Ohhhh, this is SO good. If you’ve ever wondered what to do with leftover chicken, this is it!
I wouldn’t lead you down the wrong path, I promise. I got the idea for this last week and I roasted a chicken yesterday just so I could have cooked chicken to make these today. When John’s dad said, “Leftovers?” I told him this was very special and if he didn’t behave it would be cat food for him!
These would be great for a meal like we had but they’d also be terrific in smaller sizes as finger food for a party. I’m eager to give them a try the next time we’re entertaining.
There aren’t a lot of ingredients and you can buy the pastry and make them ahead and bake at mealtime. What could be easier? (well, going out to dinner would be easier but we’re talking home cooked food.)
You chop an onion and small clove of garlic and saute them in butter, add chopped sage, brandy, salt and pepper and then add flour and then APPLE JUICE! Yeah, gravy with apple juice. It’s amazing. You can leave out the brandy or garlic but I thought they were lovely in this sauce. Add the chicken and let it cool.
Cut squares of puff pastry and put about a quarter cup of chicken mixture and either fold over or use another slice of pastry as a top, then crimp the edges and put in the fridge til time to bake. They took about 20 minutes at 200C/400F.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 grams)
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- ¾ cup apple juice
- 1 tablespoon brandy, optional
- 2 cups shredded roasted chicken breast
- 1 pound store-bought puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 8 ounces soft Brie, sliced (250 g)
- In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in sage and nutmeg and season with salt and and pepper to taste.
- Add brandy if using.
- Sprinkle flour over mixture and mix well.
- Whisk in apple juice, reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
- Add chicken and mix to combine. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Roll pastry if required.
- Using pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut into six 5-inch (12.5 cm) squares. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Brush edges of squares with egg wash.
- Place about ¼ cup chicken mixture in center of each square and top with 1 slice of Brie.
- Either fold squares in half diagonally, enclosing filling or use two pieces of puff pastry. Pinch together edges to seal, and crimp with the tines of a fork.
- Brush tops with egg wash.
- Place pies, on parchment-lined baking sheets, in freezer for 30 minutes.
- Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and heat oven to 375F/190C.
- Bake for 25 minutes, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through, until puffed and deep golden brown.
- Let pies cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes before serving. Filling will be very hot.