Chicken Asparagus Puffs Food

CHICKEN ASPARAGUS PUFFS

Steps:

• In a food processor, blend together the cooked chicken, mayonnaise, garlic, curry and seasoned salt until smooth, then season with black pepper to taste (this can be prepared in advance and refrigerated).
• Roll out puff pastry into a rectangle shape (10x14-in).
• Then lengthwise into three even strips of pastry.
• Spread chicken mixture along one side of each strip of pastry.
• Place asparagus spears lengthwise beside chicken mixture.
• Brush edges of pastry with egg.
• Roll pastry over to close completely.
• Brush top with egg.
• Cut rolls diagonally into 1-inch slices with a sharp knife.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Delicious!

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C.
• Lay out the sheets of puff pastry. They will defrost while you prepare the chicken.
• Cut the chicken breast into long strips. You will need half a large chicken breast or half a medium chicken breast plus the tenderloin from the other half.
• Sprinkle the stock powder over the chicken. I use an organic vegetable stock but use whatever you have. I have tried soy sauce but it makes the chicken too wet. Dry ingredients are better and light flavours don't overpower the asparagus. Add a grind or two of black pepper and a good pinch of salt. Make sure all the chicken is coated with some seasoning.
• Drain the asparagus well. Tinned/canned asparagus works really well in this recipe.
• The pastry should be defrosted enough to be able to cut the sheets in half. Cut each sheet in half to give you 10 strips.
• Put asparagus spears down the middle of each strip. Then lay a strip of chicken beside the asparagus.
• Beat an egg lightly and then brush some eggwash along the cut in the middle of the sheet of pastry.
• With a sheet in front of you with the cut going left to right (not up and down), take the edge near you and fold it over the chicken and asparagus. Use the folded edge to shove the filling nearer to you until it is tucked around the filling quite tightly.
• Now roll up the pastry to the eggwash and make sure the cut edge stays on the bottom of the roll.
• Brush the top with egg and sprinkle plenty of sesame seeds on top.
• Cut into 6 pieces.
• Repeat for the other 9 strips to give you 60 little bites.
• Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the pastry is cooked through. The chicken will cook in this time and will still be moist and tasty.
• Take the rolls off the baking tray and cool slightly on a wire rack. Then serve warm or leave on the rack and serve cold. They are equally good warm or cold. They can be reheated but, like all pastry dishes, are better freshly baked.
• The rolls in the photograph I have posted were made with a low-fat puff pastry. As expected, they haven't puffed up as much as usual pastry but still tasted good. Let's face it, pastry is never going to be a low-fat food so you may as well enjoy it but just not eat it all the time. I'll be going back to the usual next time. 14/12/07 - Edited to add an updated photo of rolls made with regular puff pastry. Also, I increased the amount of chicken.
• Note: put the sesame seeds in a dish and discard any that you don't use. They could be contaminated by the chicken so you don't want to put them back in the bag.

CHICKEN A LA KING

Steps:

• Place a large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the celery, onions, carrots and bay leaf and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and continue to cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Scoot the veggies over to the sides and add the butter to the center of the skillet. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the white wine, chicken stock and cream. Bring the liquids up to a simmer, then add the chicken pieces. Bring back up to a simmer and add the asparagus. Simmer the mixture until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes more. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat.
• To serve: Add the peas and tarragon to the a la King mixture and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.
• Preheat the oven according to package directions for the puff-pastry shells. Arrange the shells on a nonstick baking sheet, then place in oven. Bake until golden, remove from oven and let cool.
• Serve mixture filling and spilling over the pastry cups, 2 per person. Garnish each dish with noodles and chives.

ASPARAGUS AND CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Freeze the chicken breasts for 20 to 30 minutes and then thinly slice the chicken against the grain into strips. Toss the strips with about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the sherry in a bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with the broth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the asparagus, scallions, remaining garlic, ginger, 1/4 cup of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir-fry until the asparagus is bright green but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat the same skillet until very hot, then add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Return the asparagus to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a full boil to thicken. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates; serve with rice.

SMOKED SALMON AND ASPARAGUS PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Put the smoked salmon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon zest, dill, hot sauce, smoked paprika and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chives. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Unroll the crescent dough and separate into 8 triangles, following the perforations. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make 2 thin triangles. Starting at the wide end of a triangle piece, spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of the smoked salmon mixture toward the tip. Place a piece of asparagus about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the dough's wide end, then roll up towards the tip. Place on the baking sheet with the tip of the roll-up flat on the baking sheet. Repeat with all the dough.
• Lightly whisk the egg with 1/2 teaspoon water. Brush the egg wash over each puff, then sprinkle some of the remaining chives over each. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

CHICKEN IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 14-in. square. Cut into four squares. , Spoon 2 tablespoons cream cheese into the center of each square; top with Muenster cheese and chicken., Whisk egg and water; lightly brush over edges. Bring opposite corners of pastry over each bundle; pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; brush with remaining egg mixture. , Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a large square measuring about 30 x 30cm, then cut into 4 squares, each measuring 15 x 15cm.
• Spread a quarter of the cream cheese onto each square, leaving roughly 1cm space around the edges. Wrap a slice of ham around 4-5 asparagus spears. lay the bundle on top of the cream cheese, season, then brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg.
• Loosely wrap two edges of the square to meet over the asparagus bundle, ensuring you have the top and bottom of the asparagus showing. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and place on the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 mins until the pastry is cooked, golden and puffed, and the asparagus is tender. Serve immediately with a crisp seasonal salad.

CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS, AND MUSHROOM SKILLET

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high; stir the parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and wine into the butter mixture. Add the chicken; cook and stir until the chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 more minutes.
• Add the asparagus; cook and stir until the asparagus is bright green and just starting to become tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook an additional 3 minutes to let the mushrooms release their juice. Serve hot.

PUFF PASTRY CHICKEN BUNDLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut a lengthwise slit in each chicken breast half to within 1/2 in. of the other side; open meat so it lies flat. Cover with plastic wrap; pound with a meat mallet to 1/8-in. thickness. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle with salt and pepper., Place five spinach leaves on each chicken breast half. Spoon a scant 2 tablespoons of cream cheese down the center of each chicken breast half; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon walnuts. Roll up chicken; tuck in ends. , Unfold puff pastry; cut into eight portions. Roll each into a 7-in. square. Place chicken on one half of each square; fold other half of pastry over chicken. Crimp edges with fork. Combine egg and cold water; brush over edges of pastry. , Bake on a greased 15x10x1-in. baking sheet until a thermometer reads 165°, 20-25 minutes.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS STRATA (BRUNCH CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• Spray baking dish with Pam (9X13).
• Pick rotisserie chicken from the bone and set aside. Let cool.
• Finely chop 3 shallots and sauté in olive oil. Add shallots to chicken and let cool.
• Boil a small pot of water - cut the fresh asparagus up into 1 inch pieces. Add the asparagus pieces to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Strain and put asparagus pieces in an ice water bath to stop cooking. Remove asparagus and dry on a paper towel. Add to the chicken.
• Mix eggs and milk in separate dish (make sure eggs are well beaten).
• Add cubed bread, shredded cheese, chicken, shallots and asparagus to the egg and milk mixture. Make sure chicken, asparagus and shallots are all cooled before adding them to the egg mixture.
• Pour all ingredients into your baking dish
• Bake on 350 degrees for 45 minutes. It will puff up slightly, like a quiche. Let is set for about 15 minutes before serving. It will settle and fall a bit.

ASPARAGUS IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, bring water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain asparagus and immediately place in ice water; drain and pat dry. In a bowl, beat cream cheese and salt until smooth; set aside., Unfold the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet in half widthwise. For each rectangle, spread cream cheese mixture lengthwise over half of the dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Arrange two rows of three asparagus spears lengthwise in a single layer over cream cheese., Brush edges of dough with some of the egg substitute; fold dough over filling and press edges together to seal. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour., Cut widthwise into 1-1/4-in. pieces. Place 1 in. apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with remaining egg substitute. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

CHICKEN, MOREL MUSHROOM & ASPARAGUS ONE-PAN PIE

Steps:

• If you are using dried mushrooms, heat the stock and soak them for 10 mins, then remove them, strain the liquid and set it aside. If you're using fresh mushrooms, clean them thoroughly before using. Set a couple of the nicest-looking morels aside to decorate the top of the pie, and halve the rest.
• Heat half the butter in a skillet and fry the halved morels for 3-4 mins or until wilted. Scoop them onto a plate and set aside. Heat the remaining butter and gently cook the shallots in the pan with the thyme and bay. Once softened, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min or until you have a sandy paste.
• Pour in the sherry and sizzle, then carefully stir in the strained soaking liquid (or 200ml chicken stock if you've used fresh morels), followed by the crème fraîche. Season well and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken and poach in the sauce for 10 mins or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove the bay, stir through the asparagus, tarragon and fried morels, then remove from the heat.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. The pastry needs to sit on top of the ingredients, so if your pan is too deep, use a pie dish instead. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then cut the pastry to fit the pan or dish, and drape it over the pie mixture using a rolling pin to help you. Liberally brush with egg, season the pastry with flaky sea salt, and pop your reserved morels on the top. Bake for 20 mins or until the pastry has puffed and is a deep golden brown. Leave tor rest for 5 mins before serving straight from the pan.

CREAMY CHICKEN & ASPARAGUS BRAISE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the chicken for 5 mins, turning to brown both sides.
• Add the asparagus (reserve the tips), leeks and celery, pour in the bouillon and simmer for 10 mins. Add the asparagus tips and peas, and cook for 5 mins more.
• Meanwhile, stir the egg yolk with the yogurt and garlic. Stir the yogurt mixture into the vegetables and add the tarragon. Divide between two warm plates, then place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Serve with new potatoes, if you like.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS VOL-AU-VENTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan forced).
• Line a baking tray with baking paper and place vol-au-vent cases on prepared tray and bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp and then place vol-au-vents on serving plates.
• Meanwhile heat oil in medium frying pan over moderate heat and add onion and garlic and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until softened and then add chicken, cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned.
• Whisk mustard, cream and cornflour in a small jug until smooth.
• Add to pan, cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens.
• Add asparagus to chicken mix.
• Remove from heat and season and then spoon chicken mix into vol-au-vent cases and sprinkle with chives and serve with salad.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS CREPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and butter. Combine flour and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour., Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 1/4 cup batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., Saute asparagus and onion in oil until tender. Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in chicken. Set aside., For sauce, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened., Spread about 1/2 cup filling down the center of each crepe; top with 2 tablespoons sauce and 1 piece of Swiss cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in each of two greased 11x7-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese., Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a bubbly.

CHICKEN WELLINGTON (PUFF PASTRY-WRAPPED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Season the chicken breast with seasoning salt and pepper on all sides.
• Heat butter and oil in a skillet.
• Brown the breasts on all sides until almost completely cooked through; transfer to a plate.
• To the same skillet add in onions, garlic and sliced mushrooms; saute until the mushrooms lose their moisture and the onions are tender.
• Stir in parsley.
• On a floured surface, roll out each puff pastry sheet to a 14-inch square.
• Cut into four even 7-inch squares (you should have 8 squares total).
• Place each breast over each puff pastry square.
• Set oven to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl combine the softened cream cheese with mustard, then spread over EACH breast.
• Then top with about 2-3 tablespoons mushroom/onion mixture.
• Brush the edges of each pastry square with water.
• Wrap pastry around the chicken breast, pressing edges to seal tightly.
• Place seam-side down on greased baking sheets.
• Brush the tops with egg wash.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
• Serve with mushroom sauce over the Wellington or on the side of the plate.
• Delicious!

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a sharp knife, split each chicken breast in half horizontally, then pound between 2 pieces of plastic wrap until about 3/8 inch thick (you should have 8 flattened pieces). Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, saute chicken breasts and garlic until chicken is light brown on one side only, about 2 minutes; discard garlic.
• Transfer chicken to a baking sheet, browned side down. Sprinkle chicken pieces with half the cheese; layer each with a tomato slice and 4 asparagus pieces. Roll up; secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle remaining cheese over rolls; bake until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove toothpicks. Serve hot.

CHEESE, BACON & ASPARAGUS PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Lay the bacon on a baking tray in a single layer and grill for 8-10 mins until starting to crisp at the edges. Leave to cool. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Meanwhile, unroll the pastry sheet and cut into six squares. Pile a small mound of the cheese in the centre of each square, reserving some of the cheese for scattering over later. Trim the woodier ends of the asparagus spears so each one is about 10cm long. Place four spears diagonally across each mound of cheese. Chop the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle over.
• Working with one pastry square at a time, fold the two corners not covered by the asparagus into the centre and pinch the ends together gently to seal. Repeat with the remaining squares, then scatter over the reserved cheese. Can now be frozen for up to three months.
• Transfer the puffs to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 20-25 mins (or 35 mins from frozen), or until golden brown. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before serving.