4 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Creation: Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

As a featured publisher for the FoodBuzz community, I participate in the Tastemaker program.  This program allows me to sample products and encourages me to come up with my own creations.   

I was offered a coupon good for a package of Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry, which I have never used before.  This product is located in the freezer section.

Included are two ready to bake sheets of frozen puff pastry.  I took the sheets out of the box, covered it with plastic wrap and let it thaw out on the counter top.  In 40 minutes, just like the directions said, the pastry was ready to use.

I checked Pepperidge Farm's website to get inspired for ideas.  When I think of puff pastry, I usually think of something sweet.  This time, I opted to try something savory.  I love chicken cordon bleu and wanted to create an appetizer.  Instead of purchasing ground chicken, I put a chicken breast and chopped it up in my food processor.

I found a few slices of my Italian bread and soaked them up with a little bit of milk.  Think of meatloaf and meatballs...you need something to tenderize and lighten up the meat.

I dumped the soaked bread into the ground chicken,

added 1/2 t. salt,

1/2 t. crushed thyme,

and 1/8 t. onion powder.  You could use sauteed onions, but I didn't have any on hand.

Pulsed all the ingredients together and this is what I have.  Now, I need something to bind it all together...

A beaten egg will do the trick ~

Now add some of your favorite ham, 1/2 c. diced.  I asked the deli guy to slice me of a ham steak size of black forest ham.  I trimmed the rind off and cubed them up into tiny pieces.

I shredded 1/2 c. Swiss cheese and added that right in.  I thought about cubing it or even putting a single cube in the center of the chicken ball, but decided against it.  I wouldn't want to bite into it and burn my mouth on melted cheese.... 

The puff pastry is pre-folded into thirds, so I opted to make 9 even squares out of one sheet.  Each square is slightly larger than 3x3 inches.

I used my small cookie scoop, which put 2 teaspoons of the chicken mixture into the center of the square. 

I brushed all the edges of the square with beaten egg whites.  This will help seal in the pastry and keep the meat inside.

I folded up each corner, slightly overlapping at the top.  I pinched each of the four seams closed.  The puffs need to go on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment paper.

I brushed the tops of each puff with a beaten egg mixed in with a little bit of water.  This will brown the puffs beautifully. 

These were baked in a  375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Not exactly a single bite size, but generous for an elegant appetizer.

Here's some inside glamour  shots...  I served this with a chicken gravy made with milk.   It was light, crispy, and flavorful.  Definitely reminded me of chicken cordon bleu, but taken a notch higher with the puff pastry!

Thank you, Pepperidge Farms & FoodBuzz!  I will be using this puff pastry again!