Classic Russian Kurnik: Chicken & Mushroom Pancake Pie

Amazing taste, amazing aroma — eaten instantly! Kurnik with chicken and mushrooms from pancakes — an old Russian layer cake with a variety of fillings, very elegant and festive. The cooking process is long, but guests and family will be delighted with your culinary talents. Try it!
cook time: 48h
Ava Prescott
Classic Russian Kurnik: Chicken & Mushroom Pancake Pie

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

205
Calories
11g
Fat
15g
Carbs
10g
Protein

Ingredients (12 portions)

Puff pastry:

Wheat flour 250 g
Water 125 ml
Butter 150 g
Salt 5 g
Lemon acid 3 g

Fillings:

Chicken fillet 500 g
Wheat flour 2 tsp
Eggs 2 pc
Mushrooms 150 g
Rice 115 g
Water 230 ml
Hard cheese 100 g
Butter 50 g
Salt 1 tsp
Ground black pepper 2 g
Dill 1 g
Chicken bouillon 150 ml

Pancakes:

Milk 150 ml
Wheat flour 100 g
Eggs 1 pc
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp
Salt 3 g
Sugar 1 tbsp

For lubrication:

Eggs 1 pc
Sour cream 1 tbsp

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to make kurnik with chicken and mushrooms? I cooked for two days (but you can cook in one day if time allows). On the first day I made the puff pastry and fillings, and on the second day I did the assembly and baking. So first we prepare the puff pastry. To do this, sift the flour through a fine sieve (this will enrich the flour with oxygen and the baked goods will be more fluffy) into a deep bowl and make a well.

Step 2

Step 2
Then pour room temperature water mixed with salt and citric acid into the center. Knead the dough quickly. After kneading, leave the dough for 15 minutes.

Step 3

Step 3
Roll out the dough into a layer 0.5 cm thick so that it does not stick; periodically sprinkle the rolling pin and countertop with flour. Place soft butter on top, spreading slightly away from the edge. The butter should be about the same consistency as the dough. Fold the dough into quarters so that the ends meet. Fold the left edge first, then the top and bottom. Finally, fold in the right edge.

Step 4

Step 4
Roll out the dough 1 cm thick. Cover with a damp cloth and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Repeat rolling again in the same order and cool for another 20-30 minutes. Then again. As a result, repeat the rolling 3 times. Then wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the refrigerator.

Step 5

Step 5
Prepare the sauce. To do this, sauté the flour in a frying pan and add the broth. (You can season each filling with part of the broth, or you can, like me, pour broth over each layer).

Step 6

Step 6
Prepare the rice filling. Boil the eggs. Boil the fluffy rice, add melted butter to it. Finely chop the eggs and dill. Combine with rice. Add some salt.

Step 7

Step 7
Prepare the mushroom filling. Chop the mushrooms (I used porcini, but you can also use champignons), not very finely, and fry in butter, you can cut half a medium onion and fry along with the mushrooms. (Onions are not specified in the original recipe, but I prefer fried mushrooms with onions)

Step 8

Step 8
Chicken filling: Boil chicken fillet in salted water. Pour out the broth for the sauce. Remove the fillet and chop finely.

Step 9

Step 9
Bake pancakes. To do this, whisk the egg and salt in a deep bowl, gradually add sugar, milk and flour (the ingredients should be at room temperature), leave the dough to “rest” for 10 minutes, then bake in a hot frying pan greased with vegetable oil (only before the first baking).. You should get 5 pancakes, mine are 19 cm in diameter. You can grease each one with butter.

Step 10

Step 10
Divide the dough into 2 parts — one slightly larger, the other smaller. Roll each one to a thickness of 4-5 mm (I rolled it directly on parchment), sprinkling the rolling pin with flour so that the dough does not stick. Cut out 2 circles from the dough. One is 21 cm, the other is larger 24 cm.

Step 11

Step 11
Place the smaller piece on a baking sheet along with parchment. There is no need to grease the parchment with anything, there is enough oil in the dough and the chicken will not stick and will come off well. Place one pancake on top of the dough. And lay out layers of filling. First add half of the rice filling. Pour over the sauce.

Step 12

Step 12
Cover with the second pancake. Place the meat filling and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with half the grated cheese. Cover with the third pancake. Then pour the mushroom filling over the sauce, sprinkle with cheese and cover with the fourth pancake. Place the second part of the rice filling in the form of a slide, pour over the sauce. Cover with the last pancake. Then cover with the second piece of puff pastry. Connect the edges of the top and bottom blanks. Decorate the surface of the pie with dough figures.

Step 13

Step 13
Bake in an oven preheated to 170 degrees. I baked for exactly an hour. But here you need to navigate your oven and after about half an hour periodically check the pie for readiness — it should brown and give off an amazing aroma, you can also check the readiness with a toothpick (immerse it in the pie), if it is dry — the pie is ready! If the cake is browned but the toothpick is wet, cover it with foil to prevent it from burning and bake until the toothpick is dry.

Additional rubrics

Related recipes