Party Panache, Chicken Baklava

the Painted Apron

10 years ago

Baklava is traditionally a sweet pastry, composed of many thin layers filled with nuts and honey. I am taking a liberty here and calling this chicken dish baklava because it is made with layers of the traditional papery phyllo dough, filled with almonds and a savory chicken filling with a creamy honey mustard sauce

Impressive enough for a dinner party, but easy enough to make. Prep ahead, and it’s a breeze to bake right before serving

Half way through cooking time throw the asparagus on the pan with some olive oil and lemon slices, and voila, dinner is served!

Do not fear the filo! or Phyllo! The papery pastry is very forgiving~ it’s a little nerve wracking the first time, but once you realize you can repair any holes that might develop, you will be merrily on your way~

The secret is keeping all the dough covered with a damp towel, except the piece you are working on

Start by caramelizing some almonds with butter and brown sugar in a heavy skillet. They cook fast and burn easily so pay attention!

Remove almonds to wax paper to cool and add chicken to skillet, browning on all sides over medium heat

Set chicken aside and add mushrooms and onions to skillet, adding a drizzle of olive oil if necessary

Cook and stir until veggies are happy and remove with a slotted spoon

Add two tablespoons of butter to skillet and melt. Add cream and mustard and stir into a thick sauce. Don’t worry if there are lingering pieces of onions and mushrooms, all the more flavor!

Yum

And the fun begins!

I used olive oil spray instead of butter for the filo dough to save calories, but either way will work

Use 2 sheets for the bottom layer and then spray or brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a scant layer of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Repeat, using a single sheet, 3 times. On the last layer, #6, just brush a perimeter of melted butter around the edges

Chop or shred chicken and place 1/2 of chicken on bottom 1/3 of dough, across the short side of stack, and top with 1/2 of cooked mushrooms and onions, and a sprinkling of almonds

Drizzle generously with the honey mustard gravy, tuck the edges in and roll up

I couldn’t roll and photo so just picture me trying to form a perfect phyllo roll for you with 2 hands, wishing I had at least 4 or 5…You can see mine has torn along the top and the edges are a hot mess…

No worries, butter is your best friend! Use melted butter to glue any stray pieces or torn dough

Repeat the process again, making another dough log with remaining chicken and veggies. You should have 1/2 cup of sauce leftover.* Wrap tightly and refrigerate baklava until baking time

When ready to bake, brush dough with beaten egg for a shiny, golden crust

Bake for 15 minutes and then add asparagus spears to the pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and top with lemon slices

Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Asparagus should be crisp tender and chicken pastry will be hot, crisp and golden

Cut logs into 1/2s or 1/3s. I cut these in 1/2 to serve 4, but this is all we were having. If you are serving appetizers, and other side dishes, you could cut these into thirds for smaller portions

Top the rolls with a drizzle of heated sauce and caramelized almonds

With asparagus along side

Chicken Baklava with Honey Mustard Gravy

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Greek

Keyword chicken and mushrooms, Chicken Baklava, Chicken in pastry, honey mustard gravy

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 cup sliced almonds
2-3 boneless chicken breasts cut into fat strips or 7-8 chicken tenders
4 oz. sliced mushrooms diced
1/2 onion diced
12 slices filo or phyllo dough
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs or panko
olive oil spray or melted butter
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
6 T butter divided
1/2 cup honey mustard
1 cup cream or 1/2 and 1/2
1 egg beaten
30 asparagus spears optional
1 lemon sliced

Instructions

Melt 1 T butter in heavy skillet with 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add almonds and brown sugar and salt. Cook and stir until almonds caramelize and start to brown. Watch carefully, they burn quickly. Remove with slotted spoon and let cool on a sheet of wax paper.
Add chicken to same skillet and cook on one side for 3-4 minutes until golden. Turn and repeat on other side. Remove to safe cutting surface and shred/chop. Season with salt and pepper.
In same skillet cook onions and mushrooms, add more oil if necessary, until brown and soft. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon.
Add 2 T butter to skillet with mustard and cream. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes, scraping browned bits up from bottom of pan, until you have a thick sauce. Set aside.
Carefully unroll filo dough into a stack and cover with a damp towel. Remove 2 sheets of dough for bottom layer. Brush top of top sheet with butter or spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with a scant layer of bread crumbs and Parmesan. Repeat process, one sheet at a time, 3 more times. On the last and top layer, making a total of 6 layers, brush butter around edges only.
Place 1/2 of chopped chicken on bottom 1/3 of dough stack across the short end of dough. Top with 1/2 mushroom onion mixture. Drizzle liberally with sauce and sprinkle with almonds. Melt remaining butter. Tuck ends in and carefully roll into a log. Don’t worry if dough tears. Use melted butter to make repairs and hold dough together. Place log onto a greased baking sheet and brush liberally with butter. Cover with saran. Repeat the process to make another log with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate logs, well covered, until baking time.
Just before baking, brush logs with beaten egg. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Add asparagus during last 15 minutes to roast if desired.
Cut logs into halves or thirds to serve 4-6. Top with more almonds and pour heated sauce over top. Serve with asparagus spears and lemon slices.

Notes

*if you want to make more “gravy” use the proportions of 1 Tablespoon butter, 1/4 cup honey mustard, 1/2 cup cream. Melt butter in skillet and stir in mustard and cream until thickened.