As Americans, usually when we think of Crepes, we think SWEET. We think of breakfast. We think Dessert. About 20 years ago mom started making these savory Chicken and Asparagus crepes. She was in charge of a women’s conference at church, which included lunch. The committee decided to do a “crepe bar” or buffet. They made 100’s of crepes, and many different fillings. This chicken and asparagus filling was the WINNER! Everyone wanted the recipe, and many said it was the best food they had eaten at a church function.
Before we make the sauce, we like to get the chicken and asparagus ready. We need precooked chicken. Cut up a rotisserie chicken, or broil/grill a couple of chicken breasts, or simmer a couple of chicken breasts in some chicken broth for about 10 minutes till done. About 3 cups of cut up chicken is needed.
We like to get the crepes going, because they can take a while to get them all cooked up. The recipe card for our crepes is below this post. Or click HERE.
Start with the eggs and milk. Sift in the dry ingredients, OR if you are in a hurry like I often am, then just dump them in. Use a whisk, electric beaters or an immersion blender to mix it well, till nice and smooth.
Between cooking crepes, start to perp the asparagus. It is nice if you have a helper. Call one of your kids, a friend or partner into the kitchen to cook the crepes while you make the sauce.
Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus spears. Chop them into 1-inch pieces. Place the chopped up asparagus in small saucepan with about 1-inch of water. Place a tight fitting lid on top and place on high heat. Bring it to a simmer or low boil. Check a piece of asparagus with a fork. When done, the fork will pierce through easily. Check about one minutes after the water starts to simmer. They cook quickly and you do not want mushy asparagus. Drain and rinse with cold water when done.
Time to make a roux, which will be the base for the cream sauce. Start by melting the butter. Whisk in the flour. Whisk over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes till slightly toasted.
Use chicken broth OR use bouillon or Better Than Bouillon chicken soup base. LOVE this stuff so much! I like to whisk a couple TBSP’s, or as much is needed, in with the flour. Add water.
Once that is thickened, whisk in the half & half. Continue to whisk and cook over medium heat till thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the cooked chicken and asparagus. Stir in and place over low heat while stirring if sauce, chicken and asparagus need to be heated.
Serve the filling with crepes! How do you like them? Folded or rolled? We always do ours rolled.
A couple things we LOVE about this meal is that 1. It is pretty well balance on its own. For the family we just put out a stack of crepes and the filling, and also some jam and berries etc. Which leads me to 2. It has dessert built in! We bribe our kids to eat at least ONE chicken and asparagus crepe, then they can have a dessert one with jam, berries, Nutella, cream etc. If you feel the need, you could add a green salad or other veggies on the side.
For our post on Crepes, click HERE. For other yummy recipes that are similar, check these out –
Chicken & Asparagus Crepe Filling
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 recipe crepes recipe card below
- 3 cups cooked chicken rotisserie or other prepared ahead chicken
- 6 TBSP butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half & half
- ½ lb. asparagus
Instructions
- Prepare and cook a recipe of crepes. Stack on a plate and cover to keep warmish till needed.
- 3 cups of cooked chicken is needed. Use the meat from a rotisserie chicken or bake 2-3 chicken breasts at 400° at 8-10 minutes on each side. Cut up into small bit sized cubes and pieces.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Use a whisk to blend in the flour and the salt. Remove from heat after a minute or so.
- Put on medium heat and slowly work 1 ½ cups chicken broth into the butter and flour over medium heat. Watch it closely and whisk often to keep it from burning.
- Whisk in the half & half once the chicken broth has thickened. Stir over the heat till well blended and heated through. Continue to stir over the heat till desired thickness. Be careful not to let it get too thick.
- Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Wash and chop into 1-inch pieces. Place in a small saucepan with 1-inch high water. Place a tight lid on the pan. Turn heat to high. Bring to a simmer. Check after 3 minutes with a fork. If the fork stabs in easily, it is done. Do not want it to get mushy, so watch it closely. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add the chicken and asparagus to the creamy sauce mixture. Serve over folded crepes or in rolled up crepes.
French Crepes
Equipment
- 9-10 inch shallow skillet or crepe pan
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups milk (2% or whole)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. white granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- cooking spray, oil in spray or spritz bottle
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs well in a medium-large mixing bowl. Add in the milk and whisk together.
- Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Beat into the milk and eggs till smooth. Use electric beaters, a hand blender or whisk. Make sure the batter is smooth with no lumps.
- Heat the skillet over medium-hi heat. Lightly spray with oil. Use a ⅓ measuring cup to scoop batter into the frying pan. Lift the pan off the burner enough to tilt around from side to side till the batter smooths over to all the edges. Let it cook for about 3 minutes. Use a spatula aka pancake flipper, to flip it over. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove to a clean plate.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter. Stack the finished crepes on the plate until ready to serve. *I use the cooking spray before every other crepe. It depends on the pan you are using, but this is what works best with mine.