As promised, here's what I made for the annual faculty luncheon. They came out great and were a big hit.
Chicken and Mushroom Crepes
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (I bought a whole rotisserie-cooked chicken breast, which weighed about 1.75 lbs; after removing the skin and bones, it was exactly the right amount.)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium-large onions, halved and thinly sliced
3/4 lb medium white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 quart whole milk
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 oz dried mushrooms, rinsed (I used shiitake.)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Do get the real thing, but don't bother with the really good stuff for this recipe.)
about 24 crepes (I found some very nice French packaged crepes in the produce section at the market; I used 22.)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
Place chicken in a large bowl and set aside. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Add to chicken. Add remaining 2 Tbsp oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Add to onions and chicken.
Meanwhile, combine milk, chicken broth, and dried mushrooms in a large saucepan and heat gently over low heat until very hot, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Lift the dried mushrooms from the milk with a slotted spoon. Mince them and return them to the milk mixture.
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and thyme, then add hot milk mixture all at once and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking, and continue to simmer until mixture is the texture of thick cream soup. Stir in cheese.
Stir 1 1/2 cups of sauce into chicken mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat oven to 325°.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Working with 1 crepe at a time, spread about 1/4 cup filling across bottom half of crepe, roll into a fairly tight cylinder, and set on baking sheet.
Bake crepes, uncovered, until warm and golden, 15–20 minutes. Warm remaining sauce to piping hot, thinning with a little water if necessary. Stir in parsley. Spoon sauce over crepes and serve.
(I had to do a little bit of creative finagling to make this ahead of time; e-mail me if you want those details.)
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