The following “Chew This!” column has been reprinted from “The Shelbyville News”. By: Blaise Doubman.

Perfect Party Appetizers
Blaise Doubman

I have been planning this column for a while, testing and retesting my recipe and method of serving and kept telling myself I would share it once we are all comfortable getting out and entertaining and socializing again but who knows when that will be? So, I am sharing it now. I love chicken salad and love finding new and unique ways of serving it. I love chicken salad served on homemade croissants, on homemade wheat bread or even served chilled on the inside of a cold melon and sprinkled with mint. When developing this recipe, I took inspiration from a recipe that appeared in my second cookbook, “Blaise the Baker Celebrates” where you take chicken salad and pour it into a pie pan, top it with crumpled salted phyllo dough sheets, bake it off in the oven and serve it warm. This is the same concept except portable. You can find phyllo dough cups in the frozen section of your local grocery store. It is most generally found with the puff pastry alongside the ice cream and desserts. You can buy regular phyllo dough sheets and make your own cups, but the sheets are so thin it proves difficult. It is much easier to buy the premade cups. Once you try phyllo dough cups and the delicious taste and delightful crunch you may find all kinds of ways to use them! They are also delicious filled with custard or puddings and then topped with fresh berries. The sky is really the limit here.

For this recipe I really like using rotisserie chicken because it combines the best of both worlds, white and dark meat. Plus, the meat has been cooked perfectly and already seasoned! If you prefer using all white or all dark meat, do that! If you are doing that, my favorite way of roasting chicken in the oven is by placing it on a baking sheet and drizzling the chicken with olive oil and sprinkling it with salt and black pepper. Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for about 30-40 minutes depending on the cut of chicken you are using. I prefer to get my chicken from the butcher and request that they leave the skin on and the bone in. I find that this really makes the meat so much moister than if the skin and bones were removed. Experiment with my recipe here and add things to suit your tastes. Add grapes, toasted nuts or even crushed pineapple. Just be careful to chop and dice everything super fine because the phyllo dough cups are small, and you want to have a little of each ingredient inside each cup. These are delicious!

Chicken Salad Phyllo Cups

These can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

1 box phyllo dough cups
1 rotisserie chicken, skin off, deboned and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Juice from ½ lemon

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the phyllo dough cups and place them onto a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes until warm and crispy.

Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

To make the chicken salad, combine the prepared rotisserie chicken, mayonnaise, chopped celery, mined onion, salt, black pepper and squeeze of lemon juice in a large bowl.

Spoon the chicken salad carefully into the baked phyllo dough cups.

Serve and enjoy!

Ask and Answer: Lately people have been asking me about my favorite deviled egg recipe. It really varies from time to time depending on my mood and what tastes I am looking for, but I will share my current favorite here with all of you now! Combine the egg yolks with some salt and black pepper in a bowl and mash together. Add mayonniase, a little mustard, a splash of apple cider vinegar, pinch of garlic powder, pinch of onion powder and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Measurements here are hard to provide because it really depends on how many eggs you boil; therefore it depends on how many egg yolks you are using.