Greek Chicken Strudel

This by far has been one of my favorite recipes!

I had received my monthly Food Network Magazine and saw this recipe. It is unlike anything we have ever cooked before! We have never made a Greek dish and we have never played with phyllo dough. I know I have never had half the ingredients included in the filling, but I wanted to try it! It looked delicious and sounded pretty good. Besides, it was time to challenge my culinary skills again!   This recipe was more difficult in the sense that I haven't played with phyllo dough before, but the rest is easy! I was also excited when my husband came home from work and jumped right in with helping. I'm not sure if I had the "I think I'm in over my head" look or what, but I was glad he was there!  He helped chop up my fennel because we had to YouTube how to do that and I was too intimidated. He also helped chop the other ingredients, measure them and ultimately mixed the mixture up while I played with the dough! I was thankful and proud of our team effort. I admire the way we move in the kitchen together so easily and with such patience for one another.   I know I have said this before, but cooking together is one of my favorite things and even though he wouldn't admit it, he's actually really good at it!  

So here is the recipe, again it is from Food Network Magazine! I will say one last thing, if you are scared of the phyllo dough, don't be! It doesn't matter if it looks a mess, it just matters that you have the butter between the layers and that it rolls in one piece in the end! Good luck and it is delicious!

Greek Chicken Strudel

from Food Network

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 small bulb fennel, cored and chopped, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fronds
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (not oil-packed)
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
4 ounces manouri cheese or goat's-milk feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1 stick unsalted butter, melted



Directions

1.) Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and the paprika. Add to the pot and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2.) Add the fennel bulb and bell pepper to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. 

3.) Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. 

4.) Add the rice and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, 2 minutes. 

5.) Add the chicken broth and return the chicken to the pot; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 16 to 18 minutes. 

6.) Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, lemon zest, scallions, parsley, oregano, fennel fronds and cheese; stir to combine.

This next part is about using the phyllo dough... Which I feel like is the most difficult part. The phyllo dough cannot get dry or it will crack, stick together, fall apart. So a lightly damp paper towel helps to keep it moist. But be careful not too moist or the dough will stick to the next layers!

Also, our phyllo dough is not large enough to hold all the mixture, so we make two sets of "dough wrap" and split the chicken mixture in half. Essentially we make two strudels!

7.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

8.) Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo on the parchment and brush generously with melted butter. 

9.) Layer another sheet of phyllo on top; brush with butter. Repeat with the remaining 6 sheets of phyllo; do not butter the last sheet. (Reserve about 2 tablespoons butter to brush the outside of the strudel.)

10.) Mound the chicken mixture down one long side of the phyllo, about 2 inches from the edge. Use the parchment to lift the phyllo and roll it around the filling to make a long cylinder with open ends; arrange seam-side down on the parchment. 

11.) Cut several small slits in the top of the roll and brush with the reserved melted butter.

12.) Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut into thick slices.