Crispy roast chicken vol-au-vents

Crispy roast chicken vol-au-vents

Vol-au-vents deserve to be brought back! They’re simple, endlessly customisable and – with the right filling – very, very tasty. Ditch the tired, grey chicken and mushroom sludge and bring in our creamy, hot and herby harissa-spiked version. You’ll thank us for it.

Crispy roast chicken vol-au-vents

Fancy more nibbles for your next party? Find our recipes here.

  • Serves icon Makes 20
  • Time icon Hands-on time 1 hour

Vol-au-vents deserve to be brought back! They’re simple, endlessly customisable and – with the right filling – very, very tasty. Ditch the tired, grey chicken and mushroom sludge and bring in our creamy, hot and herby harissa-spiked version. You’ll thank us for it.

Fancy more nibbles for your next party? Find our recipes here.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
81kcals
Fat
5.4g (2.6g saturated)
Protein
2.8g
Carbohydrates
5.2g (0.2g sugars)
Fibre
0.4g
Salt
0.2g

Ingredients

    • 2 free-range chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on)
    • 3 tsp harissa
    • 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry
    • 1 medium free-range egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
    • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
    • 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

    Specialist kit

    • 5cm and 3cm round cutters
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Method

  1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4 and line a small baking tray with baking paper. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, scrape away any excess fat using a small knife, then lay the pieces of skin flat on the lined baking tray.
  2. Season the skinless thighs with salt and pepper, then coat with half the harissa and put on the same tray as the skins. Roast for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the thighs. Check after 10 minutes; if the skins are light golden and crisp, remove while the thighs finish cooking. Leave both to cool but keep the oven on.
  3. Unroll the pastry sheet on a work surface and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Use a 5cm round cutter to cut out 20 circles, arranging them on the tray as you work. Use a 3cm cutter to score smaller circles in the centre of each disc, ensuring you don’t cut all the way through the pastry. Brush with the beaten egg, then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until puffed up and golden.
  4. Once the chicken has cooled, cut off the bone and finely chop. Mix with the créme fraîche, remaining harissa and chopped coriander. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  5. To serve, push the middle circle in the pastry cases down to create a little well, then spoon in the filling. Break the crispy chicken skin into small shards and put a piece on top of each vol-au-vent. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
81kcals
Fat
5.4g (2.6g saturated)
Protein
2.8g
Carbohydrates
5.2g (0.2g sugars)
Fibre
0.4g
Salt
0.2g

delicious. tips

  1. Save leftover pastry scraps for cheese twists or pie decoration. It freezes well but try to keep it flat if you still want it to puff up evenly.

  2. Both the cooked pastry cases and filling can be prepared to the end of step 4 up to 2 days in advance, meaning all you have to do on the day is put them together. Store the pastry cases and crispy chicken skin in airtight containers and the filling in the fridge.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

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