prepared puff pastry.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Puff pastry is fun but tedious to make and requires hours of focus and attention to time. So most of us use prepared puff pastry that is frozen. You can find it in the freezer section of your grocery store near the frozen pie crusts and filo pastry. Pepperidge Farm is a popular brand. Keep it frozen and remove from freezer about 15 minutes before using in your recipe.