Chicken Salad in Puff Pastry Cups will be the hit of your next party! These little appetizers are simple to make, and they can be filled with chicken salad, egg salad, or ham salad. Make them and watch your guests gobble them up!
I adore tea parties. They’re a great excuse to get the girls together, and they feel so celebratory.
One of the reasons I adore them is the food, of course. Scones, mini cucumber sandwiches, and sweets—yes, please!
I recently threw a Tea Party baby shower, and Chicken Salad in Puff Pastry Cups were on the menu. Everyone raved about them, and they disappeared by the end of the shower. That’s when you know you have a winner!
This recipe includes an easy recipe for homemade chicken salad. But if you prefer to use store-bought, you should do that. The puff pastry cups are the star, anyway!
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Ingredients
- Puff pastry forms the cups. Make sure that it is defrosted according to package directions.
- Brushing the puff pastry with an egg makes for a shiny, golden brown finish.
- Chicken, walnuts, diced red onions, and grapes make up the chicken salad.
- Greek yogurt holds all of the chicken salad ingredients together.
How to make homemade puff pastry cups
Defrost the puff pastry according to package directions.
Lay one sheet of puff pastry out flat on a countertop, and pinch together any tears in the dough (sometimes this happens as you’re unfolding it).
Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut 20 circles in the dough. Use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut a circle in the middle of TEN of those circles.
So you’ll have 10 whole circles, and 10 circles with 1 inch cut out of them.
Next, replace any pieces that have come out (creating one big sheet again) and brush a beaten egg over the top.
Repeat the process with the other sheet of puff pastry.
Then, place all of the whole 2-inch circles on the baking sheet.
Top each of them with the other circles (the ones with the 1-inch circle in the middle).
Chill the pan for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This helps the puff pastry puff up nicely when it bakes.
Then, bake the puff pastry cups for 16–20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Once cool, take a paring knife and gently cut and remove the 1-inch circle from each cup. You’ll be left with a hole for filling with chicken salad.
How to make chicken salad with Greek yogurt
Great news for mayonnaise haters (like me): you can substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise in chicken salad. But if you like mayo, then you can definitely use that instead (this recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes is a great one).
This chicken salad recipe has grapes, walnuts, and red onion. I love the sweetness from the grapes, the crunch from the walnuts, and the bite from the onion.
If you prefer, store-bought chicken salad, or even egg salad or ham salad, also works great.
I topped the bites off with finely chopped chives. They’re best served within an hour or two of making them, otherwise the puff pastry can begin to get soggy.
You can check out the rest of my Tea Party baby shower here!
Can puff pastry cups be made ahead?
Yes! You can make both the cups and the chicken salad the day before, and then assemble them right before serving. Just be sure to store the puff pastry cups in an airtight container overnight.
Can I serve puff pastry appetizers at room temperature?
These appetizers will be fine for up to 4 hours at room temperature. If you are serving them outside in 80°F+ weather, they will be ok for up to one hour only.
What to stuff in puff pastry cups
Here are a few more ideas!
- Chicken salad (homemade or store bought)
- Egg salad
- Ham salad
- Tuna salad
- Lobster salad
- Whipped cream + fruit jam
- Chocolate mousse + fresh strawberry slices
- Nutella + banana slices
More impressive appetizers
- Puff Pastry Bites with Goat Cheese and Jam
- Cold Crab Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
- Mini Cucumber Sandwiches
- Easy Fruit Dip
- Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Salad in Puff Pastry Cups
Ingredients
For the puff pastry:
- 1 (17.3 oz) box puff pastry, defrosted per package instructions
- 1 egg
- all-purpose flour
For the chicken salad:
- 6 oz cooked chicken breast, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons walnuts, finely chopped
- ¾ cup grapes, halved (quartered if large)
- ¼–½ teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- For garnish: chopped chives
Instructions
For the puff pastry:
- Remove one sheet of puff pastry from the box. Place the other sheet of puff pastry back in the refrigerator.
- Unfold the sheet of puff pastry and place on a flat surface. Use your fingers to gently press on any cracks in the pastry, especially along the creases.
- Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter in the all-purpose flour. Cut 20 circles out of the pastry, dipping the cookie cutter in the flour after every few uses to ensure the dough doesn’t stick.
- Take a 1 inch round cookie cutter (I used a cherry pitter as my cookie cutter) and cut another circle in the middle of 10 of the circles (see above for photos). You’ll have 10 whole circles and 10 circles with a smaller circle in them.
- Remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator and repeat this process.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a nonstick silicone mat or parchment paper. Place any cut-outs back into their original place within the sheets of pastry.
- Brush the beaten egg over the top of both pieces of puff pastry. Remove the 20 whole circles and place them at least 1.5 inches apart on the baking sheet. Remove one of the circles with another circle in it, and stack it on top of one of the whole circles on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining circles. You’ll have 20 stacks total. Place the stacks in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for 16–20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
For the chicken salad:
- While the puff pastry pieces are cooling, place all of the chicken salad ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir gently to combine.
- Once the puff pastry stacks are cool, use a paring knife to gently cut around and remove the inside circle from the top of each stack, creating a hole.
- Place approximately one heaping tablespoon of chicken salad into the hole of each of the puff pastry stacks. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.
Laurie says
These turned out perfectly but I have one question. It says to just flatten the dough at the seams with your fingers but in your image the dough looks like it’s rolled out. My pastry sheet did not produce 10 2″ cut outs. I would have only done this if I had rolled it out. If you could clarify, I would appreciate it.
Kate Shungu says
Hi Laurie, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! My guess is that different brands of puff pastry are slightly different sizes. I usually use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. I wouldn’t roll it out as this may make them a little flatter!
Laurie says
Thank you Kate. I am making them again today. I am also using Pepperidge Farm brand. I have researched other pastry cup recipes and they all roll them out. I think that I will roll out just a bit. I’ll let you know. I really like your instructions as they are very easy to follow.
Merry Christmas!
Kate Shungu says
Yes, please do let me know how they turned out for you! Merry Christmas!
Pam says
Can I make ahead a day? If so would you fill at the last minute. How would I store the shells?
Pam says
Sorry Kate! I see you answered my question once I read further. No need to respond.
Guess one more question. Could I make slightly larger? Same amount of baking time if so?
Jan says
Can I use boughten frozen puff pastry cups?
Kate Shungu says
Yes! Bake them according to package directions, let cool, and fill with the chicken salad.