Creamy Chicken Puffs

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 15
• 1 lb chicken breast, diced
• 1 ounce butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 6 slices streaky bacon, rind removed,cut into 1/4 inch,5 mm,strips
• 1 ounce flour
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 2 ounces chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
• 2 fluid ounces creme fraiche or 2 fluid ounces double cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (500 g) package fresh premade puff pastry
• 2 large egg yolks, beaten

Recipe

• 1 trim the chicken into even-sized pieces, roughly 1/2 inch (1 cm) squares.
• 2 melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan and fry the chopped onion over a medium heat until it has turned pale gold about 4 minutes.
• 3 using a draining spoon, remove it to a plate.
• 4 turn the heat up to high and add the strips of bacon and fry these, tossing them around a few times, for about 4 minutes until they are really crisp.
• 5 transfer the bacon to join the onion on a plate and start to fry the chicken in the bacon fat, for about 2 minutes.
• 6 return the onion and bacon to the saucepan.
• 7 using a wooden spoon, and keeping the heat at medium, sprinkle in the flour and stir it in to soak up all the juices.
• 8 add the chicken stock a little at a time, stirring as you add until all the stock has been incorporated.
• 9 as it comes to simmer, it will have thickened to a creamy sauce.
• 10 add the mushrooms, season well and then let it simmer at the lowest possible heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes, giving it a stir from time to time.
• 11 finally, stir in the crème fraîche and parsley, taste to check the seasoning and then leave it aside until it is completely cooled (preferably chilled).
• 12 this can be done well ahead of time, but when you want to make the puffs, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°f (200°c).
• 13 allow the pastry to come to room temperature?
• 14 this will take about 10 minutes?
• 15 then carefully unroll the sheet of pastry.
• 16 roll pastry to approx 3mm thickness and then cut out 10cm (4inch) circles from the pastry.
• 17 place a spoonful of filling into the center of the circles.
• 18 brush the edges with the beaten egg yolk, and fold in half and pinch the seam.
• 19 before cooking, brush the whole lot thickly with a beaten egg yolk.
• 20 they will need to go on to a greased baking sheet and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are a rich golden brown.