Mushroom stuffed chicken en croute is a great way to add variety to a mundane chicken meal! Made with juicy chicken breasts stuffed with tasty mushroom duxelles and wrapped in golden puff pastry, these mushroom chicken parcels are sure to have everyone asking for seconds! Serve with a tangy mustard sauce for a delicious finishing touch!
In the words of Monty Python - 'and now for something completely different'!
These mushroom-stuffed chicken en croute (if you're posh) or mushroom-stuffed chicken parcels (if you're not) make a delicious meal. They are made with whole chicken breasts which are stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms and shallots, flavoured with thyme and parsley and wrapped in crispy puff pastry.
Once baked, I like to serve slices of this chicken en croute, on a bed of creamy mustard sauce with a side of freshly steamed vegetables. If you want to add extra carbs, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from serving the chicken parcels on a bed of mashed potatoes with the mustard sauce poured over the top.
This is a great way to stretch a couple or three chicken breasts into a meal that will feed the entire family. Unless you have a really healthy appetite, one chicken breast, once stuffed with mushrooms and wrapped in puff pastry, will more than likely be too much for one person to eat.
We are only two people at home, so I make two of them and hubby has the leftovers for lunch the next day (it tastes just as good cold). Unless you use really tiny chicken fillets (like chicken tenderloins) you'll be surprised at how large these chicken parcels turn out.
The mushroom duxelles filling is packed with the earthy flavour of mushrooms. To make it I've sauteed finely chopped mushrooms and onions in butter, and flavoured them with finely chopped parsley and fresh thyme. I've used a similar filling in this mushroom galette.
The sauce is a simple one, made with a roux of butter and flour, flavoured with mushrooms and thickened with cream. I like to spread it on the plate and arrange slices of mushroom-stuffed chicken en croute on top, but it's just as good poured over the top, and adds an extra zing to what would otherwise be plain steamed vegetables.
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Ingredients
I've provided the ingredients for making 2 stuffed chicken breasts. However, you can easily increase the amount to make more. See How to scale up the recipe further down the post for details.
- Chicken breasts - these are skinless, boneless chicken breasts. They should be patted with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Mushrooms - I used white closed-cap mushrooms, but you can use your mushrooms of preference. The mushrooms will be very finely chopped in a food processor with the shallot and herbs. If you don't have a food processor you can chop them all finely with a sharp knife.
- Shallots - I prefer using shallots in this recipe as they have a milder taste than onions.
- Thyme and parsley - these are added to the mushroom filling for extra flavour. I used fresh, but you could use a smaller quantity of dried herbs instead. You will need less because dried herbs tend to have a more concentrated flavour.
- Butter - butter is used to form the base of the sauce and also to soften the mushrooms and onions.
- Wholegrain mustard - used to flavour the sauce. Wholegrain mustard is quite mild so the best substitute would be Dijon mustard. If you use a stronger mustard, such as English mustard, you may need to use less.
- Flour - used to thicken the sauce.
- Double cream - or heavy cream. I used a mixture of double cream and milk (which I forgot to add to the photo).
- Puff pastry - I use shop-bought puff pastry. You may not need the entire roll.
- You will also need salt for seasoning and sesame seeds to sprinkle on top. The sesame seeds are optional.
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Make the mushroom duxelles
Step 1: Cut the mushrooms and shallots coarsely and place them in a food processor. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add them along with the parsley to the food processor.
Step 2: Process in short bursts until everything is finely chopped. You may have to do this in batches.
Step 3: Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms and onions on moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: After 5 minutes you will find the mushrooms have released their moisture and the mixture should have shrunk to about half the original volume. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Set it aside to cool.
Prepare the chicken
The next step is to stuff the chicken with the mushrooms and wrap the breasts in puff pastry.
Step 5: Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Cut as far into the chicken as you can without actually cutting through. Sprinkle the chicken breast lightly with salt.
Step 6: Fill the cavity with the cooled mushroom mixture and fold the chicken up as best you can to enclose the stuffing.
Step 7: Unroll the puff pastry and cut strips about 1.5 inches or 3 cm wide.
Step 8: Wrap the pastry strips around the chicken. Depending on the size of the breasts you may need more than one strip. Place the chicken parcels on a baking tray lined with a silicone liner or baking parchment.
Step 9: Brush the pastry with beaten egg and optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Step 10: Bake in a preheated oven at 190C/375F for 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.
Make the mustard sauce
You can make the sauce while the chicken is in the oven.
Step 11: Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Step 12: Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 13: Stir in the mustard, then add the milk and cream. If you have any leftover mushroom mixture add that too. Bring to the boil, stirring, until the mixture thickens. The sauce should have a consistency similar to that of thick gravy. Season with salt to taste.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your mushroom-stuffed chicken en croute turns out perfectly.
- When preparing the duxelles, ensure that the mushrooms and onions are chopped as finely as possible. This will enable you to pack the stuffing easily into the chicken cavity.
- Keep the heat to medium when cooking the mushrooms and stir often. The mushrooms will release their moisture - carry on cooking until it has mostly evaporated.
- When cutting a cavity in the chicken, cut into the thickest part of the breast and work your knife gently as far into the chicken as possible without actually cutting through the meat.
- Fill the chicken with as much of the filling as it will hold without any overflow.
- If you don't use all the mushrooms to fill the chicken, add any remaining mushrooms to the sauce when you add the mustard and cream.
- When wrapping the strips of pastry around the chicken, enclose as much of the chicken as possible. You may need more than one strip of pastry. Just press the ends together to seal.
- I like to line my baking tray with silicone or baking parchment for 2 reasons. Firstly it prevents the pastry from sticking to the tray, and secondly, it makes for much easier cleanup afterwards.
- Do remember to season each component lightly with salt to your own taste.
How to scale up the recipe
A chicken breast can vary in weight from between 4 to 8 ounces (or 113 to 225 grams). The ones I used weighed about 6 ounces (170 grams) each and there was plenty left over.
With this in mind, I would suggest using smaller chicken breasts (4 ounces or 113 grams each) and allow one breast per person.
The filling as given in the recipe should be sufficient to stuff 4 small (4 ounce) breasts. To make extra filling simply increase the amount of the ingredients. Any filling that is left over can be added to the sauce.
The sauce in this recipe will be sufficient for 4 chicken parcels. I used half of it for our meal and put the other half into the freezer for another meal. If you want to make a larger batch of sauce you will need one tablespoon of flour per cup of liquid - to get the correct consistency. You may also want to add an extra knob of butter.
Variations
I didn't add garlic to this recipe, however, you can add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic when you fry the mushrooms and onions.
As far as serving the chicken parcels goes, you don't need to slice them. You could simply put them on a plate with your vegetables and pour the sauce over the top. (I only sliced them so that you could see what the inside of the chicken looks like 🙂 )
Equipment
To make this recipe you will need a food processor or a very sharp knife and a chopping board.
You will also need a small saucepan for making the sauce, and a baking tray large enough to hold all your chicken parcels. And don't forget the silicone liner or baking parchment to line the tray.
Storage
Leftover chicken parcels can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat them for about 5 minutes on a baking tray in a hot oven. I wouldn't use the microwave to reheat them as this would make the pastry soggy.
Leftover sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer bag, defrosted in the refrigerator and then reheated in a saucepan.
If you use fresh chicken rather than frozen to make this mushroom-stuffed chicken en croute, you can freeze the assembled parcels for up to three months. Wrap them individually in foil and then place the packets into a large plastic bag before freezing. You can cook them from frozen, but reduce the heat to 180C/355F and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. If you find the pastry is browning too much, cover it loosely with a sheet of tinfoil for the last 10 minutes.
FAQ
En croute is a French term that simply means 'in pastry'.
Mushroom duxelles is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, onions and herbs, sauteed in butter.
If you have a digital probe thermometer you can check the internal temperature of the chicken. It should register 74C or 165F.
You can assemble the chicken parcels ahead of time and store them covered in the refrigerator. For best results, bake just before serving so the pastry remains crisp.
Save for later
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📋The recipe
Mushroom-stuffed chicken en croute
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Food processor OR
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Small saucepan
- Large baking tray
- Silicone liner
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 medium chicken breast fillets approximately 150 grams or 5 ounces eqach
- 4 ounces / 113 grams white mushrooms
- 1 medium shallot
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 ounce / 30 grams butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 roll shop-bought puff pastry you may not need it all
- 1 small beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
Mustard sauce
- 1 ounce / 30 grams butter
- 1 tablespoon / 15 grams flour
- 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustarad or to taste
- ½ cup / 120 ml milk
- ½ cup / 120 ml double or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Mushroom duxelles
- Cut the mushrooms and shallots coarsely and place them in a food processor. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add them along with the parsley to the food processor.4 ounces / 113 grams white mushrooms, 1 medium shallot, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 1 small bunch parsley
- Process in short bursts until everything is finely chopped. You may have to do this in batches.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms and onions on moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.1 ounce / 30 grams butter
- After 5 minutes you will find the mushrooms have released their moisture and the mixture should have shrunk to about half the original volume. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Set it aside to cool.
Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Cut as far into the chicken as you can without actually cutting through. Sprinkle the chicken breast lightly with salt.2 medium chicken breast fillets, ½ teaspoon salt
- Fill the cavity with the cooled mushroom mixture and fold the chicken up as best you can to enclose the stuffing.
- Unroll the puff pastry and cut strips about 1.5 inches or 3 cm wide.1 roll shop-bought puff pastry
- Wrap the pastry strips around the chicken. Depending on the size of the breasts you may need more than one strip. Place the chicken parcels on a baking tray lined with a silicone liner or baking parchment.
- Brush the pastry with beaten egg and optionally sprinkle with sesame seeds.1 small beaten egg, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Bake in a preheated oven at 190C/375F for 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.
Mustard sauce
- Make the sauce while the chicken is in the oven.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan.1 ounce / 30 grams butter
- Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds on medium heat.1 tablespoon / 15 grams flour
- Stir in the mustard, then add the milk and cream. If you have any leftover mushroom mixture add that too. Bring to the boil, stirring, until the mixture thickens. The sauce should have a consistency similar to that of thick gravy.2 tablespoons wholegrain mustarad, ½ cup / 120 ml milk, ½ cup / 120 ml double or heavy cream
- Taste the sauce and season with salt to taste.½ teaspoon salt
Notes
- When preparing the duxelles, ensure that the mushrooms and onions are chopped as finely as possible. This will enable you to pack the stuffing easily into the chicken cavity.
- Keep the heat to medium when cooking the mushrooms and stir often. The mushrooms will release their moisture - carry on cooking until it has mostly evaporated.
- When cutting a cavity in the chicken, cut into the thickest part of the breast and work your knife gently as far into the chicken as possible without actually cutting through the meat.
- Fill the chicken with as much of the filling as it will hold without any overflow.
- If you don't use all the mushrooms to fill the chicken, add any remaining mushrooms to the sauce when you add the mustard and cream.
- When wrapping the strips of pastry around the chicken, enclose as much of the chicken as possible. You may need more than one strip of pastry. Just press the ends together to seal.
- I like to line my baking tray with silicone or baking parchment for 2 reasons. Firstly it prevents the pastry from sticking to the tray, and secondly, it makes for much easier cleanup afterwards.
- Do remember to season each component lightly with salt to your own taste.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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