We love puff pastry appetizers. There is something about this flaky, buttery pastry that makes it endlessly versatile – pockets, pinwheels, puffs or twists, just to name a few.
Sun-dried tomato chicken puffs are our new favorite. They are easy to prepare, only take a few ingredients and you can make them ahead.
Ingredients:
- Puff pastry – Use either a frozen pastry sheet or a chilled pastry sheet (this is what I use).
- Cream cheese – It makes these puff pastry appetizers extra creamy. It’s best to use it at room temperature!
- Sun-dried tomatoes – This recipe calls for oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes! Don’t use dry-packed ones. You will also need some of the oil they come with.
- Fresh parsley – I recommend flat-leaf parsley over the curly one.
- Celery salt – Use as much or as little as you like.
- Egg – This can be omitted if you don’t want to sprinkle the top of the pastry with anything.
- Sesame seeds – optional!
Kitchen gadgets and utensils:
- Measuring cups – Or a kitchen scale.
- Food processor.
- Medium mixing bowl.
- Spatula.
- Large baking sheet/tray – A half-sheet should be plenty.
- Pizza cutter – Or a Chef’s knife.
- Pastry brush and small bowl – If using the egg wash.
How to make sun-dried tomato chicken puffs
Start by preheating your oven. Meanwhile, prepare the pastry. Unfold and cut into bite-size pieces when working with chilled pastry. When working with frozen (thawed), you should roll it out thin first.
Place the pieces on a large baking tray. Leave a small gap between each one of them. Now, if you are going to use sesame seeds, then you need to use egg wash. If you want to omit them, you can also omit the egg.
While they are in the oven, prepare the filling. I like to use a food processor to mix everything but the chicken pieces. They are just stirred into the mixture.
Wait until the pastry is completely cooled, then cut it in half lengthwise or simply split it with your fingers. Fill each bottom piece with the mixture and you can serve.
Possible substitutions:
Puff pastry – Use either frozen (thawed) or refrigerated. Whichever you prefer. Some of them are made with butter, while others use margarine. I found that the butter pastry puffs better, but this might be just a matter of brand, where I live.
Fresh parsley – If you don’t like it, use cilantro instead. For best results, use fresh herbs. Chives are also a good alternative.
Celery salt – This is optional. If you don’t have it, use salt and pepper instead.
Sesame seeds – Poppy seeds or white sesame seeds, chia. You only need a little, so if you don’t want to buy a large package of any of the above-mentioned options, use Everything bagel seasoning instead!
Frequently asked questions
Not all are great made ahead, but sun-dried tomato puffs are perfect to make in advance. Whether it is partially (filling and puffs separately, then assembled and served) or fully (assembled, refrigerated until ready to serve).
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or on a plate wrapped with plastic wrap in the fridge.
This recipe uses 1 (8.5-ounce/240-grams) chilled puff pastry sheet. You can use a frozen sheet that you thaw following the package instructions. Some countries sell just a block of pastry, so this would need to be rolled out thin.
What to do with leftover puff pastry?
Do you have an extra sheet of pastry that you would like to use up? The simplest appetizer to make with puff pastry is breadsticks. Simple breadsticks – You can top them with seeds or sprinkle with parmesan. If you are looking for something fancier or more filling, try brie bites or ham and cheese pinwheels.
Useful tips
- When cooking the chicken yourself, I suggest buying juicy cuts like thighs or legs. Cook them in a pot of water until fork-tender. I like to simmer them for 80-90 minutes. This you can have prepped for the week ahead and use it to make other chicken recipes.
- Keep the water, even without salt, it is a simple chicken stock that you can use in all kinds of soups, whether it be Italian Minestrone or simple vegetable soup.
- I got 45 pieces out of my puff pastry sheet; you might get more or less. Also, count on some breakage when halving the puffs.
- Their size also depends on your preference. I prefer smaller puffs, so I cut them quite small.
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Puffs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (9 ounces/250 grams, see note 1)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (230 grams)
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil (70 grams)
- 2 tablespoons oil (from sun-dried tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
- ½ teaspoon celery salt (or to taste, see note 2)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (diced, 240 grams, see note 3)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds (see note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius). Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Unroll/unfold the puff pastry sheet and roll it out thin, if too thick. This is not needed for chilled puff pastry sheets that are ready rolled.
- Use a pizza cutter or knife with a flat blade to cut the pastry sheet into small rectangles. I used an 11x11-inch (30x30-centimeter) wide pastry sheet that I divided into five columns and nine rows, so I ended up with 45 pieces.
- Place the pastry rectangles onto the baking sheet, leaving only small gaps in between.
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown and puffed nicely.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, process cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, oil, parsley and salt until smooth, about a minute.
- Transfer the mixture into a medium mixing bowl. To this, add diced chicken and mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Let the puffs cool down completely, then cut each in half lengthwise. If they puffed nicely, you could do this by hand without using a knife.
- Fill each bottom half with about a teaspoon of the chicken mixture and cover with the other half.
- Repeat until you have used all the puffs.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use either a frozen pastry sheet (thawed according to package instructions) or a chilled pastry sheet (this is what I use).
- Instead of celery salt, you can use just salt and black pepper.
- You can use rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken thighs or drumsticks.
- Black sesame seeds can be substituted with white, chia or poppy seeds. Everything Bagel seasoning will also work here!
- Make ahead: To fully make them ahead and serve later, you will need to store them covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. I like using quarter sheets. They are small enough to fit in the fridge and easy to wrap in plastic foil. You can make them up to a day in advance, but note that the puffs will soften. If you don’t like this, make them separately: Keep the filling in the fridge and the puff shells on your counter in an airtight container. Assemble on the day of serving.
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