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Chicken Kiev en Croute with Herb Garden Compound Butter

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chicken en croute herbed butter

 

Wait! Before you say, “Oh, I can’t make that!” Yes, yes you can. It’s EZ PZ, I swear to you! It’s simply flavored butter, in a chicken breast, in puff pastry. Simple. As. That. 😉 Really nothing fancy-pants at all! 

Quintessentially, “elegance in simplicity”! Minimal ingredients. Maximum flavor. And budget friendly! Truly a show-stopper that you can serve to company proudly, even on a tight budget! 😀  

Have a special occasion coming up? This is the ticket! 😉 Need a dish to impress the in-laws? This oughtta do it! 😉  

And you can follow my recipe as written, or play around adding your own special touches! Have an herb blend of your own that pairs well with chicken? Go for it! Love Italian food? Add some finely grated parmesan cheese to the compound butter and wrap the chicken rolls in prosciutto before sealing with the puff pastry! 😀 The possibilities are fabulously endless! 😀     

 

chicken en croute 2

 

But I used what I had on hand, picked fresh straight from my herb garden! Fresh basil, thyme and oregano! You can’t go wrong with this classic combination! And my hubby and I being garlic lovers, you know that there was going to be a little fresh garlic in there as well! 😉 I wanted to brighten it up just a bit, so I also added some fresh finely grated lemon zest, too. Then just a little salt and pepper to taste! 😀 See? Simple! 😉  

 

chicken en croute 3

 

I really didn’t want to do the whole bread crumb/fry/bake thing, and knowing that I had a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer begging to be used, got me thinking, why not just do an “en croute”, “in pastry”, instead? It could not have worked out more beautifully! And so much less mess to clean up! My hubby and I actually preferred it this way over the traditional way! A new classic is born! Well, at least in our house it is! 😉 😀  

 

chicken en croute 4

 

I then just simply served it with my Quick Italian-Style Summer Garden Salad (coming soon) and my Herb Garden Rice Pilaf and dinner was something spectacular, enjoyed al fresco, out on the deck! A perfect ending to a warm summer day! 😀

So, I hope this recipe helps you out when you want or need something fancy, but don’t want to take out a second mortgage just to enjoy a nice dinner!  It truly is easy to make and WOW is it ever good! I promise, you will very much impress and surprise your loved ones and  guests with this beautiful dish! 

Be sure stay tuned!! My package of chicken breasts that I thawed had three pieces of chicken in it. 😉 Wait until you see what I surprised my hubby with for lunch the next day using the last one!! 😉 😀   

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer so far and fully enjoying the warm weather and sunshine! It will be fall before we know it, so get out there and enjoy! Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow! 😀   

 

 

Chicken Kiev en Croute with Herb Garden Compound Butter
Yield: 2

Chicken Kiev en Croute with Herb Garden Compound Butter

Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • salt and coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • 1/2 Tbl. flour for dusting counter and pastry
  • 1 extra large egg beaten with 1 Tbl. water
  • [br]

For Compound Butter:

  • 1/2 stick (4 Tbl.) butter, room temp/softened
  • 2 large basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh finely minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh finely grated lemon zest
  • 1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper, or to taste

Instructions

  • In small bowl, mix compound butter ingredients until very well mixed. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and anything else to taste. Place onto a small piece of plastic wrap, and roll up. Roll butter into a 3" long log, pressing ends inward to be flat. Wrap completely and chill until firm.
  • Place a chicken breast, skin side-up onto a piece of plastic wrap. Sprinkle top with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle top with a little water. Top with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound (mostly the middle thick part) to 1/2" thick or a little less.
  • Turn chicken over and remove that sheet of plastic wrap. Slice chilled butter in half, and place one half onto short, non-pointed end. Fold sides over butter and roll up tightly keeping sides tucked in as you go, and using plastic to help you roll up tightly. Wrap again with plastic wrap and repeat with other piece of chicken and butter. Chill filled chicken rolls for several hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Dust counter with a little flour, and roll out puff pastry sheet into a 12" square. With a pizza wheel, cut in half corner-to-corner. Unwrap chill chicken rolls carefully and place one in center of each triangle. With longest side away from you, fold up middle point over chicken. Moisten rest of edges, and fold each skinny point, and back side over chicken to seal. (Like a diaper.) *Trim off excess not needed from last point to decorate top if desired. (Roll decorative pieces into ropes, shapes and/or use cookie cutters.)
  • Place chicken rolls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Beat egg with water and brush rolls well. Top with decorative pieces and brush pieces with egg wash as well.
  • Pop into preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes. Without opening the door, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes. If you see butter just starting to leak out, remove immediately. Butter will stop leaking and chicken will be fully done.
  • Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

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