Name: Chicken Wellington
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 4 3-4 oz chicken breasts; 2 tbsp olive oil; 8 oz mushrooms - roughly chopped; 1 small onion; 2 cloves garlic - minced; 1 tsp coriander; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper; 2 puff pastry sheets; 8 slices prosciutto or regular ham; 2 tbsp dijon or course ground mustard; 1 lg egg - beaten; 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter; 1 shallot - finely chopped; 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cherries (pitted if using fresh); 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1 lg orange - zested and juiced; 1 tbsp honey; Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Wellington – A New Classic

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Not The Same Ol’ Wellington

Recently I was binge watching the Food Network (not an uncommon occurrence!), and one of my favorite chefs was making a signature dish. You know the one….a great chef with a British accent who voices his disappointment of certain dishes in very colorful terms. It dawned on me that I have never made that signature dish…as many times as I’ve seen it done, I’ve never given it a try. From there my right brain took over and decided I should try this classic, but with a spin…and who am I to argue with right brain?

Since we eat a lot of chicken, that seemed to be a great place to start. The first step is to lightly sear the chicken on all sides to seal in all those juices. Set the chicken to the side to cool. To the same pan you add those earthy mushrooms, fragrant onions and garlic, and the rest of the spices and cook until the onions are tender. Put this to side to cool also (you don’t want to put anything hot on the pastry).

On a floured surface you roll out both puff pastries so they are slightly bigger than their original size, then cut each one in half, making four pastries. I just use refrigerated puff pastry from the store.

“You don’t have to do everything from scratch. Nobody wants to make puff pastry!” – Ina Garten

Spread that wonderful mushroom mixture on the pastry, making sure you leave about one inch all the way around (so you can seal it later).

Lay the thinly sliced ham or prosciutto over the mushroom mixture. This adds another layer of flavor to the Wellington and it helps seal the juices in the chicken. Is your mouth watering yet?

Brush (or slather if you prefer) the mustard all over the chicken breasts, then lay each breast on its own pastry bed. Wrap the pastry around the chicken, making sure it is completely covered. Brush some of the egg on the edges of the pastry to help seal them. Place the pastries, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet.

Put one or two scores in the top of the pastry to vent, then brush the remainder of the egg over the pastries. This will give them that beautiful, golden brown color! Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While you are baking the Wellies, you can make this quick Cherry Orange Sauce to go on top. You will even use the same skillet you cooked the chicken and the mushrooms in! How great is that?

Melt butter in your skillet and cook the shallot for about 30 seconds. Add the cherries, broth, orange juice, zest, and honey and simmer for about 10 minutes until it is reduced. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter and salt and pepper to taste. Easy peasy!

You will love this recipe! I hope you give it a try. Please share it above on your social media. And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss a single spicy moment!

See ya soon!

Michele