Chicken and Mushroom Vol au Vents

Chicken and Mushroom Vol au Vents are light, flaky pastry shells filled with a creamy, savory mixture of chicken and mushrooms. These elegant appetizers are perfect for special occasions. For more starter ideas to elevate your meal, check out my appetizer suggestions.

In essence, they are small round puff-pastries, which are filled with a savoury mixture. Generally speaking, it’s with a meaty of white fish filling. If you are looking to serve complementary canapés, then try these mini salmon rissoles with sour cream and caviar.

Chicken and mushroom vol au vents with Parmesan

To make this chicken and mushroom vol au vents the best it can be, always go for authentic Parmesan cheese. One way to make sure you are dealing with the authentic King of cheeses, keep a look out for the P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) certification, which certifies its origins and the standards used to make this delicious cheese.

about Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmesan, also known as Parmigiano Reggiano, is a hard and granular cheese. The latter is special because it is produced exclusively in specific provinces in Italy, as certified by the P.D.O certification.

These provinces include Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bologna - a region enclosed between the rivers Po and Reno.

In this region, the forage is grown, milk is produced and processed into cheese. It is also a place where the cheese is matured and is packaged.

Parmesan cheese has been made in Italy since the year 1200, which means almost nine centuries of excellence. In 2018, 3 699 695 wheels of cheese were produced.

The average weight of one wheel is 39.9 kilos.  Did you know that 13.5 litres of milk is needed to produce a kilo of Parmesan cheese? In 2018, there were over 2,800 farms supplying the milk.

Just imagine all the hard work and love that goes into your Parmesan cheese. This is why I also love cooking with it. For instance, I’ve made:

• Parmesan parsnips
• baked Parma ham and Parmesan croquettes combined with a chilli and lime yoghurt dip
• Parmesan arancini
• tomato orzo with bacon and Parmesan cheese

To learn more about Parmesan cheese, click here.

Chicken and mushroom vol au vents recipe

Here’s a handy tip. To speed up the preparation process in the kitchen with this chicken and mushroom vol au vents, you don’t have to make the puff pastry from scratch. Although, this would produce best results. However, there is no shame in using pre-made puff pastry. It truly is a time-saver.

The best part is that the puff pastry will not only help you complete the chicken and mushroom vol au vents, but if you have raw leftover pastry, you can create other types of recipes with it.

For instance, you can use the pastry to finish this game pie, this goat’s cheese and beetroot tart or these ham and cheese puff pastry tartlets . Or better yet, make this irresistibly gooey camembert en croute.

Chicken and mushroom vol au vent calories

These chicken and mushroom vol au vents are bite-sized. Therefore, even though they are rich in flavour, they are small in terms of portion size. There won’t be any damage if you eat two or three of these babies.

If you want to still take precautions, then omit the cream in the filling and use stock instead. You’ll be able to save a little on the calorie count.

How to make vol au vents fillings

The key to making the best type of filling for the chicken and mushroom vol au vents is to let the ingredients simmer on low heat. The longer you simmer the sauce, the better and more balanced will be.

Tip: For the mushrooms, brown them first. Don’t crowd the mushrooms in the saucepan. Otherwise, they won’t brown properly.

Tip: Add the cream when the saucepan is on low heat. Otherwise the cream will split and the chicken and mushroom vol au vents will be unappetising. Otherwise, take the sauce off the heat and wait for one minute. Then add the cream element.  

Tip: Instead of using onions, use shallots instead. Shallots are more aromatic, and they release more fragrant flavours. That’s why they are always used in sauces in chef's kitchens.

Vol au vent filling recipes

There are plenty of vol au vent fillings that resemble this chicken and mushroom vol au vents recipe or are equally as delicious. In fact, you can inspire yourself with the recipes mentioned below.

• Vegetarian Cornish pasties - instead of the meaty filling of these chicken and mushroom vol au vents, you can make them also suitable for vegetarians.
• Beef and mushroom pie - another delicious and rich filling
• Lancashire butter pie - a more traditional filling, which also turns out to be inexpensive
• Gluten-free shepherd’s pie - a delicious rich filling
• Vegan spaghetti Bolognese sauce - a vegan alternative to the meaty filling of the chicken and mushroom vol au vents

You can use any type of these pie fillings for a vol au vent recipe because they are interchangeable. My recommendation is that you make large batches of vol au vents.

Just alter the fillings and give your guests a bit of variety in terms of flavours. Which ones would you opt for?

Best toppings

To make my chicken and mushroom vol au vents truly stand out and be the best crowd pleasing starter, I topped them with my easy-to-make Parmesan crisps. They look sophisticated but any cook can pull it off.

All you need is high quality Parmesan - mature or young. Just remember to look for the P.D.O. seal to make sure that you are cooking with authentic Parmigiano Reggiano! It makes a world of difference.

Here are some other delicious toppings you can consider for these vol au vents:

• Parmesan cheese – adding freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano is never a bad idea!
• Pomegranate seeds – they provide a subtle sweet yet tart flavour, plus they make the vol au vent look elegant
• Fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley, chives or watercress
• Spring onions or scallions
• Sweet corn for a sweet yet savoury flavour

If you love finger foods, you should definitely check out these stuffed cherry tomatoes.

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