It’s that time of year when we switch from the light and refreshing meals of Summer to the hearty and warming ones of Fall and Winter. September is National Mushroom Month which is fortuitous as mushrooms always figure prominently in our cool and cold weather meals. As it coincides quite nicely with our seasonal menu planning shift, I expect to post a few recipes featuring fungi in the next few weeks.

Today’s recipe combines roasted chicken and mushrooms in a creamy, seasoned sauce that gets wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Puff pastry is somewhat of a staple in our household. We typically have some stored in the freezer, as we use it for both sweet and savory dishes. It is a light and flaky dough made from flour, water, butter, and salt. Rather than incorporating the butter into the flour by cutting, rubbing, or melting as in other types of crusts, the butter used in a puff pasty is mainly sandwiched in between the layers of dough. The dough is then repeatedly rolled out thinly and folded back upon itself. Keeping the pastry and butter chilled during the process is necessary to prevent the butter from becoming completely integrated into the dough. All this layering of butter results in an exquisitely flaky crust that rises in the oven due to the steam generated in the dough and butter layers.

The amount of work required to make puff pastry just right is why we keep some in the freezer instead of making our own from scratch. But even though we use premade pastry, this recipe requires a bit of time to bring it all together. The delicious and savory results are well worth the time and effort!

Chicken Mushroom Strudel (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 2 hours, Prep Time: 30 minutes, Chill Time: 30 minutes, Bake Time: 1 hour, Yield: 1 strudel, Makes: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 16 – 20 ounces boneless chicken breasts
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 8 – 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 14-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 sheet)
• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Salt & pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Put a touch of olive oil in a roasting pan or baking dish just big enough to fit the meat and add the chicken to it. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

When the chicken is done, allow it to rest for 5 minutes, then cube it. Set the chicken aside.

After the chicken has been in the oven for 20 minutes, start the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds longer.

Pour in the heavy cream and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thickened, gold, and bubbling, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and mix in the tarragon.

Add the cubed chicken and stir until the sauce is absorbed into the chicken and mushroom mixture.

Place the mixture in a bowl. Stir the lemon zest and lemon juice into the filling. Fold in Gruyere cheese and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate the filling until it is chilled, at least 30 minutes.

While the filling is chilling, prepare the puff pastry. Set the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured parchment paper and roll it out to a 12 x 15 inch rectangle. Lightly dust the surface of the puff pastry with flour and place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Roll out the pastry sheet so that it lays flat. Transfer the pastry and parchment paper onto a baking sheet and freeze for about 10 minutes to firm it up.

Preheat the oven to 450º F. Being careful not to scratch the surface of the baking sheet, use the tip of a knife to lightly score the pastry into 3 sections lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, cut away the top 2 corners of the pastry so it resembles a triangle shape. Wet the edges of the corner pieces and attach one to each end of the middle sections of the dough to help seal in the filling.

Starting at the scored center section by the pointy side, make 3/4 inch cuts all the way down one side, following the angle of the top. Repeat on the other side following the top angle and creating the same number of sections as on the first side.

Add the chicken and mushroom filling to the middle section. Fold the top and bottom of the middle section pastry over the top of the filling. Start folding the dough strips alternately over the filling, covering the filling and pinching the dough strips together to hold in the filling.

Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg wash.

Place the strudel in the center of the preheated oven and bake it until it is golden brown and crisp, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Let the strudel rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

This strudel is a savory delight!  ~Linda

Chicken Mushroom Strudel (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 2 hours, Prep Time: 30 minutes, Chill Time: 30 minutes, Bake Time: 1 hour, Yield: 1 strudel, Makes: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 16 – 20 ounces boneless chicken breasts
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 8 – 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 3/4  teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 14-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 sheet)
• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Salt & pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Put a touch of olive oil in a roasting pan or baking dish just big enough to fit the meat and add the chicken to it. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. When the chicken is done, allow it to rest for 5 minutes, then cube it. Set the chicken aside.

After the chicken has been in the oven for 20 minutes, start the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds longer.

Pour in the heavy cream and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thickened, gold, and bubbling, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and mix in the tarragon. Add the cubed chicken and stir until the sauce is absorbed into the chicken and mushroom mixture. Place the mixture in a bowl. Stir the lemon zest and lemon juice into the filling. Fold in Gruyere cheese and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate the filling until it is chilled, at least 30 minutes.

While the filling is chilling, prepare the puff pastry. Set the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured parchment paper and roll it out to a 12 x 15 inch rectangle. Lightly dust the surface of the puff pastry with flour and place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Roll out the pastry sheet so that it lays flat. Transfer the pastry and parchment paper onto a baking sheet and freeze for about 10 minutes to firm it up.

Preheat the oven to 450º F. Being careful not to scratch the surface of the baking sheet, use the tip of a knife to lightly score the pastry into 3 sections lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, cut away the top 2 corners of the pastry so it resembles a triangle shape. Wet the edges of the corner pieces and attach one to each end of the middle sections of the dough to help seal in the filling.

Starting at the scored center section by the pointy side, make 3/4 inch cuts all the way down one side, following the angle of the top. Repeat on the other side following the top angle and creating the same number of sections as on the first side.

Add the chicken and mushroom filling to the middle section. Fold the top and bottom of the middle section pastry over the top of the filling. Start folding the dough strips alternately over the filling, covering the filling and pinching the dough strips together to hold in the filling. Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg wash.

Place the strudel in the center of the preheated oven and bake it until it is golden brown and crisp, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let the strudel rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice and serve.