Creamy Chicken Vol au Vent
Serves about 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg. puff pastry shells (Pepperidge farms 6 pack)
3-4 chicken beasts cut into bite size pieces
¾ c. ginger ale
1 c. chicken broth
1 ½ tsp. dried tarragon (scant)
½ c. very finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ c. whipping cream
1/3 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cornstarch
INSTRUCTIONS:
For Sauce:
1-Cook the chicken pieces in ½ of the olive oil in a saute’ pan on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. (don’t overdue the seasoning). Set aside.
2-Wipe the frying pan clean with a paper towel. Add remaining oil and onion to the pan. Cook for 2 min stirring often… do not burn or even brown.
3-Add the ginger ale, chicken broth and tarragon. Bring to a boil, lower temperature, then simmer uncovered for 3 min.
4-Add the whipping cream. Stir and simmer for about 1-2 minutes longer until the sauce begins to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5-Combine cornstarch with about 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir until it dissolves. Whisk in a little of this to the sauce and allow to cook for a minute to thicken, add the rest if necessary to get the desired thickness. You are looking for a smooth alfredo type consistency.
6-Return cooked chicken to sauce in the pan along with the pepper. Stir well, serve warm over cooked pastry shells.
Pastry:
7-Cook pastry shells according to package direction. Remove centers then ladle sauce over the top filling the center spilling over onto the plate.
NOTES:
-This is my “company is coming” recipe. It looks beautiful, is unique, and always gets lots of compliments. I like to serve it with spicy mushroom rice, a blend of steamed green beans and carrots and strawberry pecan salad.
-If the sauce is still not thick enough after following directions, just add more of the cornstarch and water mixture until you get the desired thickness. Remember, it must boil for a couple minutes after adding cornstarch mixture for the cornstarch to begin to thicken the sauce.
-My favorite thing about this recipe is that the sauce can be made a day or two ahead of time and brought back to temperature in a saucepan or crockpot as can the spicy mushroom rice. (Our family considers these two recipes to be inseparable.)
-This recipe is also in my feeding a crowd section (servings for 22 people). With crockpot instructions.