Chicken and Spinach in Puff Pastry

Chicken and Spinach in Puff Pastry – a perfect appetizer or dinner!  Your family will love these puffs stuffed with chicken, spinach, and Parmesan!  An easy meal made with just 6 ingredients!

Chicken and spinach go so well together. Just take a look at this Hasselback chicken with Spinach, Bacon, and Cream Cheese.  And, if you wrap the chicken and spinach into a flaky puff pastry and add Parmesan cheese – you get cute chicken puffs that you see on the photos.

This chicken puff pastry is so ridiculously easy to make.  You don’t even have to make your own puff pastry.  Just buy it at the store.  You can use skinless boneless chicken breast, tenderloins, or chicken thighs.  Or, use leftover cooked chicken, shredded chicken, or rotisserie chicken.  This simple recipe is totally flexible on what kind of chicken you can use.  Just throw in whatever you have in your fridge!

The flavors are amazing.  The chicken is seasoned with paprika.  Then, it’s mixed with spinach and shredded Parmesan cheese.  Flaky puff pastry wrapped around the chicken is so delicious!  These chicken puffs are a great party food.  Or, make them for dinner.  Your family will fall in love with these!

Chicken Puff Pastry

• 6 ingredients.  Here is what you need to make chicken puffs: olive oil, chicken, paprika, spinach, Parmesan cheese, puff pastry sheets.  That’s it! Comfort food made with only 6 ingredients!
• 30 minutes of prep.  Make the simple chicken and spinach filling and assemble the puff pastry pockets in 30 minutes!  Then, bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes.
• Party food.  Want to make something easy that looks great to impress your friends?  This chicken puff pastry is a great choice for parties, picnics, or potlucks.
• Perfect for leftover cooked chicken.  This is a perfect recipe to use up any chopped cooked chicken that you already have in your fridge.   You can also use shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken.
• Make ahead meal.  Chicken puff pastry can be made ahead and refrigerated.  You can also freeze these.

How to thaw frozen puff pastry

Puff pastry is usually kept frozen.  Here is how to quickly defrost frozen puff pastry:

1. Remove frozen puff pastry from the freezer.
2. Separate puff pastry sheets from one another.
3. Place each puff pastry sheet on a separate plate.
4. Allow the puff pastry to thaw.  It should take about 30 minutes.

Variations and Substitutions

• Don’t have spinach?  Use other greens, such as kale or Swiss chard.
• Use either uncooked or cooked chicken.  You can use skinless boneless chicken breast, tenderloins, or chicken thighs.  Or, use leftover cooked chicken, shredded chicken, or rotisserie chicken.
• Use any type of cheese.  Cheddar, Feta, Parmesan, Goat cheese, Swiss cheese, or Mozzarella.
• Spices.  Use paprika, chili powder, or Italian seasoning.

Cooking tips

• Do not overfill the puff pastry rectangles with the filling.  Make sure there is enough space around the edges for you to seal the puff pastry pockets.
• Do not overstretch the puff pastry.  This will result in holes and the filling with leak out of the puff pastry pockets.
• Make ahead tip. Make the chicken and spinach filling ahead of time and then assemble chicken puffs right before you’re ready to bake and serve!

How to store and reheat chicken puff pastry

• Refrigerate for up to 5 days.  Store chicken puff pastry refrigerated in a covered air-tight container.
• Freeze in air-tight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags for up to 2 months.
• Reheat in the microwave oven for 30 seconds. 
• Reheat in the preheated oven at 350 F for 15 minutes.  The texture is better if you reheat in the regular oven vs. in the microwave oven.
• If reheating after having frozen chicken puff pastry, bake in the preheated oven at 375 F for 35 minutes or a bit longer, without thawing.

Side dishes

Below are side dishes that go well with chicken puff pastry:

• Garlic Green Beans and Bacon
• Roasted Asparagus with Asiago Cheese and Bacon
• Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Basil Pesto
• Strawberry Spinach Salad

How to make an egg wash

• Ingredients for egg wash: 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water.
• To make an egg wash, lightly beat 1 egg in a small bowl with a fork.  Mix thoroughly with 1 teaspoon of water.
• Why make an egg wash?  Egg wash adds shine and golden color to the pastry.  It’s optional to use egg wash.
• Why mix the egg with water?   Mixing the lightly beaten egg with a small amount of water will result in a lighter golden color once applied to the pastry surface.  Using just the egg will result in a darker color.

How to make chicken puff pastry

1) First, make the chicken and spinach filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet, add 1/2 pound of chicken. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Shred the chicken.

2) Add 6 oz spinach to the same skillet.

3) Cook, constantly stirring until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

4) Add 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and combine with the chicken and spinach.

5) Next, assemble chicken puff pastry. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut each puff pastry sheet into 4 rectangles.  Place rectangles on the parchment paper lined sheet.

6) Place chicken and spinach filling on one half of each rectangle.  Make sure to not overfill. You might have leftover filling.

7) Fold the other half of each rectangle over the filling to close.  Pinch the edges to seal.  You can quickly dip your fingers in a glass of water to help seal the edges.

8) Brush with egg wash (OPTIONAL).

9) Bake for 20 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown.

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