DIJON CHICKEN STRUDEL WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES

                          DIJON CHICKEN STRUDEL WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES

My love affair with Filo Pastry began in the early eighties when I would read about this magical dough in Bon Appetit Magazine. But it was available nowhere. I tried making my own but it was a tough
failure ! Then one day I was grocery shopping in the long gone Woodwards Department store (one of the first major department store to offer upscale groceries ) and there it was in the frozen foods !! I was very excited and began my endless journey of baking with Filo ! And like I mentioned in my blog, I even went so far as to market my well perfected Spinach , Cheese and Seafood Pies. And funny thing ! It was the Woodwards chain of stores that purchased them from me ! I have since created many Filo delights , appetizers, desserts and of course, Chicken Strudel, one of my first and finest Filo Dishes. Filo can be tricky if it gets dry. It will shred like burnt paper. . So, keep it well covered when not using. It also must be completely thawed before
using or once again, it will shred. And always roll up  remaining sheets in plastic wrap. The finest Filo you can buy, of course, is fresh Filo. This is usually only available at ethnic markets but how nice it is to work with ! You take one sheet at a time, brush it generously with olive oil or butter and then a thin layer of dry bread crumbs. A lot of recipes don't call for crumbs but I find it makes the product crispier . You can make individual pies with this same recipe, using three half sheets. And another lovely thing about Filo recipes is they can be completely prepped and frozen before baking ! This recipe was originally made without the sun dried tomatoes but I wanted to dress it up a bit for this blog . The strudel makes quite a presentation and mashed potatoes topped with the sauce are a fabulousaccompaniment ! And. as it is yummy cold too. What a great picnic dish ! So go get that Filo and get creative !

                       DIJON CHICKEN STRUDEL WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES

1/3 cup butter
6 boneless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
dry bread crumbs

6 sheets Filo

Melt butter in large skillet. Add chicken and saute until no longerpink inside. 

Add mustard and cream and sun dried tomatoes, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer ten minutes. Cool completely. Prepare Filo Pastry. Take one sheet of Filo and brush with olive oil.
Sprinkle with crumbs. Top with another sheet of Filo, olive oil and crumbs. Repeat using all six sheets.

Place chicken along long side of Filo. Tuck in ends and roll up like a jelly roll. Place on greased cookie sheet . Brush top of strudel with olive oil.

Bake  at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Strudel should be a deep golden color. Before rinsing skillet, add some additional cream and Dijon Mustard (about 1/2 cup cream and 4 Tbsp mustard) and whisk to make sauce. Bring to a simmer and reduce a bit. Extra chopped sun dried tomatoes can be added at this point if desired. Cut into generous slices and serve with a splash of sauce.