Chicken and Mushroom Vol Au Vent is the perfect comfort food. Originating from France, Vol Au Vent is a hollow puff pastry shell which can be filled with all kinds of sweet and savoury combinations. Today, I am using a creamy chicken and mushroom filling that is seasoned with tarragon and Italian herbs.
What Is A Vol Au Vent
Vol au vent is a French word which literally means 'flight in the wind' that describes the lightness of this dish.
It is a small hollow case of puff pastry made by stacking circles of puff pastry on top of each other with the top ones having a hole in it. These layers are then baked so that they rise up to make a shell which can be later filled.
These pastries are usually savoury but can be made sweet too.
Also who else agrees everything tastes amazing when paired with puff pastry?
This appetizer is a party pleaser for sure! It looks fancy, it looks sophisticated and it looks like you have put in a lot of effort. But you'll be surprised once you get the hang of it, it's so easy to put together.
Puff pastry is definitely one of my favourite things to use for appetizers. It is always fun to play with different combinations. And once you have nailed these puff pastry cases, your filling possibilities are endless.
You might also like my Pakistani Chicken Patties which are mini square-shaped chicken pies topped with sesame seeds.
Freezing Instructions
- You can freeze the uncooked base of the vol au vent in an airtight container or ziplock bag. When required, allow to thaw on the countertop and bake according to the instructions in the recipe below.
- You can also freeze baked vol au vent cases in an airtight container. To use, take them out, warm in the oven and fill as needed.
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Chicken And Mushroom Vol Au Vent
A hollow puff pastry shell filled with a creamy mushroom and chicken filling. This vol au vent is is the perfect appetizer!
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Servings: vol au vent
Ingredients
FILLING
- 100 g chicken boneless cut in small cubes
- 200 g white mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cooking cream
PASTRY SHELLS
- puff pastry sheets
- egg wash 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoon milk
- 2 round cutters one slightly smaller than the other
Instructions
- Cook the chicken first with a pinch of salt and white pepper. Remove from pan and keep aside.
- Then in the same pan add the olive oil and butter. Saute the garlic and onion till no longer raw.
- Then add the mushrooms and fry till golden.
- Add the cooked chicken and all the spices. Stir.
- Pour in cooking cream and sprinkle the flour on top. Keep mixing as the cream will start to thicken.
- Turn off heat and keep aside to cool.
- Take a frozen puff pastry sheet (don't thaw it) and cut rounds out of it. I used a cutter with 5 cm/2 inches diameter. On a baking tray lined with parchment paper place these rounds with distance between them. This is the base of the vol au vent shells.
- Then cut some more rounds of the same size and by using a slightly smaller cutter (mine was of 3.5cm/1.25 inches diameter) cut out the inner portion so you are left with an outer ring. If you have 10 bases you need 20 outer rings. 2 outer rings for each puff pastry base.
- Brush the bottom base with egg wash, place one outer ring on the edges. Prick the middle of the base 2-3 times to prevent that area from puffing up. Then brush some egg wash, place the second ring. Give a final brush of egg wash and repeat for all rounds.
- Refrigerate these pastries for 15 mins.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for 15-20 mins until golden and puffy.
- Take out and spoon some of the chicken and mushroom filling inside.
- Garnish with chives and serve.
Notes
- Work quickly with a frozen puff pastry otherwise the shells will not rise evenly. If they come out lopsided push back with your hands.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and a review in the comments. You can also tag @chilitochoc on Instagram. I love hearing your feedback!
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Kathy Mccaskill says
What a great recipe I would love to see a video on that!!
Kamy