{Baking Challenge} Chicken a la King Vol au Vents for Fiesta Friday #100

December 31, 2015

Baking will always be a challenge for me.

Some might look easy for me and some are not.

It was a dream to make perfect bread. I battled with the yeast beast many times and I finally won.

Taking my dream to a higher level, puff pastry dough came into the scene. I love love croissants, especially the ones with almond and chocolate. Whenever I eat them, I always wish that I could make them someday. I thought that I should learn how to make puff pastry dough first, but I was scared not to get it right. I haven’t pulled my big girl pants yet… until FF #100 came.

Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 3

Fiesta Friday #100 came more of a challenge to me because I wanted to bring one of my best efforts and one of my best experiences.

My cousin patiently listened to some of the delicious stuffs I wanted to bring and we ended up with vol au vents. Why vol au vents, you ask? This was inspired by one of the challenges in GBBO during the pastry week. (Hi, Elaine! Thanks for telling me about it.)

The butter is wrapped
Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 16
After the six turns, here is it now. (I really need to work on the square and rectangle shape, don’t you think?) This will go to the fridge again before cutting/shaping.
Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 17
Cut/shaped dough with egg wash, ready to be topped with parchment paper before placing inside the oven

Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 1

Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 2

Vol au Vents

  • Difficulty: intermediate
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups (177 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (71 g) cake flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 150 ml ice cold water
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
  • plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Instructions:

Before proceeding, please check if your food processor is able to hold the quantity of the ingredients. I halved mine and the bowl of the food processor I used can hold 1.2 liters. If you will make the full recipe (you can find it from the source or just double the one I have here), then make the dough in two batches and combine them later on.

  1. Fitted with the metal blade, place all-purpose flour, cake flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor and pulse to mix. While pulsing, add the ice cold water and keep pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very soft and it feels like a Play-Doh.
  2. Remove the dough from your food processor and from into a ball. Using a sharp small knife, slash the top of the dough in a tic-tac-toe pattern. The slash will help relax the gluten in the dough. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and keep in the fridge for about 5 minutes.
  3. While the dough is in fridge, get your very cold butter and place between 2 sheets of parchment paper and beat in a rolling pin until it flattens to about 1 inch thick. If the butter becomes soft, chill it first before proceeding.

It’s time now to incorporate the butter:

  1. Take out the dough from the towel and place it on your work surface dusted with all-purpose flour. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to a 10 inch square, making sure to lightly flour the dough when needed to avoid sticking.
  2. Place the flattened cold butter in the middle of the dough. Starting from the four corners of the dough where the pointed corners of the butter is, fold the dough to wrap the butter.

It is crucial to make sure that the dough-butter is cold at all times. If you see the butter starts to ooze out for whatever reason, wrap the dough with a cling film and continue when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Since I halved the recipe, I had to adjust with the measurements of the source recipe. Whatever mentioned 12 inches below, make it 24 inches if you are making the full recipe (double the ingredients above).

  1. Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom of the square, making sure that both sides are floured to avoid sticking. Roll the dough to a 12 inch rectangle. (You can see from my photo above that the butter is visible during my first roll. I kept moving until I reached a 12 inch rectangle. Do not worry about the width – you just have to get 12 in rectangle).
  2. Using a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough. Make an indention dividing the rectangle into three (do not cut, just make an indention). From the top, fold your dough until the indention at the bottom. From the bottom, fold your dough going to the top. Brush off the excess flour. This is your first turn.
  3. Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left. Repeat rolling again to a 12 inch rectangle and repeat the folding process. This is your second turn.
  4. Wrap the dough using a cling film and chill your dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Repeat the rolling and folding process until you finish six turns, making sure to let the dough rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour in between 2 turns. But if anytime the dough will be too soft or butter is oozing out, keep the dough inside the fridge until chilled again.

You can make four turns and do the last two the next day (time of making your vol au vents). Using your fingertips, you can make an indention marking on how many turns you have finished so you will not forget it.

After finishing the 6 turns, make sure to chill the dough first before cutting them.

To cut the dough,

  1. Roll out your dough to ¼ to 1/8 thin on a lightly floured surface.
  2. Using cookie cutters, cut your dough: you will cut full rounds (disc shaped) and rounds with hole in the middle. Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Take the full round dough and prick using a fork being careful not to prick all the way through the bottom. Now, get the round with hole and brush the bottom with egg wash and carefully ‘glue’ it to the full round dough. Lightly brush the top again with egg wash to brown when baked. Be careful not to drip too much egg wash on the sides with lamination as it will inhibit the rise. Do the same with the others. I used 77 & 78 mm cookie cutters and I got 4 big cases.
  4. When done cutting, place them inside the fridge while you preheat the oven.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  6. Get another sheet of parchment paper and place them on top of the cut/shaped dough and bake for 25 minutes.
  7. Remove the parchment paper on top and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
  8. Let cool to room temperature if you are using sweet filling or keep warm if using savoury filling.

Source recipe: Vols au Vent by The Daring Kitchen

Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 18
Preparing the filling – Chicken a la King

Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 5

Chicken a la King

Ingredients:

  • 125g chicken breast, boneless & skinless, cut into small cubes
  • ¼ cup white mushrooms, sliced
  • 30ml heavy cream
  • ¼ cup green peas
  • 2 tbsp red bellpepper, chopped
  • 1 tbsp parsley, chopped finely
  • 2 tbsb butter
  • 125ml chicken broth or 1 beef cube dissolved in 125ml water
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a pan, melt 1 tbsp butter.
  2. Add mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes.
  3. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. In another small sauce pan, melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter.
  5. Add flour and stir until the mixture forms.
  6. Add chicken broth. Stir until the butter-flour mixture is dissolved. Let boil and turn off the heat.
  7. Transfer the liquid to the pan where your chicken is cooking.
  8. Add heavy cream, bellpeppers, parsley and green peas. Let boil until the sauce thickens.
  9. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
  10. Transfer the chicken broth mixture to the pan where the chicken is cooking.
  11. Arrange the vol au vents on a serving plate. Fill with chicken a la king and garnish with parsley.

Source recipe: Chicken a la King by Panlasang Pinoy

Chicken Ala King Vol Au Vents - TNSCC 4
What do you think of this close up?

The vol au vents came out very flaky and delicious. I could just eat them like that or dunk them in chocolate sauce. I also love the chicken a la king filling because the filling was not too runny and it complimented the puff pastry cases. This might take a long time to do, but it’s worth every second. I am definitely working with puff pastry dough again. 😉

I am proud and more than happy to share this with my friends and family here at Fiesta Friday #100 hosted by the amazing Angie with the help of our four lovely co-hosts, Aunt Juju, Ginger, Mollie and Suzanne. I can’t say thank you enough to Angie who has always been so welcoming and who made this amazing weekly party possible.

Looking forward to another year of droolicious foods and amazing friendship!

2016-2

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48 Comments

  • Andcakestoo
    January 19, 2016 at 4:26 pm Reply

    Hey Jhuls,
    This looks so beautiful. And the looks of your pastry is so appealing.
    I am pinning this and pining away till I rustle up the gumption to make it. Puff pastry gives me the hibee-jibees :p
    Cheers!

    • Jhuls
      January 19, 2016 at 4:29 pm Reply

      Hello, Shreyashi! Thank you for your sweet and funny comment. 😀 I was planning to work with puff pastry again for croissants (ohh the ones with chocolate and almond filling! Yum!), but I am having a problem with time. Ugh! Thanks for stopping by & for sharing this. Have a lovely time! x

  • FrugalHausfrau
    January 2, 2016 at 1:16 pm Reply

    Bravo, Jhuls! I made puff pastry once, when I was in my teens! And then never again, haha! But there are so many better instructions, now, including yours, maybe I’ll try again, 40 years later! 🙂 I did it out of a book. But then, maybe not, haha! I love CHicken a la king, and have it on my blog, too! Thanks so much for bringing this beautiful and classic dish to Fiesta Friday and Happy New Year!

    Mollie

    • Jhuls
      January 7, 2016 at 4:55 pm Reply

      I am thinking of making puff pastry dough again, but given the additional working hours the boss gave us, I don’t think I will be able to. I wish there’s more than 24 hours in a day, but then again, I thought maybe working hours will be a lot more than 8 hours a day… so thanks! 😀

      Thank you so much, Mollie! I hope you did enjoy co-hosting one of the biggest celebrations! And happy new year! xx

  • Gretchen
    January 2, 2016 at 8:46 am Reply

    Congrats on such wonderful homemade puff pastry. It looks incredible. I took the lazy way and used store bought pastry this morning to make cream cheese and cherry Danish. Maybe there is hope for me yet.

    • Jhuls
      January 7, 2016 at 4:56 pm Reply

      Well, store bought puff pastry helps a lot when we are busy gals! I am glad I had time to make one and I don’t know when I will be able to make again. Maybe when I get another 3-day holiday. 😀 Happy new year, Gretchen! xx

  • tentimestea
    January 2, 2016 at 2:04 am Reply

    I am so amazed! What a beautiful contribution to FF; the puff pastry has such finesse and so many layers! (And it sounds so good with such a creamy filling!) One day I’ll try to gather up my courage and attempt to make puff pastry as well….I can’t imagine it going as well as this though!! Happy New Year Jhuls!

    • Jhuls
      January 7, 2016 at 4:59 pm Reply

      I also thought that making puff pastry is difficult, but it’s not. The only thing you have to make sure is to get the butter ‘infuse’ with the dough and that can be solved when the butter is wrapped very well. The rest is just relies on your arm strength and fridge. 😀 Happy new year, Laurie. xx

    • Jhuls
      January 7, 2016 at 5:03 pm Reply

      You are too sweet, Patty! And with you saying that, I will keep that in my mind from now on. 😀 I am also blessed to have you as my friend & sister from another mother. Sending you lots of love and hugs!

  • chefjulianna
    January 1, 2016 at 2:26 am Reply

    Whoa, Jhuls!! I am falling all over myself just trying to get to this dish!! This is stunning!! I can’t even fathom making my own puff pastry!! But you did! You rock, girl! I am so drooling over your Chicken a la King. Happy New Years to you and Happy FF 100…. 😀

    • Jhuls
      January 1, 2016 at 3:23 am Reply

      My next project: French macarons! Let’s see how it goes. 😀 Thanks, Chef Julianna! I am glad you liked my little treat for FF100! xx Happy 2016!

  • apuginthekitchen
    December 31, 2015 at 8:32 am Reply

    Jhuls, I al literally applauding you. Making puff pastry is not easy and you did it beautifully. Kudo’s to you, excellent job. Love the creamy chicken with the delicate pastry, Just deliious and thank you for bringing this to Fiesta Friday,

    • Jhuls
      December 31, 2015 at 3:20 pm Reply

      Thank you, Suzanne. My legs were shaking while making this, but I am very much happy that I passed. I’m wondering what Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry would say, but then again, I better not know. 😀

      Best of 2016 to you, Suzanne! xx

  • cookingwithauntjuju.com
    December 31, 2015 at 5:33 am Reply

    Good for you you to make your own puff pastry – the party needs a good entree such as this with pastry, chicken, some veggies and a good sauce. Thanks for sharing another yummy recipe with Fiesta Friday #100. Happy New Year Jhuls 🙂

  • Ginger
    December 31, 2015 at 5:20 am Reply

    Well done you for tackling puff pastry heads-on! I have to admit I haven’t dared yet. One day … Vol-au-vents were my family’s traditional Christmas Eve dish, my Gran came from a middle class background and wouldn’t be seen serving the more traditional sausages and potato salad, so vol-au-vents with chicken and peas in a creamy sauce. Delicious.
    Perhaps I should try and emulate you more, Jhuls?
    Wishing you all the best for 2016!
    Ginger x

    • Jhuls
      December 31, 2015 at 3:23 pm Reply

      I know you can do it, Ginger. Maybe yours would be more beautiful than mine. 😉 And of course, I want to see them and read your adventure! I am thinking of making croissants next time! Happy new year and best of 2016. xx

    • Jhuls
      December 31, 2015 at 3:25 pm Reply

      Hmm, maybe it is difficult, but not in a sense that it’s complicated. I think the hardest part is to keep the butter not to ooze out from the dough. And the rest – you just have to wait patiently and eat them in minutes! 😀 Thanks a lot, Loretta! I appreciate your kind words. Best of 2016 to you. 🙂 xx

    • Jhuls
      December 31, 2015 at 3:27 pm Reply

      Of course, there is hope! 😀
      I have not made French macarons because I am also a little intimidated. But I will see. 🙂 I did a good job (I guess) with this one, so I think there’s also a hope for French macarons. 🙂

      Happy 2016 to you! xx

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