Chicken in Phyllo Pastry

The first time I made this recipe was in University, when I was having some new friends over for dinner. I can't remember for the life of me why I decided on this particular dish, but when at dinner the girls were asking where I bought the chicken bundles from, I knew I had found a new favourite. Since that day back in 2001 I have made this numerous times for many different people. I've privately dubbed it my best 'dish to impress'. That is, if I'm cooking for people for the first time, I know this dish will is a crowd pleaser. So when I was visiting my sister in Toronto and she told me we were having some of her friends for dinner, who were looking forward to having me cook for them (I think she may have talked me up a bit) I thought, why not pull out ole faithful. It was a hit!

Chicken in Phyllo

- 8 Phyllo Pastry Sheets, thawed overnight in refrigerator

- 1/4 cup (or more) butter, melted

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

- 1 bunch of fresh spinach leaves, stems removed

- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

- 1 large red pepper, cut in strips

- 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

One of the biggest things with making this dish, is the prep. After years of prepping this, my best advice is to have everything ready in an assembly line type operation. Phyllo is not difficult to work with, as long as you take care of it. What I mean by that is to cover the phyllo you are not using with a damp cloth. This helps it to not dry out and crack, making your life much easier. Once you have each of the items prepped and set out, it's time to get started.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on counter and fold in half. Brush melted butter along edges. Place chicken breast half in the middle, near the bottom of phyllo. Layer spinach, a sprinkling of basil, red pepper strips and some feta cheese. Roll chicken and phyllo over once. Fold edges toward the middle and continue rolling until you've formed a nice little bundle.

Place on cookie sheet, brush with butter. Now the next key is to cover this with another damp cloth, covering each bundle as you work. Once this is completed, you can either cook right away, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake in middle rack of 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes.

This dish is from The Best of Bridge, one of the best cookbooks you should have. It is great served with the Chickpea Couscous.

Chicken and Brie Panini

The panini press is a fantastic thing. Luckily for us our panini press is part of our indoor grill. If you're in the market to purchase an indoor grill, I would highly recommend you get one that comes with a panini press. The options are endless when you can whip up a quick grilled sandwich, such as the one we had for dinner last week.

Grilled Chicken and Brie Panini

- loaf of crusty bread (if you're unsure, ask at the bakery what would work well in a press)

- boneless, skinless chicken breast

- 1 pear, sliced

- Brie cheese, sliced

- Sweet jam (I used a maple and walnut spread)

Cook chicken however you please. I simply rubbed some olive oil, salt and pepper on mine and baked in 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

Slice bread in good sized sandwich portions, and then cut in half. Spread bottom half with sweet jam. Layer pears, chicken and brie, top with other piece of bread. Place in panini press and cook until cheese is nice and melted.

A trick we've picked up from watching panini's made at cafe's is to use parchment paper on both sides of the grill, so you don't end up with a sticky gooey cheesy mess to clean up.