Several years ago I ate a dish very similar to this at a local restaurant. Ever since, I’ve wanted to tackle a re-creation of it. But I’ve put it off because Phyllo dough makes me nervous.
I have only cooked with Phyllo dough one other time in my life and that one time was definitely not a success. I just didn’t want to waste the money on a more expensive ingredient if it wasn’t going to turn out well. Also the fact that I wasn’t going to follow a recipe added to my hesitation. If it flopped completely, I knew I’d have only myself to blame.
Well I am pleased to say that I finally gathered all my courage and went for it. The result was delicious and definitely something I’ll be trying again. I’m also excited to see what other ideas I can come up with for the leftover Phyllo dough. I’m thinking baklava, but I’m not decided yet.
Actually, to be completely honest, I should let you know that while the kids and I loved this dinner, it didn’t get a full approval from my husband. He would have preffered a sweet cherry sauce as opposed to the savory one I served it with. So I’m including a sweet cherry sauce option in the recipe as well.
Chicken Strudel with Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 sheet phyllo dough, cut into 6 equal sized squares
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat and seasoned with salt and pepper, to taste, cut into 6 pieces
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp sour cream
Alternate sweet cherry sauce:
- 1/2 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sour cream
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and garlic powder. Set aside.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Working with just one square at a time, take 1/2 the layers of phyllo dough and lightly brush melted over them. Add one piece of chicken on top. Place two small spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on top. Cover with remaining layers of phyllo dough from the appropriate square. Brush completely with melted butter. Repeat with remaining 5.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and phyllo is golden brown.
- In a small skillet, combine cherries, chicken stock and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and let boil until stock is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Drizzle over chicken to serve.
For alternate sweet cherry sauce:
- Combine cherries, water and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil until thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and sour cream.
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