These Garlic Chicken Parcels are easy to make and look super impressive, plus they are make ahead! Individual puff pastry parcels (using pie crusts) are filled with juicy chicken and oozing with garlic butter. Serve with potatoes and salad for an easy weeknight family dinner, half the recipe and serve them just for two on a date night. Or they are fancy enough for entertaining and can be prepared ahead of time and then just popped in the oven to cook when you sit down for appetizers.
Peel the shallot/red onion and the garlic then place them in a food processor along with the parsley. Whizz until you have quite a finely chopped mixture.
Add in the lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper, then whizz well to combine. (If you forget to soften the butter then this will still work but you will need to leave it to whizz for a longer time.)
Use a spoon to roughly divide the butter into 4 pats and set aside.
Line a baking tray with cooking paper and pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF.
Take each chicken breast and cut off the thinner pointed end, to create a sort of square shape of chicken (see pictures in post) Refrigerate/freeze these pieces for another dish (I have a few suggestions above)
Lay a sheet of puff pastry out on the chopping board. I find it easiest if I keep it sat on the plastic/paper that is used to divide them.
Place a chicken square in the centre of the pastry. Spoon over a pat of the butter mixture and then gather up the pastry to enclose the chicken and create a pouch. Gently squeeze the pastry closed.
Carefully slide the chicken parcel onto a prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
Crack the egg into the bowl you used for the butter and whisk with a fork.
Brush the parcels with egg wash and then bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
You want the butter to be soft enough to push a finger into it without any resistance. If you haven't softened the butter see the bulk of post for tips on how to quickly soften butter.