Inspirational cigars

I'm posting the Rachael Ray recipe that inspired me to start a food blog. Nate & I made about 4 batches yesterday and they were a big hit at the party we went to. Enjoy!

Notes: These take a while to make but are worth it! We had boneless skinless chicken breasts ground at our grocery store's meat counter. (They looked at us like we were crazy, but it turned out fine.) We used less filling for each cigar than called for so they were easier to roll up, and with the about 2 lbs. of chicken, we made 4 batches (16 sheets of phyllo). We doubled the sauce.

Sorry no pictures this time! I didn't even think of it.

Mini Chicken Cigars with Sweet and Sour Mango Dipping Sauce
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: Food Network Specials
Episode: Food Network Caters Your Wedding

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: about 30 hors d'ouevres

Chicken Cigars:
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons grill seasoning, half a palm full (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, a handful
4 sheets phyllo dough
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Sweet and Sour Mango Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons sweet plum sauce or duck sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup light oil, such as peanut, canola, or vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely diced mango
Scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced on the bias, for serving

For the chicken cigars: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and mix with spices and parsley. Place a piece of phyllo on a nonstick cookie sheet and brush with some of the melted butter. Repeat 3 more times, placing each piece of phyllo over the last buttered sheet to make 4 layers. Cut phyllo into 2-inch squares. On 1 corner of each of the squares, place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of chicken filling. Roll up tightly to make mini "cigars." Place "cigars" on a sheet pan and butter the tops of each. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the sweet and sour mango dipping sauce: Whisk together plum or duck sauce and vinegar in a bowl. Stream in oil and continue whisking to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in mango and sliced scallions.

Serve cigars with dipping sauce.

Originally posted on Food Network.