Breast of Chicken Wrapped in Phyllo will always remind me of my son’s 18th birthday. I asked him to choose what he wanted for his birthday dinner and this recipe was it; along with artichokes and a Tarte Tatin!
The leeks, mushrooms, and even the chicken can be prepped the day before assembly and kept well wrapped in the refrigerator overnight. I always find that the chicken cutlets and mushrooms are a little bit bigger than I like, so I cut them in half before I layer and wrap them. If you also prefer smaller portions, you can buy 4 cutlets. 4 mushrooms caps and 6 leeks and still have eight servings. Breast of Chicken Wrapped in Phyllo turns any dinner into a celebration!
For your vegetarians, try: Tofu, Mushrooms and Leeks Wrapped in Phyllo Dough
Breast of Chicken Wrapped in Phyllo Dough
By Published: February 11, 2014
Yield:
- 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 8 6 Ounce Chicken Cutlets
- 8 Small Portobello Mushrooms
- 8 Large Leeks
- 1 Cup unflavored Oil avocado oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil
- Freshly Ground Pepper
- 2 Boxes Frozen Phyllo Dough Defrosted
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Large Jelly Roll Pan Lined with Parchment
- Pastry Brush
Directions
- Cut off root ends and all dark green leaves from leeks. Halve remaining pale green and white portions of leeks lengthwise. Slice leeks thinly. Rinse them thoroughly under running water. Be sure all the dirt and sand is gone. You should have about seven or eight cups of sliced leeks. Set aside.
- Heat ½ cup unflavored oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté leeks until very tender- about 15 minutes. Season with several turns of the pepper grinder. Transfer leeks to a bowl and set aside. Rinse skillet.
- Remove stems and gills from mushrooms. Wipe mushrooms tops with a damp towel. Set aside.
- Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms on each side until they brown. Add more oil if needed. Set aside.
- Rinse chicken cutlets. Remove the extra pieces on the bottom of cutlets and set them aside to marinate for chicken nuggets. Pat chicken cutlets dry before using t
- TO ASSEMBLE: Clean off a large surface or have a large cutting board available on which to spread out the sheets of phyllo dough. Cover dough with a damp towel to keep it moist.
- Line jelly roll pan with parchment.
- Have phyllo dough, chicken cutlets, sautéed leeks, sautéed mushrooms, olive oil and jelly roll pan lined up in a convenient pattern for you to work.
- Place one sheet of phyllo dough on surface. (Immediately cover the remaining dough with the damp towel.) Brush pastry sheet with olive oil. Cover with a second sheet of phyllo dough. (Don’t worry if you have small tears in the dough. They won’t show after baking.) Place one cutlet about five inches down from the short end of the pastry sheet. Top with ½ cup of leeks and a mushroom. Fold over the five inch piece of dough over the chicken and then fold in the sides. Continue to roll the chicken and vegetables toward you until you have created a neat rectangular package. Place the package, seam down, in the jelly roll pan. Repeat this process until all eight pieces of chicken have been wrapped. Brush the tops and sides of chicken packages with more olive oil. (You may cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before baking.)
- Preheat oven to: 350° F.
- Place pan in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until pastry has turned golden brown .The packages can stay hot in a turned off oven for about 15 minutes. The chicken can be served immediately or can be reheated for about 15 minutes right before serving.
- Serve with a colorful vegetable, wild rice and white wine and tarragon sauce or mushroom sauce on the side.
