Feeling Fancy? Then Chicken and Mushroom Strudel with Dried Cherries is Your Dish

I am always struggling with what to do with leftover chicken meat.  There’s chicken salad, chicken divan, a thousand and one southwest style chicken casseroles I can do, but I wanted something totally different.  I found a recipe using cooked chicken in, of course, an Ann Arbor, Michigan  Junior League cookbook, The Bountiful Arbor.  I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again, those junior leaguers know how to cook.

I made the strudel for a week night family dinner and dare I say this – it was kind of too good for a week night family meal.  It was rather extravagant and looked quite elegant. In a way it was very easy to make, but the assembly was a little complicated -I’m still not sure if I did it right.  In my adaption, I will tell you how I actually assembled it.  The Lieutenant and the kids all really liked it, but I think it is actually the type of meal I would serve if the Lieutenant had his boss over for dinner or if the Junior League was coming to my house to eat and interview me for admittance to the club…..

Chicken and Wild Mushroom Strudel with Dried Cherries

Ingredients:

• 5 T/ 8 T. butter
• 5 T. flour
• 2 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 t. fresh rosemary, crushed
• 2-3 cups diced cooked chicken (I chopped up 2 large chicken breasts)
• 1 cup diced wild mushrooms (or do like I did and just use the regular button type)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1 12 oz. package phyllo dough, thawed
• sour cream for garnish
• fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

Cooking Directions:

1. Combine 5 T. of butter and the flour in a saucepan. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes while stirring. Slowly add the stock, cream and rosemary. It should be nice and thick. Simmer – the original recipe says 20 minutes – I did about 5, 20 minutes would have burned it for me.
2. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and cherries and cook another 5 minutes – always stirring.
3. Melt the rest of the butter. Using a brush, butter 3 sheets of phyllo dough and layer one on top of the other- lay them out so the long ways is from your left to right (landscape position). Place a serving sized scoop of the chicken mixture about 3 inches from the left side and at least an inch or two from the top and bottom. Fold over left side of phyllo. Fold down top over mixture and fold up bottom over mixture. Now roll from the left. You should end up with a packet filled with the chicken.
4. Repeat this 7-9 more times (depending on how generous your chicken servings are). You should end up with 8-10 individual packets. (I think at this point you could cover and refrigerate these puppies until you needed to bake them)
5. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top.
6. Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream, if desired, and a sprig of rosemary.
7. Enjoy!