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Gluten-Free Crepes Filled with Creamy Chicken

Home / Gluten-Free Crepes Filled with Creamy Chicken

May 05, 2017

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Gluten-free crepes with creamy chicken filling

Crepes

Ingredients

Makes about 6 x 8-inch crèpes

  • 2/3 cup (2+3/4 oz, 80 g) cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) fine cornmeal
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • Some freshly ground pepper
  • ½ cup milk (120 ml)
  • 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) oil—I use olive oil
  • 2 large eggs

Instructions

  1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a 4-cup bowl.
  2. Add eggs, milk, oil, salt, pepper and any spices you like, then mix until smooth, thin batter is formed. This is easiest to do with an immersion blender, liquidizer or electric hand mixer.
  3. Heat a nonstick pan (crèpe, omelet, or skillet with a 7-8 inch flat bottom) over medium heat. Rub pan with about 1 tsp. of oil, the pour in about 3-4 Tbsp. batter (I use a ¼ cup measure and don’t quite fill it). Batter should sizzle and start to stay in place, tilt and shake the pan to evenly cover bottom of pan with a circle of batter, but try not to shake the batter up the sides of the pan.
  4. Let cook for about 1 minute until edges start to curl slightly. The bottom side should be fairly evenly light golden brown. Flip the crèpe and cook an additional 15-30 seconds until the second side has patchy brown spots. Remove crèpe from pan and stack on ovenproof plate. The first crèpe is often nowhere near perfect as the pan needs to reach a steady temperature, so have faith!
  5. Lightly wipe out any remaining crumbs with a dry paper towel. Continue to cook rest of crèpes, giving the batter a stir before each new crèpe, as cornstarch will clump at bottom of bowl. A good pan often doesn’t need regreasing.

Chicken Filling

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (you can also use leftover chicken or turkey)
  • 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 slices lean bacon or Canadian bacon, cut into small pieces
    • 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) oil, if using Canadian bacon
  • 4 small carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-1/2 inch slices
    • You can also use corn or peas
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half, light cream or whole milk
    • To make dairy-free, substitute a mix of wine and gluten-free stock
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. cold water
    • Arrowroot or potato starch are good cornstarch substitutes
  • 2 Tbsp. (30ml) sherry
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in a 4-6 cup (1-2 quart) pan until bacon is softening and releasing its fat, then add onions (or heat oil then add Canadian bacon and onions together).
  2. If you’re using raw chicken, add it now.
  3. Add carrots, stir well, cover and allow to cook until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked.
  4. Once carrots are cooked, stir in cooked chicken if you are using ready-cooked chicken.
  5. Add the milk, salt and pepper, and allow to heat (but not boil).
  6. Stir in cornstarch mix and bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens.
  7. Stir in sherry and simmer for a few more minutes until sherry flavor mellows.
  8. Taste and adjust seasonings. Be careful, sauce will be hot.

To Serve

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an oven-safe serving dish.
  2. Evenly divide filling among crèpes.
  3. Roll up crèpes.
  4. Place crèpes in a single layer in serving dish, then bake for about 10 minutes.
  5. Serve with about ¼ cup sour cream or crème frâiche mixed with more chopped fresh herbs. Mix them together and put in a baggie, then snip the corner off and pipe a squiggle on each crèpe.

Tips and Alternatives

  • You can make these in smaller skillets, but please only use a pan with a good nonstick or stainless steel finish, otherwise crèpes will stick and not release.
  • For more flavor, add pinch of garlic, onion powder, fresh parsley and the green of green onions alongside the salt and black pepper in the batter.
    • Once batter is formed, I then add about 2 tablespoons each of fresh parsley and green of green onions and let the immersion blender or liquidizer chop them in the batter. If you put them in at the beginning you get a pale green batter rather than whitish batter with green herb flecks.
  • Instead of chicken, you can also use salmon, shrimp (I like shrimp alfredo), pork or beef.
  • Roll them with cold chicken (try my chicken Waldorf salad), shrimp, egg or tuna salad.
  • Add cilantro and roasted red pepper for Mexican flare
  • Add sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, basil and olives for Italian style.

Note that an 8 inch crèpe with filling is a large portion. Two crèpes are really too much for a meal.