CHICKEN TURNOVERS

Hi All! It's me again and boy, do I have a treat for you. This is a true experimental dish in every sense of the word because there really isn't a recipe (per se) that goes with it. I just thought about what would taste good in a meat turnover and decided to throw it in.

I got the idea for this dish from my friend and co-worker Kudzi. (Thanks again Kudzi!) For weeks, she has been telling me about meat pies that they make back home in South Africa where she's originally from. The meat pies consist of beef or chicken, potatoes and other vegetables in a creamy sauce baked inside of a pastry. I think here in the U.S., a pot pie would be very similar; however, I think that most meat pies are intended to be individual, sort of handheld deals like a calzone or empanada. For the sake of this post, I'm not going to refer to my dish as a "meat pie." It may not meet the characteristics of a true South African meat pie and I sure wouldn't want to offend anyone by trying to pass mine off as one. For that reason, I'm calling my dish a Chicken Turnover.

Before I go into details about this dish, let me say that it is truly one of the best things I've ever eaten but I am POOPED, seriously!  I am literally exhausted from making these turnovers. And don't even ask how bad my kitchen looks. There is flour everywhere and I've probably got about 50 dirty dishes to wash. (I haven't quite mastered the technique of cooking without making a mess but as long as the finished product comes out tasty, don't worry about the dishes. I'll take care of those:-) Besides, I'm hoping that when my friend Kudzi reads this post, she can give me some ideas on how to make this process a little easier.

I have to admit that this is my first time working with puff pastry sheets. It's a lot like working with crescent roll dough, which I use religiously, but I think that for this particular dish, the puff pastry sheets were the better choice. Each sheet is actually mulitple layers of dough with butter folded into the layers.  As it bakes, moisture in between the layers evaporates into steam which causes it to puff up.  I think this is one of those items that I'll have to keep on hand because the wheels in my head are already turning as I'm contemplating all of the other wonderful dishes that I can make using these puff pastry sheets.

Special Notes: In my list of ingredients, I left off the olive oil, which I used to make the roux for my filling.  (I tried to make it using the butter as the base but I kept coming up with a gummy paste so I started out with the olive oil as the base instead and once the roux started simmering, I added butter for flavor.)  Also, below in the directions for the pastry sheets, I mention pricking holes in the center with a fork.  This is done to prevent excessive puffing; however, if you would prefer to have "puffier" turnovers, you can always skip this step. 

**Additional note:  One thing I forgot to mention is that while the turnovers were baking, I noticed that there was some oil underneath each of the turnovers.  Of course, after they had cooled down some, the oil was absorbed back into the pastry and the bottoms were still brown and crisp.  (My assumption is that this was caused by the butter from the pastry and the butter and oil from the filling seeping through the tiny holes in the pastry.)  My friend Kudzi suggested that instead of pricking holes in the pastry with the fork, I should just cut a slit across the top of the turnover like we do with pies.  This will help to release pressure and prevent over puffing.  I think this is a great idea and next time, I will follow her suggestion. 

Final Thoughts: Make sure that you're well rested because this is a somewhat time consuming dish but I assure you that when you and your family or your guests bite into this turnover, it will be well worth the effort.  In my opinion, this is much better than any frozen pot pie I've ever had.  (Sorry Swansons^®!) 


Ingredients:
One large boneless chicken breast
2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup mixed vegetables
1/2 cup mushrooms
Salt, Pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with water for egg wash

Directions for Filling:
1. Boil chicken breast until cooked and tender. Cut or tear/shred into little pieces.

2. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil or butter.

3. Boil mixed vegetables until tender.

4. In a sauté pan, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil. As the oil heats, sprinkles with flour and immediately began stirring. Stir the mixture constantly until it reaches the desired color then pour in the cream. Reduce the heat and continue stirring as mixture thickens.

5. Add cheese, chicken, vegetables and mushrooms. Simmer for a few minutes longer and then remove from heat.

Directions for Puff Pastry:
1. Unrolled thawed pastry sheet onto lightly floured surface.

2. Roll pastry sheet into perfect square with lightly floured roller.  If edges are uneven, use a metal ruler to cut off excess.

3. Cut sheet into 4 separate mini sheets.

4. Using a pastry brush, brush about 1/2 inch around the edges of each square with egg wash.

5. Prick center of each square several times with a fork.

6. Fill center of each square with chicken mixture, fold over cross-ways to form a triangle and seal edges.

 7. Brush top with egg wash and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.