Recipe: Creamed Chicken

Mike doesn’t care for chicken pot pie, but I have discovered he enjoys the deliciousness of puff pastry shells. As a result, I’ve been on a quest to come up with a great creamed chicken recipe. We’ve tried a few different ones and most of them have been ok, but rather bland. Last night I tried again and Mike declared this version a home run!

I took a basic creamed chicken recipe and ad-libbed the rest of the ingredients. We’ve also found that creamed chicken in general doesn’t reheat very well, so this makes enough for two adult servings. Double it if you’re feeding more people.

Creamed Chicken over Puff Pastry

2 medium chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
3-4 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells (in freezer section)
2 TBSP butter
1/6 cup flour (fill a 1/3 cup measuring cup half full)
1 cup sodium-free chicken broth, divided
3/4 cup milk (any kind will do; will need a cornstarch slurry if you use skim)
1 tsp crushed garlic (we use Trader Joes in the jar)
1 tsp onion power
1 TBSP dried parsley
1-2 TBSP finely chopped pimiento
Mild cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees then insert puff pastry shells
2. Put chicken in a skillet with 1/4 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup water. Heat on medium until it’s cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.
3. While chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion powder. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add flour to the butter mixture, whisking constantly to combine.
5. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, until the flour/butter mixture is smoothly incorporated and not lumpy.
6. Slowly whisk in milk.
7. Add parsley and a few dashes of salt and pepper, slowly bring mixture to a boil.
8. Continue to boil, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes. If it is thin, whisk in a cornstarch slurry. Then reduce heat.
9. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and add to sauce. Also add in pimientos.
10. Let mixture simmer for 1-2 minutes while you get pastry shells ready – put them on plates and split them open.
11. Top each shell with chicken/sauce mixture and then top with mild cheddar cheese.
12. Serve and enjoy!

This is a very easy recipe and can be on the table in under 30 minutes. (I cooked the chicken and made the sauce while the puff pastry was baking). It is not a fix it and forget it recipe though – the sauce requires constant attention so it doesn’t burn. Husbands make great stirrers though :) Mike often will take over the last couple minutes of stirring so I can get the rest of dinner ready. We typically serve this with peas or salad.

P.S. – Not sure what a cornstarch slurry is? It’s an easy way to thicken almost any sauce. I combine 1 TBSP cornstarch and 1 TBSP water in a small ramekin, then stir with a fork until it’s smooth. Next, whisk it into your sauce and give it a minute or two to thicken.