Chicken and Mushroom Blini With Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Blini have been a classic part of the Slavic kitchen for centuries. There is a huge variety of fillings for these tender and thin crepes, most commonly known for Nalistniki, the absolutely delicious sweet version with farmer’s cheese or cream cheese filling, but there are also so many ways to make this into a filling meal. I usually make my meat filled blini using leftover meat that I have on hand, and boy, let me tell you, this is an awesome way to give a new identity to them.

With chicken, mushrooms and aromatics, this filling is really scrumptious. You can make it ahead of time and store it in your refrigerator or even freezer and then simply brown the blini in a skillet or oven when you are ready to serve it. These types of meals are wonderful to have on hand for busy days.

To top it all off and to really put an elegant and deluxe spin on it, I made a luscious creamy mushroom sauce to serve along with the blini. This sauce shouts out “I’m Russian” so loud, you will totally understand what I mean when you give it a try. Mushrooms are a huge part of Russian cuisine and they are included in just about every way possible. With the addition of sour cream and fresh dill, the flavor profile is amazingly classic Russian. I’ll just bet that some version of this sauce was served at Russian tables for generations.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Blini (14-16)

Filling:

• 2½ cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• thyme
• salt, pepper
• ½ - ¾ cup chicken broth

Mushroom Sauce:

• 1½ Tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 12-16 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 oz dry mushrooms, rehydrated and minced
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1¼ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoons sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, minced

Instructions

Cook the blini and set aside to cool.
Pour some boiling water over the dry mushrooms and set them aside to rehydrate. After 5 minutes, drain off the water and mince the dry mushrooms. Set them aside. You will need the dry mushrooms for the sauce only.
Prep the rest of the ingredients.

Chicken and Mushroom Stuffing:

Chop the cooked chicken into small pieces and place the chicken in a medium bowl. You can cook the chicken specifically for this dish by poaching it in simmering water or broth, roasting the chicken in the oven, or better yet, use leftovers. I only make stuffed crepes if I have leftover chicken from another meal, such as when I am making Homemade Chicken Broth, Roast Chicken, or any other chicken dish.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms, onion, celery and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Discard the thyme stems.
Transfer the mushroom mixture into the bowl with the chicken. Pour in the chicken broth. Mix to combine.

Assembling the Blini:

Place about ¼ cup of filling into the bottom center of one blin (crepe). Fold over the bottom portion over the filling. Fold the sides of the blin over the filling and then finish wrapping the blin with the stuffing away from you. It should look like this neat little package.
Repeat with the remaining stuffing and blini.

Mushroom Sauce:

Melt the butter in the same skillet that you used earlier. Add the onion, garlic, fresh and dry mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 7-10 minutes.
Add the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes, mixing until the flour is completely incorporated into the mushrooms.
Pour in the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any cooked on bits. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream, sour cream and fresh minced dill. Mix to combine. Set aside.

To Serve:

Melt about ½ a Tablespoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the stuffed blini to the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown on each side.
Pour some of the sauce over the blini and serve.

Source:

http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/appetizers/chicken-and-mushroom-blini-with-mushroom-sauce/