This is a great recipe for
entertaining, since
it looks a lot more complicated than it is. Make small
parcels for a starter, larger ones as a main.
Ingredients (for 4 people, as a starter):
- 1 packet store bought puff pastry (don't make your own! What are you, mad?)
- 1 full chicken breast fillet, boned and cleaned
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- Butter, melted
- 1 egg.
Cut the chicken breasts into small strips about 3cm long and 1cm thick. Season and leave to stand in the fridge. You might want to squeeze a lime over it as well - coriander and lime is a classic combimnation, and for good reason. For an even more pronounced Thai flavour, add chopped green chillies to taste, in which case you want to marinade the chicken strips for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to medium heat - about C160/Gas 5.
Chop the coriander finely.
On a clean floured surface, roll out the pastry - it should be about 3mm thick and even - and cut into four 10cm by 20cm quadrangles.
Assemble the parcels:
- Spread a little bit of butter on each pastry square.
- Distribute the chicken strips evenly between the pastry squares, placing them all in a little heap on one side, leaving about 1cm margin for closing.
- Place an extra nugget of butter and a generous pinch of coriander on top of the chicken.
Beat the egg and use some of it to "glue" the pastry together as you fold the square in half like a book.
Use the rest of the egg to generously coat the outside of the parcels for a shiny glaze and trim off any uneven edges your pastry parcels still have with a sharp knife.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.