One reason I went to pastry school was to learn how to make puff pastry, which intimidated and intrigued me from a young age when I saw how many pages Julia devoted to it in Mastering. It’s really not difficult, but we’re not going to make it for this recipe. Instead, I created this when I saw square-cut frozen puff pastry on sale and decided to try it. For the first time.
That’s right. I’d never used frozen puff pastry, not even the popular Pepperidge Farm in sheets, which can be used here. The brand I tried is Kineret, in the Kosher section, and there are 8 squares, about 5″, to a pack. They’re a good size for knishes and I planned to roll them enough to encase a chicken breast, but believe me, homemade puff is much easier to roll. I suppose it’s the butter, which also makes it tastier and puffier, but even what is commonly called quick or mock puff — made in the processor — takes more time than defrosting frozen pastry. The trade-off for this convenience is not huge, but it does exist.
I ended up wrapping each breast and I think it’s an attractive presentation, aided by the eye appeal of some marinara sauce and a bit of cheese. The baking time depends on the thickness of the breasts and how cooked they are going into the oven, so let your eyes and nose or a thermometer guide you.
Of course the puff can be eliminated altogether; the breasts are good enough to stand on their own. And if you’re interested in learning to make quick puff pastry, let me know in comments.
Ella’s Chicken in Puff Pastry
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 TB water
1 cup panko, a very greedy handful
1 tsp dried thyme
kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
4 squares of thawed puff pastry or 1 sheet cut into fourths or sixths*
1 – 2 TB olive oil
marinara sauce, heated
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
*unused pastry can be refrigerated, tightly-wrapped, for up to 2 days.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil; if using foil, spray with cooking spray. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees/205C.
In a pie plate or other flat container, whisk the egg and water to combine. In another, blend together the panko, thyme, salt and pepper.
Dip each breast into the egg and water mix, then into the panko mix, coating both sides.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over low-medium heat until shimmering. Add the breasts and saute about 5 minutes per side, till golden but not cooked through. Remove from skillet.
When cool enough to handle, wrap each breast with puff pastry or encase and seal. Place on baking sheet, seal down.
Bake approximately 15 – 25 minutes until well-colored and cooked through, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees/74C. Drizzle on marinara sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
Serves 4
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks delicious! I definitely am going to try this.
Thanks, Juan. Great to see you!
Hi Ella,
I tried baking this and I think it came out decent. Since I’m a beginner, I’m not even sure if it was decent enough, but I liked it. My mom is out of town, so I couldn’t have a “second” opinion…
Since I don’t have a thermometer, I left the chicken in the oven for about 30 minutes. Perhaps, because I left it that long when I cut it, the center had a dry texture? I don’t know how to explain it… usually when me mom cooks chicken, and I cut it, it has some moisture, but mine didn’t… still it wasn’t hard (to chew).
You’re probably laughing
I liked baking this. I’m sure it was far from perfect but I had a good lunch and the kitchen looks messier than ever. *sigh*
Hi, Juan. Awwwww…no, I’m not laughing. But you did overcook them and that’s why they were dry. I’m amazed they weren’t chewy. All the breasts I’ve ever overcooked (and there have been plenty) were chewy and stringy.
To give you another reference point: skinless, boneless breasts — not in the pastry but also without any stovetop cooking first — usually need 30 minutes or so in a 350 degree oven. And this was 400. Breasts are so wildly different in size and thickness that sometimes the only way to see if they’re done without a thermometer is to cut into one. There’s no shame in doing that, even if it means one doesn’t look as pretty.
And I’ll tell you a secret — just between us, the bots and the rest of the world
— I never cook breasts beyond 160. It’s the government that recommends 165, which is beyond-question safe but overdone in my eyes, and probably in your mom’s too and yours. But many people are so used to overcooked breast, especially because of those silly pop-up things in whole chickens, that doneness at 165 is like a revelation. (Most of the pop-ups don’t pop until 170 or 172 degrees!)
I am so happy you tried this and liked it anyway. The flavors work for me, especially that touch of thyme. When I teach people how to make bread I always say the worst loaf they make at home is still better than anything at the store. And it’s true. So next time you’ll nail this. You have puff pastry left over, yes?
I’m with you about clean up. I think one reason I love Dobby in Harry Potter so much is my fantasy of having a house elf to clean up after me when I cook or bake!
Thanks for the report from the front, so to speak. Cooking is so much a learn by doing thing. Cookbooks, blogs and tv shows give us some knowledge — but not always — but nothing teaches faster and better than actually trying it. And making a mess…
Thanks, Ella!
Maybe I didn’t express myself well, when I said “still it wasn’t hard (to chew)”, I meant that although they were dry they were indeed chewy, and exactly like you said, they were stringy. Sorry for the confusion.
I very much appreciate your tips, I didn’t even know the government recommends cooking breasts at 165… and next time, I’ll cut into one for sure.
Yes, I still have puff pastry left over. I put it in the freezer right away.
I’ll try this again, and I will let you know how it comes out.
Next, I wanna try the ham and potato soup… hopefully, I’ll get it right the first time
Full props for trying, Juan. I never used frozen puff pastry when I was a beginner because it intimidated me. Once I learned how to make it, there was no reason to buy it. One of these days I’ll have to try the Pepperidge Farm, if only to see if it handles better than the stuff I used with this.
The fun part of cooking is that even if something isn’t perfect, it’s usually edible — but I’ve had a few that weren’t!
Happy cooking.