Greek-style Chicken in Phyllo

This recipe is from an awesome cookbook entitled The Best of the Best, given to me by my dear friend Janine. She made this dish for me once and I loved it so when she also gave me the cookbook I couldn't wait to try it. As usual, I changed it a bit to suit my tastes, and here is what I came up with. I've made this well over a dozen times in the past couple of years, in spite of the work involved, because it's just so delicious. And it's always a hit with company, so if you're looking for something to try out with guests, give this a whirl. This recipe makes 8 servings. Men (or women!) with hearty appetites will eat 2, so keep that in mind when you're deciding how many to make.

Greek-style Chicken in Phyllo

Ingredients

8-16 sheets phyllo pastry sheets (I buy them frozen at Safeway; be sure to thaw before using)

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

salt to taste

1-2 tbsp Greek spice mix (recipe below)

1 bunch or half a small bag of fresh spinach leaves, stems removed (important)

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped (dried won't cut it)

1 large red pepper, cut into strips

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Greek Spice Mix

equal parts of dried parsley, thyme, marjoram, and oregano

1/2 a part of coarse black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place rack in the middle of the oven.

It is VERY important that you prepare all of your ingredients before you begin assembling them in the phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is finicky, and can't be left out for long periods of time, so you want to have everything ready to go and within easy reach before you take the dough out of its packaging. I make an assembly line in the following order and it works really well: on the far left, the package of phyllo dough, then a bowl with melted butter and a pastry brush, then a plate with the chicken breast halves, then three small bowls - one with salt, one with greek spice mix, and one with the chopped basil, then the a bowl with the spinach, a plate with the red pepper, and finally, a bowl with the feta cheese. Leave enough counter space in front of your assembly line for the actual assembly. If you don't have a long enough counter, work around a corner, or use your dining room table.

Note: the easiest way to assemble these is with your hands and since you have to work quickly, you're going to be handling raw chicken, then the other ingredients, so only prep what you need. Anything extra will have to be thrown out due to cross-contamination.

Once your assembly line is ready to go, set out 1-2 baking dishes or cookie sheets with sides (depending on their size and how many servings you're making) at the end of the line and cover with a damp towel. This will prevent the rolled phyllo servings from drying out as you make the rest.

Now you're ready to begin putting these tasty packages together. Take out 1-2 sheets of phyllo dough per serving. I like to use two to help prevent tearing the dough while rolling, but if you don't want the corners where the dough is concentrated to be doughy, then only use one sheet. Once you've done this a couple of times you can assemble two at once, but I'd recommend just doing one at a time to being with.

Fold the phyllo sheet(s) in half (not lengthwise) and brush melted butter on the edges. Place a piece of chicken in the middle, near the bottom (or side, depending on how you have the dough positioned) of the phyllo. Season with salt and greek spices by sprinking some on with your fingers. Then add some of the chopped basil (I do about 1/2 tsp per serving). Next layer on the spinach leaves (6-8 per serving) and red pepper (3-4 slices per serving), and finish by sprinkling a healthy portion of feta on top of it all. Roll the chicken and phyllo over once, then fold edges toward the middle and continue rolling to form a small rectangular package. Use a bit more melted butter to help the dough stick if necessary. Place the finished package in the baking dish, brush with a little butter, and cover with the damp towel while making the others.

Once they are all prepared, remove the towel and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Serve hot with lots of Greek salad (see my next post for a killer Greek salad recipe). Absolutely scrumptious!