Home

Chicken Salad in Pastry Crust

17/11/2023

The chicken salad in pastry crust is a fresh and tasty dish, perfect for a summer lunch or a light dinner. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 sheets of puff pastry
  • Mixed salad (lettuce, arugula, baby spinach or others of your choice)
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Pitted black olives
  • 1 egg (for brushing)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Aromatic herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, etc.)
  • Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 °F). Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and finely chopped aromatic herbs.
  2. Roll out the puff pastry and place the chicken breasts in the center. If you like, you can add some mustard or cream cheese to enrich the flavor.
  3. Enclose the chicken breasts within the puff pastry, sealing the edges well. You can use beaten egg to help you seal the pastry so it doesn’t open during cooking.
  4. Brush the surface of the puff pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds to add crunchiness and flavor.
  5. Bake the chicken in crust and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crispy.
  6. In the meantime, prepare the salad: thoroughly wash the mixed salad and cherry tomatoes, then cut the cherry tomatoes in half and thinly slice the olives.
  7. Put the salad together in a large bowl, dress with oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.
  8. Once the chicken is cooked and the crust is golden, remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before slicing.
  9. Arrange the sliced chicken in pastry on top of the salad and serve.

This salad is versatile: you can add other ingredients such as cucumbers, carrots, corn or whatever you prefer to make the salad even richer and more interesting.

Curiosity

The idea of wrapping meat in a pastry shell has ancient origins and is found in various culinary cultures, including the classic English Wellingtons and various savory strudels in Central Europe. In Italy, meat “in crust” recalls the preparation of the filetto in crosta, a refined and beloved dish in restaurants.