Poulet En Croûte Recipe

Prepare chicken

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal pocket through the thickest side of each breast without cutting through the other side (butterfly and deepen to make a pocket). Season both inside and outside of each breast with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper.

Sauté spinach mixture

Heat 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced shallot and cook 1–2 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chopped spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted (about 2–3 minutes). Season with remaining 0.5 tsp salt, 0.25 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp chopped thyme. Remove skillet from heat and let mixture cool 5 minutes.

Make filling

In a bowl combine the cooled spinach mixture with 3 tbs softened cream cheese, 1 tbs Dijon mustard and 1 cup grated gruyère. Stir until evenly combined.

Assemble chicken

Place 2 slices of prosciutto on a work surface for each breast. Spoon about 2–3 tbs of the spinach-gruyère filling into the pocket of each breast and spread evenly. Wrap the prosciutto slices around each breast to cover the filling and hold it in place. Repeat for all breasts.

Roll the pastry

Lightly dust your work surface with 2 tbs flour. Unfold or roll the puff pastry sheet to smooth any seams to roughly a 12x14 inch rectangle. Cut into 4 equal rectangles large enough to fully enclose each prosciutto-wrapped breast (about 6x4 in each).

Wrap in pastry

Place one prosciutto-wrapped breast on the center of a pastry rectangle. Brush the pastry edges with a light layer of beaten egg (mix egg with 1 tsp milk). Fold pastry up and around the chicken, sealing edges and tucking ends underneath. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining breasts.

Egg wash and score

Brush each pastry-wrapped breast with the remaining egg wash. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the top of each pastry (do not cut through) in a decorative pattern and prick a small steam hole to prevent bursting.

Bake

Bake in the preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 25–30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and internal temperature of the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) measured at the thickest part. If pastry browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

Rest and serve

Remove from oven and let rest 5–7 minutes so juices redistribute. Slice each poulet en croûte on the bias or serve whole. Optionally garnish with extra thyme leaves and serve with a light salad or pan jus.