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Tartlets with chicken, mushrooms and cheese in the oven

Baked Tartlets with Chicken, Mushrooms & Cheese

Juicy filling and crisp pastry — a flavor extravaganza! These baked tartlets with chicken, mushrooms, and cheese are right at home on any party or buffet table. Nobody can resist them — they vanish completely! The filling is light but satisfying, meaty-tasting with a mushroom undertone and a gentle cheesy tang.

Blue-Eyed

Recipe author

Tartlets with chicken, mushrooms and cheese in the oven

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Puff pastry (non-yeast dough, or 12 ready-made salad tartlet shells)

500

Chicken breast

350

Button mushrooms (fresh used, frozen work too)

250

Hard cheese

100

Processed cheese (Druzhba processed cheese)

Cream (10%)

110

Garlic (large)

Mayonnaise

Salt

Pepper

Fresh herbs

Honey mushrooms (small pickled, 2 per tartlet — 24 total)

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 11 g

Fats 41 % 17 g

Carbohydrates 32 % 13 g

246 kcal

GI: 8 / 92 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make baked tartlets with chicken, mushrooms, and cheese? We'll use puff pastry. Why puff pastry, when it puffs up so much as it bakes? It's all about the special flavor, which you'll definitely appreciate. You can buy ready-made shells — go for the sturdier "salad" ones so the bottoms don't get soggy right away. Or make the puff pastry yourself, or buy it ready-made. I used a non-yeast kind that doesn't need rolling out; they make that now.
Step 2:

Thaw the pastry at room temperature. After 15–20 minutes, take it out of the package; the sheets separate easily. I had 3 sheets. I set them on a lightly floured board and cover them with plastic and a towel so they don't dry out. Thawing and handling instructions vary by brand, so check the back of the package.
Step 3:

After about 15 minutes the pastry reaches room temperature and only now is it ready to work with. If needed, roll it out in one direction to about 1/8 inch (3–4 mm). Using the top diameter of your mold as a guide, cut out rounds with a sharp knife. I'm using a muffin tin and some wider metal tartlet molds. I found some cups the right size to trace as templates.
Step 4:

Lightly grease the molds with refined vegetable oil. Set the pastry rounds in and gently press them against the sides, forming a hollow. Prick the pastry with a fork and brush the top with oil too.
Step 5:

The pastry will want to puff up as it bakes — that's just what puff pastry does. For deeper tartlets, cover the tops with parchment and fill with pie weights (dried peas or beans). Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights and bake another 5 minutes until golden.
Step 6:

I wanted shallow tartlets, so I baked them without weights. After 8–10 minutes, once the centers started puffing up, I just pressed them down with a teaspoon. Let the finished shells cool in the molds, then remove them.
Step 7:

While the shells cool, make the filling. The chicken can be boiled or fried. The mushrooms can be fresh or frozen. Homemade mayonnaise is best, but good store-bought works too, as long as you like the taste. Use pourable 10% cream. Salt and pepper are all you need, so you don't overpower the mushrooms.
Step 8:

I fried my chicken. Wash the meat and dry it well. Cut it into thin, long strips along the grain. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and fry the chicken for 3–4 minutes over high heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Don't overcook it — lightly golden is enough, since chicken cooks fast. Transfer it to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Step 9:

Rinse the mushrooms, let them dry, and chop them finely — first into slices, then into smaller bits.
Step 10:

Finely chop the fried chicken too, across the grain. You'll have about twice as much mushroom as chicken, but the mushrooms shrink a lot as they cook.
Step 11:

In a clean skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add the mushrooms. Cook until the liquid evaporates; when they start to turn golden, add the chicken. Stir, pour in a little cream, and season with salt to taste. Cook until the cream has evaporated but the mixture is still moist, then take it off the heat. Don't overcook it, so the filling stays juicy. Let it cool.
Step 12:

Grate both cheeses on a fine grater. Press in the garlic clove. Add a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix well. The mixture shouldn't be too mayo-heavy or wet — aim for a soft, spreadable consistency.
Step 13:

Fill the tartlets. Put 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture on the bottom and spread it evenly. Top with 1 tablespoon of the chicken-mushroom filling and level it so there's room for a garnish. For that garnish, you can sauté a few mushroom slices or use small pickled button or honey mushrooms — any option is good. Finish with a leaf of fresh herbs or a sprig of dill.
Step 14:

The tartlets can be served right away, but they also hold up well made ahead. Thanks to the puff pastry base, they keep both their good looks and great taste.

For an appetizer like this, most cooks reach for ready-made tartlet shells. Medium-sized "salad" shells work best.
You can make the filling ahead and fill the shells just before serving. Homemade puff pastry tartlets look different from store-bought ones, but they're amazingly crisp and keep longer.
You can use a different filling, but chicken and mushrooms is a can't-miss combination. And that little layer of cheese, with its light garlic aroma, adds a savory touch that plays well with both the chicken and the mushrooms. Highly recommend trying it!
Buy fresh, medium button mushrooms — snow-white, with no spots, damage, or off smell, and not slippery to the touch. Rinse them thoroughly under warm or cold running water. Trim any bad spots. Tiny mushrooms under about 3/4 inch (2 cm) don't need peeling at all — a good rinse is enough. For larger ones, it's best to peel the caps.