Chinese Chicken Parcels Recipes

GARLIC CHICKEN PARCELS

Steps:

• 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.

GARLIC CHICKEN PARCELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C Fan/gas 7. Cut a slit halfway in each chicken breast, then put each one between two pieces of baking parchment and bash with a rolling pin to flatten slightly.
• Cut your sheet of pastry in half widthways and put both halves on a baking tray. Sit a chicken breast on top of each half, then cram the cavities with the Boursin (don't worry if a bit of cheese oozes out). Season, scatter over the lemon zest then fold the edges of the pastry in to the centre and pinch shut. Flip each parcel over so the seal is on the bottom. Brush with a little oil, then bake for 30 mins until deep golden.
• About 10 mins before your parcels are ready, steam or boil the greens until tender. Toss in the oil and season. Serve alongside your chicken parcels with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

CHINESE CHICKEN PARCELS

Steps:

• Remove and discard the core and outer leaves from the cabbage, undo the remaining cabbage leaves and place them in a pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes to soften. Cool them in a bowl of cold water, drain and put to one side.
• In a food processor, whizz up your garlic, ginger, spring onions, coriander, chilli and fish sauce with a good pinch of salt. Then add the chicken, water chestnuts, lime zest and juice and sesame oil and pulse until you have a minced meat consistency.
• Place a heaped dessertspoonful of the flavoured mince on to one end of each cabbage leaf. Fold it up and tuck in the sides, then roll up. Rub a bamboo steamer, colander or normal steamer with a little olive oil and place in the cabbage parcels. They may try to unfold themselves, but once you start putting them next to each other they will hold in place. When they're all in, sit the steamer over a pan of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the parcels and that it's just the steam that's cooking them. Put a lid on top and steam for about 6 minutes until cooked. If you're worried about the cooking time, take one of the parcels out and cut it in half to make sure that the heat has penetrated and that they're cooked.

THAI CHICKEN PARCEL WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS & RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and cook the chicken breasts for 4-5 mins on each side until browned.
• Lay a large piece of baking parchment on a baking tray, add half the coriander, the pak choi and sugar snap peas, then place the chicken breasts on top. Combine the fish and soy sauce, rice vinegar, sweet chilli, lime zest and juice, and curry paste, and pour over the chicken and veg, then cover with another piece of parchment. Fold up each edge to form a parcel and cook for 12-15 mins.
• Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions. Remove the parcel from the oven, leave to sit for 1-2 mins, then cut open and add the rest of the coriander. Serve with the rice.