Chicken in Puff Pastry with Pesto Cream Cheese

[littlebird]

*With bonus vegetarian hors d'oeuvres option!

I posted this thread a while back -- Does this sound good? -- and never got around to making it until tonight. It's so freaking phenomenal, I can't even tell you. Here's le recipe.

Chicken in Puff Pastry with Pesto Cream Cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed in advance
1 package Neufchatel cheese, softened
¼ C basil, spinach and walnut pesto (recipe follows), or other pesto

Unfold puff pastry, cut each sheet into eighths, and set aside, each 1/8 layer separated. Cut chicken into even-sized quarters. Mix cheese and pesto.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto each rectangle of pastry. Top with chicken, spoon remaining cheese over chicken. Cover each rectangle with the remaining puff pastry rectangles, and seal edges (use a bit of water and a fork if necessary). Bake on a lightly sprayed baking sheet at 350 for 25 minutes, or until pastry is golden and chicken cooked through. If you want to be fancy, brush the tops of the puff pastry with egg wash before baking!

You can also omit the chicken and make the puff pastry squares smaller for a vegetarian hors d'oeuvre. Serve with thinned pesto as a dipping sauce (run a few tablespoons of pesto through the food processor with extra olive oil until smooth).

* Note: Puff pastry is a ***** to work with if it's not completely thawed. Put it out on the counter the morning before you plan to make this.



I didn't give myself enough time to thaw the puff pastry, which is why this doesn't look very pretty (and hence all the warnings in the recipe). But it sure tasted delicious!


Basil, Spinach and Walnut Pesto

1 C tightly packed spinach leaves
1 C tightly packed basil leaves
¼-1/3 C toasted walnuts
¼-1/3 C parmesan cheese
2 large cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
½ C oil, mostly olive oil -- I use a mixture of olive oil and sunflower oil; you can use OO and butter, or canola oil

In a food processor, first mince garlic, then add the basil and spinach, process until chopped, add walnuts and parmesan, process, and add oil in increments until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

* To toast walnuts: Spread in even layer on baking sheet, toast in oven at 350 degrees until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them, or they will be bitter!


The cool thing about both these recipes is that they're so versatile -- you can experiment with different flavorings for the cream cheese mixture, and you can use the pesto on pasta dishes, in dips, etc. Enjoy!

[Marley]

Picture. This sounds great. I've never cooked with puff pastry before but am always looking to do something different with chicken breasts

[littlebird]

Originally Posted by Marley Picture. This sounds great. I've never cooked with puff pastry before but am always looking to do something different with chicken breasts

Okay, I added a pic! It's not the best, but it will do. I didn't thaw my puff pastry entirely this time (I'm pretty indecisive about meal plans...) so that's why it's kind of wonky. Yours will look better.

[LoveDisappears]

Or having the chicken pounded out and stuffed with a little pesto..