Last Night's Experiment -- Verdict: Delicious

Chicken Strudel

You may remember that last night I tried another culinary experiment. It was delicious! It turned out great. Not only was it easy to make, much easier than I feared, it tasted great. So great that there were no leftovers.

Serves 4

2 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 scallion, chopped (both the green and the white parts)
¼ cup raisins
½ cup cashews, chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mango chutney
1 tablespoon apple juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
8 tablespoons butter, melted
10 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed out in the refrigerator overnight
2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the shredded chicken, the chopped scallion, the raisins and the cashews in a bowl.

Add the mayonnaise, chutney, apple juice and curry powder to the bowl of a food processor. Whir to form a sauce, which will probably be more sauce then you will need for the dish.

Stir together the chicken mixture with just enough sauce to moisten. Set aside.

Unfold 1 sheet of phyllo dough, with the long side in front of you. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with some of the bread crumbs. Add a second sheet on top of the first, brush with butter and sprinkle the bread crumbs. Repeat till you have five layers. Spoon half of the chicken mixture in an even line, about 1 inch in from the long side. Roll it up, brush with melted butter and set aside. Repeat the entire process using the remaining phyllo dough, melted butter, bread crumbs and chicken mixture.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Score the strudel diagonally at approximately 1 ½ inch intervals. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly brown on top. Slice through the score marks, and serve.