We had this delectable Chicken Wellington last weekend and I even warmed up the leftovers the next day for lunch and everyone knows I don't do leftovers!! The breadcrumbs for the stuffing came from some leftover country loaf from Georgetown Bakery, the cranberries were picked on the bogs near Newtown, Bonavista Bay and the fresh herbs came from my back garden. I did serve it with a pretty rich chicken gravy which I think makes the dish.
This one is a great for dinner parties because itcan be made well ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready to pop into a hot oven for about 45 minutes; gets you out of the kitchen and spending more time with your guests.
Serves 4
Country Cranberry Pecan Stuffing
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 small red onion, minced
6 cups breadcrumbs (crusty French or Italian or any good rustic artisan type bread)
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to season
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
¼ cup melted butter
1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock
Sauté garlic and minced onion in olive oil and add to remaining ingredients. Toss together well and use as a stuffing for chicken, turkey or a loin roast of pork.
You can also cook it in a covered casserole at 300 degrees F for about ½ hour.
To assemble the Chicken Wellington:
One pkg (1 pound, 2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to season
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cut the puff pastry sheets in half . On each half sheet, place a handful of the stuffing (about a half cup) in the center of the pastry sheet and place a chicken breast on top of the stuffing.
Brush all the edges of the pastry with an egg wash of 1 egg whisked together with 2 tbsp cold water. Bring both sides of the pastry up to the top of the chicken breast and pinch the other two ends together to seal the pastry. Flip the pastry wrapped chicken breast onto a parchment lined baking sheet so that the seams are on the bottom. At this point you can cut leaf shapes out of scraps of puff pastry and place on top of each serving for decoration if you like. Chill in the fridge for a half hour.
Brush the egg wash over the tops of the pastries and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes until the pastries are a medium golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 180 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with your favorite chicken gravy.
+ comments + 6 comments
I'm assuming that the stuffing isn't cooked prior to using it for the Wellington? Recipe didn't make that totally clear, at least not to me. Sounds really good though, something a little different
You assume correctly, Scott. There is no need to cook the stuffing beforehand, it steams quite nicely in the pastry. Folks liked this one at a recent dinner party...I did serve it with fantastic gravy though! ;)
Not sharing the gravy recipe, Barry? Shame shame. :)
Thanks for the info.
HAHA!No secrets there, Scott. I'm a turkey gravy purist. I add the turkey stock made from the last turkey we cooked to the freshly roasted bird's pan drippings, reduce it down by at least half and thicken with a flour slurry. Season to taste. Totally uncomplicated, totally intense flavour. I'm rarely led to fuss up a good turkey gravy. Simple is just better here. Perect for those Turkey Dressing and Gravy Paninis I have to have every time with the leftovers now. Now they are addictive! Gotta have that Georgetown Bakery Bread though! LOL!
This is truly picture-perfect. Looks brilliant!
I've made this twice recently. Everyone loved it!