Spinach and cheese chicken breasts in puff pastry

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Cook the spinach in the butter until all the water has evaporated. Add the crushed garlic, a pinch of nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sour cream.

   Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, fill it with the spinach mixture, and top with a slice of cheese. Season the breasts with salt.

   

2. Divide each packet of pastry into two pieces, using each piece to wrap one chicken breast. Cut the edges of the pastry into strips as shown in the photo, leaving the center intact to form a solid base for the chicken. Adjust the length of the strips to fit the meat.

   

3. Wrap the chicken breasts in the prepared pastry, joining the strips so the wrapping holds together. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with beaten egg, and bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for approximately 15–20 minutes.

   Cut one breast open at its thickest point: the meat must be steaming, with no pink remaining, and the juices must run clear. If not, cover the breasts with aluminum foil to keep the pastry from burning and continue baking. If using a thermometer, the center of the meat should reach 70 °C (158 °F) for at least 2 minutes or 75 °C (167 °F) for 30 seconds (according to the UK's Food Standards Agency, FSA).

   

4. Serve the cooked puff pastry-wrapped chicken breasts.

   

Tip: Lightly pound thick chicken breasts before cutting the pockets so they cook through more easily during the short baking time. Let the spinach filling cool before stuffing the chicken, as warm filling would make the pastry soggy.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Kuracie prsia so špenátom a syrom v lístkovom ceste