Chicken and Cheese Pockets

This is a Brazilian inspired recipe, where creamy cheese and shredded chicken are wrapped inside a puff pastry dough like little pocket pie.

My family Thanksgiving dinner is not very traditional, yes, we have turkey, yams, pumpkin pie, ham and all the other dishes that you normally see on a Thanksgiving meal, but we also have lots of fusion dishes as we all bring one of our favorite dishes to share. It is a real feast…

This year I decided to make these little pockets, they are simple and very easy to make. I filled the puff pastry with a creamy chicken filling with celery, carrot and cheese. It can be serve at room temperature or warm, as I prefer them warm.

These pockets are perfect when entertaining since they come in little bites and can be made ahead. Again, you can always use your favorite filling…how about some leftover turkey?

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded, or leftover from a roasted chicken
3 celery stalks, cut into small cubes
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 cup milk
4 to 5 Laughin Cow cheese wedges, which can be substituted by cream cheese
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

2 boxes of puff pastry sheet
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Method:

Chicken Filling

Boil the small cubes of carrot, just enough to soften a little, drain well and set aside.

Sautee the onion in the butter and olive oil, add the shredded chicken, celery and milk. Let if cook for a few minutes and add the cheese wedges, mixing gently until all the cheese are melted into a thick sauce.

Add salt, pepper, carrot and let it cook for another minute. Add the parsley and stir so the parsley is well mixed into the chicken filling.

Remove from the heat and set aside to let it cool.

Assembly

Thaw the puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare the cookie sheet by greasing or use a silicone mat.
Cut the puff pastry sheet into small squares of approximately 3 x 3 inches.

Spoon approximately 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon of the chicken filling in the middle of the square and gather all the four corners of the square and bring them up to the center. Pinch the dough together to secure the filling inside of the pockets.

Transfer the pockets to the baking sheet and brush each square with the egg yolk wash.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, turning the baking sheet once to make sure that the pockets are evenly golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes approximately 36 pockets.

Make ahead Tips

The chicken filling can be made ahead. Once cooled store in a covered container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Remove the filling from the refrigerator approximately one hour before filling the pastry pockets.

Another option is to have the chicken pockets completely assembled and frozen, unbaked. Once the unbaked chicken pockets are frozen transfer them to a freezer container. The frozen chicken pockets can be baked by placing them directly to a preheated oven. Make sure to bake a little longer.