Years and years ago, I lived in a studio apartment nested above a family farmhouse, and I called my home the “tree fort.” The kitchen, which overlooked an old red barn, was the size of a postage stamp and the most efficient I’ve ever worked in. My arms could reach everything without taking more than one step. Imagine preparing Julia Child’s chicken crêpes recipe in this tiny space on an apartment-size stove—I suppose not much different from the tiny kitchens in Paris that Julia herself used.
Making gluten-free and dairy-free crêpes is easy with Kember’s Gluten-Free Crêpes Mix. And, I’ve re-created The French Chef’s master recipe for the deliciously creamy chicken filling using gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients. Bon appétit!
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chicken Crêpes
Makes 10 filled crêpes; serves 4–5
This recipe is in three steps and well worth the time because it’s absolutely delicious. Read it through before you begin. Consider making the filling and sauce one day ahead of when you make the crêpes if you are in a time crunch.
MAKE THE CRÊPES:
Use Kember’s Gluten-Free Crêpes Mix. Follow the instructions on the package for half a batch; however, do not add the vanilla. The first crêpe you make in your pan is usually a toss out, and half a batch of the mix allows for this. You will still have enough batter to make 10 good crêpes. Here's a Kember's Gluten-Free video showing how to make crêpes.
MAKE THE CHICKEN FILLING:
Step 1
3 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons dairy-free butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked and diced chicken
2/3 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of dried oregano or tarragon
Using a 2-quart saucepan, melt the dairy-free butter and oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine. Cover and simmer for 1 minute. Uncover, raise the heat, and boil rapidly until the liquid has almost evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and stir in either dried oregano or tarragon. Set aside.
Step 2
2 tablespoons dairy-free butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons white rice flour
2 cups chicken stock, heated to boiling
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup So Delicious dairy-free creamer, original flavor (or dairy-free milk)
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
In a separate 2-quart saucepan, melt the dairy-free butter and oil over medium heat. Add the white rice flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Gradually pour the hot chicken stock into the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks and dairy-free creamer in a bowl. Slowly add the sauce by the tablespoon to the creamer mixture, whisking all the time. Return the sauce to the saucepan and boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Sauce should be thick. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add half the sauce to the chicken filling. Reserve the remaining sauce to spoon over the crêpes before baking as well as for serving during plating.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Assemble the crêpes: place 1/4 cup of the filling on the lower third of each crêpe and roll up.
Lightly grease a 9x13 shallow baking dish with a bit of olive oil. Arrange the crêpes, seam side down, drizzle with 1/2 cup or so of sauce, and bake until heated through, 20–30 minutes. (If you filled the crêpes with cold chicken filling, the baking time will be longer; in which case, loosely cover with foil so the crêpe edges don't brown, as they will then be crunchy). Serve warm with the additional reserved sauce on the side. Bon appétit!