Chicken Wellington from @Maddie Day #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a festive recipe that's both easy and elegant. 

I wanted to make a nice New Year's Day meal for Hugh and me, but Chicken Wellington works for any birthday or other occasion you want to celebrate. I knew I had puff pastry and boneless chicken breasts in the freezer and started musing on how I could put those together. A quick trip to the market for mushrooms and cream cheese, put together with other staples I always have around, and bingo, party-for-two dinner!

But why is this dish called Wellington? Some sources say it's after the 1st Duke of Wellington, but even before he helped put an end to Napoleon, the French and the the English had a tradition of wrapping beef and mushrooms in a pastry. According to Wikipedia, "There is a mention of "fillet of beef, à la Wellington" in the Los Angeles Times of 1903, and an 1899 reference in a menu from the Hamburg-America line."

Years ago a friend wrapped a big salmon fillet in puff pastry for a dinner party, and I now realize she probably called it Salmon Wellington. Whatever it's called, and whatever kind of protein you wrap, it's a tasty fancy dish that I found easy to make.

This is also a dinner that Tim in my Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries might prepare for a special meal with Mac or that Cece Barton could enjoy, as long as it was made with fish and not chicken.

Chicken Wellington

Ingredients 

1 sheet puff pastry (thawed for about 20 minutes)

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, uncooked (I cut two larger ones in half lengthwise)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic

14 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup white wine.

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper on all sides.

Heat one tablespoon each oil and butter. Saute onions and sliced mushrooms on medium heat until the mushrooms lose their moisture and the onions are tender. 

Add garlic and cook one more minute. Remove vegetables to a plate and stir in 2 tablespoons parsley.

Add one tablespoon each oil and butter to same skillet and increase heat to medium high. Brown the breasts on all sides until almost completely cooked through. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl combine the softened cream cheese with mustard.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to a 14-inch square. Cut into four even 7-inch squares.

Smear one quarter of the cream cheese gently over the middle of one square. Top with about two tablespoons mushroom mixture and top with a chicken breast.

Brush the edges of each pastry square with water.

Wrap pastry around the chicken breast, pressing edges to seal tightly.

Place seam-side down on paper-covered baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

Return rest of mushroom mix to skillet. Add white wine and 1 tablespoon parsley. Adjust seasonings and simmer.

Serve the Wellingtons with mushroom sauce over the top and a green vegetable on the side.

Enjoy!

Readers: What's your favorite festive dinner, either homemade or ordered at a restaurant? I'll send one commenter a copy of Deep Fried Death.

🐔🍾🍄

Deep Fried Death, #12 in the Country Store Mysteries, is out!

Murder Uncorked, Cece Barton Mystery #1, released in late October.

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Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.