The Pâte brisée parcels with creamy chicken, often internationally known as Puff Pastry Chicken, are a practical and delicious option for a complete main dish. They are small cases of pâte brisée that enclose a filling of tender, flavorful chicken characterized by a creamy but light texture.
The preparation is very easy and allows you to bring to the table a mouthwatering dish in under thirty minutes, optimizing time without sacrificing taste. The contrast between the crisp crust and the soft center makes this recipe suitable both for a quick family dinner and as a tasty appetizer.
These parcels work excellently with different cooking methods: the air fryer ensures quick and even browning, but they can also be successfully baked in a conventional oven. At the end of the page, within the procedure, you will find both cooking options described in detail.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 12 Minutes
- Portions: 3 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 roll pâte brisée (shortcrust pastry)
- 11 oz chicken
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 3 oz provola cheese
- to taste salt
- to taste smoked paprika
- to taste extra virgin olive oil (spray)
- 1 tbsp butter
- to taste parsley
Tools
- Air Fryer
Steps
To begin, heat a spray of extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet and add the chicken cut into strips, seasoning with salt and flavored with smoked paprika. Let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until nicely browned.
Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a bowl and cut it into smaller pieces using kitchen scissors; this step is essential because cooking the chicken in larger strips helps keep it juicy inside, preventing it from drying out as it would if diced before cooking.
To the shredded chicken add the Greek yogurt and mix well until you obtain a very creamy mixture.
Now take the roll of pâte brisée and divide it into six equal parts, first making one horizontal cut and then two vertical cuts. On three of the resulting rectangles distribute the creamy chicken filling and add the grated provola using a coarse grater to ensure a perfectly stringy center. Cover everything with the remaining three pastry rectangles, sealing the edges well with the tines of a fork to avoid any leakage. Make small slits on the surface to help cooking.
Brush the surface with a mixture of egg yolk and a splash of water (this makes it more fluid) to achieve a glossy, golden finish.
Air fryer cooking:
Place the parcels in the basket and cook at 356°F for about 12–15 minutes. Turn them gently halfway through (or during the last minutes) to ensure the base becomes as crispy as the top.
Conventional oven cooking:
If you prefer the oven, preheat to 374°F (static mode) and bake for about 20–25 minutes.
Once out of the oven/air fryer, finish by brushing the surface with a layer of melted butter and a little chopped fresh parsley.
Vale’s Tips
Filling substitutions: If you prefer an alternative to Greek yogurt, you can use cow ricotta or a light spreadable cheese; you’ll achieve the same creaminess while keeping the dish balanced. Provola can be replaced with smoked scamorza for a stronger flavor or with block mozzarella (pizza mozzarella), which releases less liquid during cooking.
Base variations: We used pâte brisée for its crumbly texture, but if you want a more layered and showy result, you can choose rectangular puff pastry instead. In that case, pay attention to cooking: puff pastry tends to brown faster so it’s better to lower the temperature.
Advice for perfect chicken: Don’t skip the step of cutting with scissors after cooking. Cooking the chicken whole or in large strips allows the fibers to retain moisture; reducing it to smaller pieces only after cooking will keep your filling succulent and not dry.
Aromatic customization: Besides paprika, you can enrich the chicken with curry for an exotic touch, or add fresh chives directly into the yogurt mixture for a sharper, more fragrant note.
Storage: The parcels can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 1–2 days. To restore crispness, we recommend reheating them in the air fryer at 320°F for 3–4 minutes; avoid the microwave if you want to maintain the crust’s crunch. It’s possible to freeze them raw (already assembled) and cook them directly from frozen, increasing cooking time by about 5–8 minutes.
Air fryer: To cook the chicken parcels I used the COSORI Turbo Blaze 6-liter air fryer. You can find it here: air fryer.
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