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| Puff Pastry Chicken Pocket with rice and mixed veggies |
These are so tasty and very filling. I'm certainly not the first person to make a variation of these, I have seen several around the internet, but I will be sharing how I make mine today.
Fair warning, these take a bit of work and can be very messy to make. Its not that they are hard to make, they just take time. I usually make the filling the day before I plan on making them for dinner. You can also make a big batch of filling and freeze it for later use if you wish.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
- 2 Tbs butter (you can use whatever type of oil or spray you want, but butter tastes the best)
- One small onion (or half of a large one)
- 4 to 5 strips of bacon (I use Turkey bacon, tastes the same but its less fat)
- 1lb boneless skinless chicken (breast or thighs) cut into small chunks.
- 3 Tbs flour
- 1 1/3 cup chicken broth
- Veggies (use whatever you want, mine have carrots, peas, and green beans, broccoli works well too)
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic instead), and parsley
For the Pastry:
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
- 3-4 egg yolks
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
1. Chop onion and cook with the butter until they start to turn into a golden color.
Also, If you are using fresh garlic instead of the powder, you would want to add it before you cook the onion and set it aside. |
2. When your onions look like this, they are done. Dont over cook your onions, they will be returning to the stove later. |
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3. Place onions in a small bowl and set to the side, try to leave whatever butter is left in the pan. |
4. Cook your bacon (or turkey bacon). You want to cook it until it is really crispy and will crumble easily. |
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5. Crumble the bacon and set on top of your onions. Leave the bacon grease in the pan. |
6. Cook your chicken until all sides are cooked. Depending on how big your pan is, you may need to do this in 2-3 batches. You want all pieces of the chicken to touch the pan, don't just make one big pile because they wont cook evenly. |
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7. Put all chicken in the pot (if you had to do more than one batch) and coat with the flour until all the juices are gone. Add the onion and bacon in. |
8. Slowly add the chicken broth and stir to make a creamy broth. (if you put all the broth in at once it is harder to mix up with out splashing). |
9. Add whatever veggies you are using. Make sure they are cut up into small pieces or you will have a hard time putting them in the pastry.
Cook on low for 25 minutes. |
10. Add Heavy whipping cream and mix well. Add seasoning to your taste.
Remove from heat and let it cool down.
Put it in to bowl, cover, and set inside the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. The sauce must be stiff before you add it to the pastry or it will run and cause problems. |
If you are in a rush and need it ready quick: put in a bowl and set it in your freezer uncovered. Check back every 5 minutes and stir until the sauce is completely set. I don't recommend this method but it does work in a pinch. The sauce CAN NOT be runny at all.
Like I said earlier, I usually make the filling the day before. |
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11. While the filling is chilling (I can rhyme!) defrost your puff pastry according to the box directions. When the pastry is ready, throw flour on the surface and roll it out into a large square. |
12. I cut mine into six equal pieces. Do one piece at a time because it will shrink as it sits. Take one square, flip it over onto the floured surface, give it a quick roll if it shrunk since being cut. |
13. Start with 2 egg yolks, beat them well. If you run out of egg yolk, crack another. Don't throw away the yolk if you have some left over, you will be using it later.
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. |
14. Scoop some of your filling onto the center of the pastry. Take a brush and spread a thin layer of the egg yolk around the edges. |
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15. Add cheese. |
16. Fold the corners up and pinch them together. Leave a hole in the center to vent the steam. Be sure to make a good seam or it can come apart while baking. |
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11. Grease your pan. (I just used a cooking spray.) |
12. Cover thoroughly with egg yolk. If the two you used earlier are gone, beat 2 more. |
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13. Bake for 25-30 minutes on the middle rack. |
14. When pastry's are done, let them cool for about 5 minutes and they will be ready to eat and enjoy! |
I serve these with rice and veggies. For the rice, I replace the water with chicken broth and add a bit of adobo for seasoning.
My son and his father love these and asked me to make a beef version so I will be making those some time next week and I will let you know how they come out.
Also, sorry for the dramatic decline in picture quality half way through. My camera died and I didn't have any back up batteries so I used my Ipad to finish up.
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| My messy table after making these! |
