Review: Chicken Strudel - May '01

[Peggy]

We had this for dinner tonight and it was really great!! (DH rating = 8.5/10) The flavors in the filling blended together well. Very nice presentation - would be a good choice for company. I thought it would take a long time to put together but it wasn't bad at all. A definate repeater - next time for guests! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Peggy

[makedah]

I saw this and it looked yummy. But I live alone and this recipe doesn't look like it lends itself well to reheats in the microwave. If you have leftovers, please tell me how they turn out on the second time around.

[michelern]

Glad to hear this recipe is a winner. I can't wait to try it!!!

[Peggy]

makedah,

We did have leftovers, and reheated them in the microwave. Surprisingly enough, it came out very well! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif The strudel softened a bit but that was not a bad thing. It was delicious on day two. Since you live alone, maybe you can cut the recipe in half and only make one of the strudels. Then you wouldn't have as many leftovers.

Peggy

[mb]

has anyone tried freezing this at all? our baby is due in a few weeks and i'm trying to prepare some meals in advance to put in the freezer for after the baby arrives... i thought this might be a nice alternative to frozen lasagnas and pasta dishes.

also, does anyone have any tips on freezing something like this? should i freeze it before baking, etc.?

TIA,
mb http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[mightyh]

It's not the same thing, but I freeze stromboli all the time. I bake it normally or perhaps for a slightly shorter time, let it cool, and then freeze it. When I want to use it, I just defrost it and heat it in a warm oven (250ish) until it's done. Sometimes it browns during the second baking, so I usually cut it in half or in slices to help it warm more quickly.

[HUNGRY!]

mb, I think that it might freeze well, since the phyllo is originall frozen, and I think fake egg and cheese would freeze okay.

I too loved the chicken struedel. I thought it would take forever, but it was really really easy. I even used the purdue pre cooked chicken pieces just because it was so hot out the day I made it!

[JHolcomb]

I can't comment on the freezing of this specific recipe, but I have frozen other phyllo dishes with success. I thought that this was a pretty good dish and was really easy to make. I like the concept of wrapping the filling in phyllo, and I think I'll be making lots of variations on this in the weeks to come since I've got a lot of phyllo left. I think subbing feta for swiss would be good. DH wants to see me do one with ham, cheddar, and broccoli. I'll let you know if I make any of these and how they turn out.

Jen

[JHolcomb]

I can't comment on the freezing of this specific recipe, but I have frozen other phyllo dishes with success. I thought that this was a pretty good dish and was really easy to make. I like the concept of wrapping the filling in phyllo, and I think I'll be making lots of variations on this in the weeks to come since I've got a lot of phyllo left. I think subbing feta for swiss would be good. DH wants to see me do one with ham, cheddar, and broccoli. I'll let you know if I make any of these and how they turn out.

Jen

[jldill]

I made this for a potluck and it got great reviews. I don't know about freezing, but would recommend it for a potluck -- looks great, easy to slice and serve. It was relatively easy make, depending upon how well you work with phyllo -- I'm a little too impatient and didn't let it thaw quite enough. But, since you layer the sheets, a crack in one isn't the end of the world.

[annetoin]

Hi,

I accidentally tossed this month's issue. Can someone post the recipe for the Chicken Strudel.

Thanks.

[lsdesign]

My sis called yesterday to tell me how great this was. She used puff pastry instead of phyllo and thought it was easier to work with. Can't wait to try it myself.

[Maggie]

Here's the recipe. It looks really good, I don't know why I didn't notice it before!


Chicken Strudel

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: 2001 ISSUE: May PAGE: 155

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS:
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped (about 8 cups)
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1-1/4 pounds)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over
medium heat. Add onion, and saute for 6 minutes or until tender. Stir
in spinach, and cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and the next 6
ingredients (chicken through garlic).

2. Lightly coat 1 sheet phyllo dough with cooking spray (cover
remaining dough to keep from drying). Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon
breadcrumbs. Repeat the layers with 3 sheets phyllo, cooking spray,
and 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs.

3. Gently press the layers together. Place about 2-1/2 cups chicken
mixture along 1 long edge of top phyllo sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch
border. Starting at the long edge with the 1/2-inch border, roll up
jelly-roll fashion. Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated
with cooking spray. Tuck ends under. Repeat with the remaining 4
sheets phyllo, cooking spray, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, and 2-1/2 cups
chicken mixture. Brush strudels evenly with butter. Sprinkle each
with 1/8 teaspoon paprika.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5. Bake strudels at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown. Let
stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut each strudel into 4 slices.
Serve immediately. Yield: 2 strudels, 4 servings per strudel (serving
size: 1 slice).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 248 (30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 3.6g, mono 2.3g, poly
1.5g); PROTEIN 23.8g; CARB 18.8g; FIBER 2g; CHOL 59mg; IRON 2.8mg;
SODIUM 345mg; CALC 172mg

Recipe Copyright © Cooking Light Magazine

[Grace]

Well, I should have known since Peggy liked this so much, that it would be wonderful, and it is!!!

I just finished making this for Mother's Day tomorrow, but we are having SOO much food, and only 6 people, I thought I could eat one of the strudels today. WOW! I love this dish. And it was surprisingly easy to make - I figured I'd be slaving over this one for a long time, but it was done in no time flat. I wrapped the other strudel really, really well in plastic wrap (before baking), and it's in the fridge. I will brush it with butter and bake it tomorrow so it's fresh. But truly, this one turned out even better than I thought it would. A keeper for sure. Thanks, Peggy!!! (AGAIN!!)

I forgot to mention the changes I made...I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh, 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2, and I substituted Gruyere cheese for the regular swiss. I think I added extra pepper, too. And to make the cooked cut up chicken, I poached the breasts in water with bouillion cubes, onions and garlic, cooled them and cut them in to pieces. YUM!!!


[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 05-12-2001).]

[Peggy]

Grace,

So glad you enjoyed the recipe! It really is surprising how easy it all goes together. I'll have to make it again soon. All that phyllo dough in the freezer...

Peggy

[browneye]

I am planning on making this Chicken Strudel tomorrow night for dinner, but I am stumped on the accompaniments.
Any ideas from those who have made it? It looks like it's "bread-y" enough, so would another starch be too much? Is the spinach quite alot to serve another green vege along with the strudel?
Ideas anyone?
TIA

[Grace]

I would serve it with a potato dish of some sort and/or a green salad and/or a fruit salad. The layers of phyllo dough are not that bready at all, actually quite thin and they fall apart when you're eating it. You mostly get the taste of the chicken and the spinach. I have leftover phyllo in the freezer too - might have to make this one again this week! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[browneye]

I made this last night, it was Yummy! I served it with Rosemary/Garlic potatoes (the ones cooked in the microwave that are surprisingly good), and a green salad with red tomatoes!
Grace-Thank you for the accompaniment suggestions.
My DH said it tasted sinful and rich, we both really enjoyed this. I have a whole Strudel and a half leftover since it was just the two of us- I'm looking forward to this for lunches and dinner this weekend while he is away fishing with his bro.
All in all, a lovely dinner, pretty easy to make. The only thing I did different was use Swiss Gruyere cheese instead of regular Swiss. Definitely a repeater.
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[ElinorC]

I'm going to cast a negative vote for the strudel. OH NO!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif We thought that it had a strange taste -- not sure of the cause but thought it probably was due to the cooking spray that was used in place of butter on the phyllo dough. The filling didn't have a lot of taste either despite using gruyere cheese and lots of garlic.

[valchemist]

We had this last night and thought it was very good.

I thought the filling had a great taste to it. The layers of phyllo fell apart very easily though, making this a bit messy to eat. For this reason, I might not serve it to company. It looked good right out of the oven but it turned into a big mess on the plate. The recipe would have been better if you brushed the phyllo with oil or butter. (But then the recipe wouldn't be light, obviously.) The only modification I made was that I used gruyere instead of swiss cheese.

I didn't think it was all that easy to make, mainly because I have almost zero counter space. With no room, it was difficult for me to maneuver the phyllo sheets.

[This message has been edited by valchemist (edited 05-23-2001).]

oh, one more thing to add...
I cooked the chicken breasts using the method in lindrusso's chicken florentine casserole...Poached them for 15 minutes in a white wine and water mixture with a clove of garlic (sliced). The chicken comes out so juicy and flavorful when you do it this way.

[This message has been edited by valchemist (edited 05-23-2001).]

[Julia1Pin]

Is it possible to leave out the cheese in this recipe, or would it fully screw it up?

[HUNGRY!]

I don't know. I think it might affect the flavor. It can't hurt to try though!

[Julia1Pin]

What can I add to it (non-dairy) that would give it a similar taste? I'm afraid it might be too dry for me even to try.

[greysangel]

I got around to this finally last night and I have to say it was yummmmmy. Hubby didn't like it as much as I...he said it was too dry..then again he likes everything to have sauce or gravy http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

This is super easy too...even despite it being my first phyllo experience! Let's just say I'm glad I had a whole box to get the layers right http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

JeAnne

[Lynn B]

Mmmmmm! Thanks for all the great reviews! This is on my "make this weekend" list! The phyllo is in the fridge waiting! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif BUT, I am a PHYLLO NEWBIE - so does anyone have any suggestions/tips for me?! It looks tricky!!!
Thanks so much!
Lynn