Gruyère Chicken en Croûte

"En croûte" describes a food that is wrapped in pastry and baked. Here roasted red peppers and fresh spinach are elegantly wrapped in phyllo.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves (7 cups/1.75 L)
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) butter
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
  • 1/4 tsp (1 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1   garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 jar (12 oz/370 mL) roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 oz/175 g) grated Gruyère cheese, divided
  • 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) diced roasted chicken
  • 24 sheets (9 x 14 inches/ 23-25 cm) thawed, frozen phyllo dough
  •  Nonstick cooking spray
  •  Dijon Cream Sauce (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Slice spinach using Santoku Knife. Cut onion lengthwise into quarters without cutting through root end. Slice onion using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with v-shaped blade. Melt butter in (4-qt.) Casserole over medium-high heat. Add onion, salt, black pepper and garlic pressed with Garlic Press. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add spinach and cook 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Drain spinach mixture using small Stainless Mesh Colander; squeeze dry using paper towels and set aside.

  2. Dice roasted peppers using Santoku Knife. Grate 1 cup of the cheese using Rotary Grater. Combine roasted peppers, cheese and chicken in Stainless (2-qt.) Mixing Bowl; stir together and set aside.

  3. Unfold one sheet of phyllo onto Large Grooved Cutting Board. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Using Microplane® Adjustable Fine Grater, grate about 1 tablespoon of the remaining cheese over phyllo. Repeat two more times to create a stack of three sheets phyllo, ending with cheese. Place 1 tablespoon of the spinach mixture onto phyllo 2 inches from short end. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture over spinach. Fold sides of phyllo in toward center; gently roll up. Place onto Rectangle Stone, seam side down. Repeat with remaining phyllo, spinach mixture and chicken mixture for a total of eight bundles.

  4. Spray outside of each bundle with nonstick cooking spray. Finely grate remaining cheese over each bundle. Bake 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut bundles in half diagonally using Bread Knife. Serve with Dijon Cream Sauce, if desired.

Yield:

  • 8  servings

Nutrients per serving:

U.S. Nutrients per serving: Calories 310, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Carbohydrate 26 g, Protein 22 g, Sodium 500 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook's Tips:

Dijon Cream Sauce:  In (4-qt.) Casserole, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 garlic clove, pressed with Garlic Press, over medium heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; stir until smooth. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture has a nutty aroma (do not allow mixture to brown). Add 1 cup milk all at once; whisk constantly using Silicone Sauce Whisk until mixture comes to a boil and is slightly thickened. Remove from heat; whisk in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.  Serve immediately.

Nutrients per serving (2 tablespoons):  Calories 35, Total Fat 2 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbohydrate 3 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 150 mg, Fiber 0 g

Gruyère cheese is a Swiss cheese with a sweet, nutty flavor. It can be found in the gourmet cheese section of most supermarkets. If desired, regular Swiss cheese can be substituted for the Gruyère cheese.

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