Chicken Confit Pastry with Mushrooms, Spinach, & Truffle Butter Béchamel

Yield Makes one 12-inch pastry

RECIPE Ingredients

2 pieces Chicken Leg Confit
4 tablespoons Black Truffle Butter, divided use
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
⅓ package Organic Chef’s Mix Mushrooms, chopped
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 sheet best-quality frozen puff pastry (we used Dufour), thawed in the fridge
2 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
2 ounces young Fontina cheese, grated

Recipe notes

Make our easy savory pastry recipe with chicken confit, mushrooms, spinach, truffle butter béchamel, and two types of cheese. Cut into fourths and serve for a light lunch or into 2-inch slices for a festive party appetizer.

RECIPE Preparation

Remove skin from the chicken leg confit, discard. Remove all the meat from the bones; chop into ½-inch chunks. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of truffle butter. Add shallot and garlic, sauté until shallots are soft and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Raise heat to medium-high and continue to sauté until mushrooms have expelled their liquid and are golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach and reserved chicken confit, set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt remaining 2 tablespoons truffle butter. Whisk in flour and cook until flour is golden brown, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Lower heat to medium-low and cook, whisking until mixture is thickened and completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Season béchamel to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using; set aside.
Prepare the pastry: on a lightly floured work surface roll out pastry to about a 12x12 inch square. Move pastry to a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or 2 layers of parchment. Visually split the pastry into thirds horizontally and gently mark with the back (dull side) of a knife. At the top of the sheet, cut ¾” strips at a 45 degree angle on each outer third.
Spread half of the béchamel evenly over the center section of the pastry. Sprinkle ½ of the grated cheeses over the béchamel then spread chicken/mushroom mixture on top. Spread remaining béchamel over the chicken/mushroom mixture along with the remaining cheese.
Fold over the top edge of the pastry then stretch the top right strip across the filling and tuck under. Repeat with the top left strip, crossing the first. Continue with the remaining strips, alternating sides until you reach the bottom 2 strips. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling and secure by folding over the last 2 strips, tucking them under the pastry. Chill braid in the fridge for about 15 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake until pastry is puffed and deeply golden and filling is bubbling, about 25-30 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe tips: Depending on the size of your puff pastry, you may have a little extra filling leftover. It’s delicious tossed with pasta, olive oil, and a little Asiago cheese.