I want to tell you why I came up with the idea for Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs. You would think that a girl who specializes in pastry arts would be totally focussed on creating a dessert. To be honest, I played with the idea of making pistachio brittle. That particular confectionery is gorgeous to look at, delicious and used frequently as a garnish for desserts either as a wafer-thin shard or crushed as praline. I am quite sure that I have made several hundred pounds of pistachio brittle over the years.
Pistachios are often used in both the sweet and savoury kitchen. When I think back to the wonderful dishes we made at my workplace that included pistachios as an ingredient, it occurs to me that they were typically very special dishes reserved for VIP events.
It is little wonder – they are expensive little nuts. Perhaps one of the reasons why they are ‘trop cher’ (too expensive for everyday use) is that it takes so many years (8 to 10 years) before the medium-sized deciduous tree produces its first major crop. (That reminds me of the cork trees in Portugal where the bark is harvested every nine years – an interesting fact.) So that aside, the uniquely similar properties of the pistachio nut is what inspired me to make a special appetizer dish that would feature them at their finest. A savoury bite like Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs seems apropos to this very pretty and tasty nut.
Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs cut on a diagonal
Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs
CHEF TALK: In this savoury recipe for Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs, I use toasted, salted pistachios, for the simple reason that they are more readily available. There are two options for baking these appetizers: the first is pre-cutting and baking; the second is baking the entire pastry log and cutting afterwards.
Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs
INGREDIENTS:
For the Filling:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup diced (1/4″) roasted red pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
- 2 oz. plain cream cheese, softened
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 1 egg white (NOTE: egg yolk will be used for brushing the top of the pastry)
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For the Pastry Assembly:
- 1 package all-butter puff pastry – two sheets per package (thawed overnight in the refrigerator)
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, for brushing on the pastry
__________ - Egg Wash: One egg yolk (leftover from egg above) mixed well with 1 tablespoon of water or milk). Set aside
- 2 – 4 Tablespoons chopped Pistachio for garnish
METHOD:
Method for the Filling:
- Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil.
- Add the minced shallot and stir until translucent.
- Add the ground chicken and cook thoroughly, breaking the chicken up as it cooks into small pieces.
- Once the chicken is cooked, add the Dijon mustard to the pan and stir for a minute or so.
- Remove from the heat and add the salt, pepper, lemon zest, and roasted red pepper. Let the mixture cool slightly.
- Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise and egg white. Mix thoroughly. (these ingredients are used to bind the mixture together)
- Stir in the chopped pistachios. Refrigerate the filling until needed.
Method for Assembly of the Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Take the puff pastry out of the refrigerator. The pastry should be cool and pliable when you are rolling it out. If it is too cold, leave it on the counter for a few minutes, but not too long.
- On a lightly floured work surface, place one of the sheets of puff pastry and sprinkle a little more flour on top. (Leave the other sheet of puff pastry in the refrigerator until you need it.)
- With a floured rolling pin, roll out one sheet of the puff pastry to 4 mm thickness, forming a rectangle. You are rolling out to flatten it but not too thinly. CHEF TIP: The puff pastry sheets I buy are 10″ x 10″ when unpackaged. I roll them out slightly to a 12″ x 10″ rectangle.
- With a pizza cutter or knife, cut the rectangle into three lengthwise strips. (the strips will be approximately 12″ x 3 1/2″ each)
- With a pastry brush, apply a thin coat of Dijon mustard down the center of each strip.
- Place 1/3 cup of the filling on top of the mustard along the length of the pastry strip (about an inch in diameter).
- Brush one lengthwise edge with egg wash. Roll the entire length of the unbrushed edge of the pastry strip over the filling onto itself to the other side of the egg washed pastry to form a long log. Roll so that seam is sealed together. The seam should now be on the bottom.
- Place the prepared roll on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator while you roll out the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Repeat steps 3 – 7 with the second sheet of puff pastry. Refrigerate both of the logs to firm up the pastry.
- When you are ready to bake the appetizers, remove the pastry logs from the refrigerator.
- Brush the logs with egg wash and sprinkle some of the chopped pistachios on top of the pastry.
- With a sharp knife, cut the log into smaller pieces, approximately 1 1/2 inches in length.
- Place the cut pieces back on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden in colour, approximately 15 – 20 minutes. Enjoy the appetizers hot or at room temperature.
Assembly of the Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs
Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs filled and rolled into cylinders ready to be baked
Cutting the Pistachio Chicken Pastries on a diagonal for a different effect
Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs
NOTE: I had one nut-free guest when I was making these appetizers, so this needed special and careful attention. If this happens to you, this is how you go about it:
Ensure there are no nuts anywhere near your work surface. Prepare the filling up to Step 7 in the Method. Cover and refrigerate separately until required. Assemble using one of the long puff pastry strips by following the Assembly Method below up until Step 10. Chill until the pastry firms up. Brush the pastry with fresh egg wash, and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Cut into 1 1/2″ pieces and bake as directed below. Keep the nut-free pastry separate from the rest of the pastry puffs. (I prepare and bake this tray first). Once they are cool, place on a separate presentation dish and cover with plastic wrap and label them nut-free. Then, add the 1/4 cup chopped pistachios to the remainder of the filling and proceed following the directions below for the rest of the pastries.
STORAGE:
Baked Pastries: The pastries are best eaten the day that they are baked. The baked pastries freeze well and just need a reheat from frozen state in a 325oF oven.
Unbaked Pastries: Freeze the logs without cutting them into pieces. Omit the egg wash and pistachio garnish. Freeze them in a sealed bag or container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake them, brush the frozen pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Cut into 1 1/2 – 2″ pieces. Bake the pastries until golden.
VARIATION:
DIAGONAL CUTS: There is another baking option to try: bake the entire pastry log (after brushing with egg wash and sprinkling with pistachios) without cutting. It still takes the same amount of time to bake (15 – 20 minutes) or until golden brown. Cool the log slightly. Try cutting the pieces on a diagonal and stand the pieces upright on the display platter. It is a really cool effect. This is how I do it: for each 12″ log, cut in half at 6″, then in half again so that the pieces are now 3″ each for two-bite appetizers or 2″ for smaller bites. Now, cut each of the smaller pieces on a diagonal with enough of an angle (see photo below) so that the piece can stand upright on the display platter.
Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs cut on a diagonal | urbnspice.com
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In summary, pistachios are awesome. Did you know that this fine nut offers a bounty of health benefits and goodness: they provide good sources of protein, fats, and minerals; Vitamin E, B Complex vitamins, and antioxidant properties. They are uniquely different and deserve recognition.
I love using pistachios in both the sweet and savoury kitchen. I will save the elusive unsalted pistachio nuts for the very special Individual Milk Chocolate Cheesecakes with a Chocolate Pistachio Crust and a single perfect pistachio garnish. (We actually blanched the pistachios and removed the thin skin so that each pistachio was a vivid green on top of the milk chocolate cheesecake – quite pretty).
Make pistachios part of that ‘special items treasure box’ in your pantry so that you can use them for something remarkable and outstanding – they are that special. Or, simply eat them out of hand – indulge in the slightly sweet, nutty taste of these exceptional nuts.
“Pistachio nuts – they cure any problem”
Paula Danziger
Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:
- Oven Temperature Accuracy
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If you give this recipe for Pistachio Chicken Pastry Puffs a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!
Denise Paré-Watson
The Urbnspice Chef
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I adore puff pastry because it’s so versatile (and buttery, lol). This would make one delicious appetizer to serve on New Year’s. Hubby and I stay in and make something special so this would be perfect! Happy New Year’s!
I love puff pastry too and always try to have some in my freezer for when the mood hits me to make something like this appetizer. We are like you and your husband – our favourite New Year’s memories are because we stayed in – enjoy your New Years together! Thanks so much for your kind comment – I appreciate it very much.
These look like the best little appetizers. Love the photos… they look so inviting. Pistachios are indeed a little expensive, but a little goes a long way and their flavor is so unique. Thanks for sharing Denise. All the best to you in 2018 ♥
You are so right, Maria. Pistachios are indulgent yet a little does indeed go a long way. I keep them in the freezer to have on hand for special dishes like this one. All the best to you as well in 2018! 🙂
YUM YUM YUM!!! I want to eat this right now in front of the fire. Sounds like the perfect cozy evening!
Thanks, Lily! I would love to make this appetizer for you to enjoy in front of a cozy fire. Happy New Year to you and all the best in 2018. Thanks so much for stopping by UrbnSpice 🙂
So, today – I’ve been on a hunt for a recipe to bake on New Year’s Eve with a friend. This looks perfect – it’ll be fun for two people to bake together, and can be shared by everyone we see that night (though…you know, I don’t know how long it’ll last!!)! Thanks! And Happy New Year Denise!
Awe! Thanks, Riz! I am delighted that my little appetizer appealed to you. That means a lot to me. It is quite delicious. Please let me know if you make it. All the best to you in the New Year and thanks so much for your lovely comments.