Lisa's Chicken Elegante'

This is a dinner party showpiece disguised as a weeknight-friendly recipe. Chicken breasts get wrapped first in thin sliced ham, then in bacon to hold everything together, and baked in a cream of mushroom and sour cream sauce until cooked through.

Then comes the second act. Each sauced breast gets tucked inside a rectangle of puff pastry, sealed into a neat packet, and baked again until the pastry puffs up golden and flaky. The reserved mushroom-sour cream sauce gets warmed and poured over at the table.

The two-stage bake is clever. The first round cooks the chicken completely and infuses it with the creamy sauce. The second round is just about getting the puff pastry crisp, so the chicken doesn’t dry out waiting for the pastry to catch up.

Pro Tips

• Place chicken seam-side down during the first bake so the bacon stays wrapped tight and doesn’t unravel.
• Don’t dilute the cream of mushroom soup. It needs to stay thick to coat the chicken rather than pool at the bottom.
• Cut the puff pastry along its natural fold lines for six even rectangles. No rolling needed.
• Crimp the pastry edges firmly. Any gaps let steam escape and the pastry won’t puff properly around the chicken.

Variations

• Swiss cheese layer: Tuck a slice of Swiss cheese between the ham and chicken before wrapping in bacon for a cordon bleu twist.
• Lighter sauce: Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt and use a reduced-fat cream soup for less richness.