Chicken a La King (Bouchee A la Reine)

**A French creation came to America to roost - a chicken dish we all welcome!**

If you’ve never heard of “Chicken a la King”, be assured it was all the rage in the states in the last century, so much so that Pepperidge Farm started manufacturing pre-cut pastry shells for the dish. It was probably at that point that the French puff pastry debuted on the American stage and has remained popular to this day in a myriad of preparations.

While vacationing with our family in Colmar, in the Alsace region of France, we were introduced to a traditional dish of the area to which I exclaimed, “Why this is just Chicken a la King”, which my mother had prepared for years as one of my favorite dinners. Which came first, I wondered - the King or the Queen (Reine) and of course, I deferred to France - the culinary geniuses of western culture.

The French name “Bouchee a la Reine” literally means "queen's morsel" and is named after the Queen of France, Marie Leszczynska, wife of Louis XV. Traditionally served as an appetizer, it appeared in French cookbooks as early as the 1700s.

The filling for the puffs is easy and quick to make, but the puff pastry itself is another matter and is one of the most difficult French pastries to master….but also the most sublime to eat! Think Napoleans, palmiers, turnovers, pot pies, breadsticks, empanadas…. But thinking alone won’t get you there. But don’t be alarmed or discouraged - you do not have to make your own puff pastry, but it is immensely gratifying to do so on a cool day when you have lots of time and the ability to pay attention to the clock. It is a long process that requires careful watching and timing.

The original puff pastry technique is nothing if not laborious, but the short-cut sometimes called “rough puff” is much faster and easier and creates almost the same results. The perfect result is a pastry that is puffy - at least double its original size - with lots of lamination created by dozens of layers of butter between layers of dough that takes place in the folding, rolling and chilling techniques. But I will leave that recipe for another day and another post. Fortunately, the frozen versions of puff pastry are premade and generally achieve an excellent result! And as mentioned, the shells versions are pre-cut and ready to pop into the oven. Where we call the small hollow cases of puff pastry, shells, the French are much more descriptive with “vol-au-vent” (French for "windblown", to describe its lightness).

So back to the more manageable fillings. I have included two here - one with chicken and one with mushrooms. Both delicious and scrumptious as the savory, creamy sauce plays against the crisp, buttery, crackling of the puff pastry, you will feel as though you are Queen of the kitchen for sure!

Bouchee a la reine (chicken filling)

3 tablespoons butter

1 large shallot, minced

1 garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced, julienne style

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1/2 cup cream

1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste

1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)

1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms, sauteed in 1 tab. oil until soft (opt.)

salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

dash of nutmeg

1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (rotisserie or poached)

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

-In large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallot and red peppers and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and continue to saute another 2 minutes.

-Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir for about a minute until all the flour is absorbed into the butter. Slowly pour in milk, cream, wine (if used) and chicken bouillon, then stir with a whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste. Add nutmeg

-Carefully stir in chicken and mushrooms (if used). Spoon about 2/3s of a cup of warm filling over each puff pastry shell. Replace top of shell and garnish with parsley. Serve warm. Makes 6 - 8

**Vol au Vent with Mushroom Filling - a mushroom lover’s dream!**

Bouchee a la Reine (Mushroom filling)

1 package puff pastry shells

1 lb small mushrooms, sliced thinly and slices cut in half

3 cloves peeled and minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons butter

6 slices bacon

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 egg for brushing pastry

-Stir-fry the minced garlic with butter for about 1 minute. Add the bacon and let it brown. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes more.

-Add the sour cream and let mixture simmer for few more minutes. Stir in fresh parsley and lemon juice and allow to cool 5 minutes.

-Spoon mixture evenly over 6 puff pastry shells and garnish with more parsley and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve warm. Makes 6