Lemon Pepper Chicken Pierogi
Toasted pierogi loaded up with lemon pepper chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, and mozzarella cheese! But the real hero here is the amazing sour cream dipping sauce! I have lived in Atlanta almost 3 years now and I love the obsession with lemon pepper in this city. I always love to be inspired by the things I see and build on the ideas – it’s like a conversation through food!
The inspiration for this recipe
Now that the lead-up to superbowl season is upon us, my brain is spinning with ideas for tasty apps and snacks. I thought of doing a stuffed pasta filled with lemon pepper chicken, so I polled my Instagram followers and they chose pierogi over toasted ravioli, samosa, and pot sticker. I sort of wanted toasted ravioli to win, but in the end I am so glad it was pierogi because the potato, sour cream, and butter all played so well with the lemon pepper flavors!
Cook the lemon pepper chicken
I marinated the chicken overnight, then broiled it to brown. Chop it all up, then add it back to the pan to collect the remaining pan juices.
Make the lemon pepper chicken pierogi filling
Boil the potatoes, then add butter, cream, and of course lemon pepper seasoning.
Then add the lemon pepper chicken into the pierogi filling, along with some scallions, parsley, and cheese.
Make the pierogi dough
I like this King Arthur Baking recipe for the pierogi dough. Typically I like to find a creator who grew up making pierogi but I personally like when the dough has a lot of sour cream in it. Most more authentic recipes I come across have less or no sour cream at all. In the end, it is up to you to choose which version you want to make based on your prefrence.
Form the lemon pepper chicken pierogi
After you roll the dough out thin, cut it into rounds. The KA recipe says 2 inch but I like 3.5 inch so you can load up the filling. I don’t have a cutter the right size so I use a cocktail glass. Load the filling into the dough, then wrap the dough around it, stretch it out a bit and seal around the edges.
Cook the lemon pepper chicken pierogi
Boil first, then pan fry.
Sour cream dip
This sour cream dip for the pierogi is inspired by the lemon pepper wet sauce that you get on chicken wings here in Atlanta. I added butter, parsley, scallions, lemon pepper, garlic, lemon, and hot sauce to the sour cream.
Serve the lemon pepper chicken pierogi
After they fry in the pan, pop them onto a plate and serve with the sour cream! So tasty!
Like I said above, I am so glad pierogi was the winner of the poll because all the sour cream and potato made these extra amazing.
Tips and twists on this recipe
Here are the links again for the recipes I was looking at when I was working on mine. King Arthur Baking, Foodie Noise and Polish Foodies.
For more pierogi goodness, check out my pierogi benedict, pierogi burger, or pierogi lasagna!
Lemon Pepper Chicken Pierogi
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon (juice of)
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper each
Pierogi filling
- 1 or 2 russet potatoes (one large or two small) peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- 2 scallions chopped
- 4 ounces grated mozzarella
Pierogi Dough
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
Dip
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cloove garlic grated
- 1 lemon (juice of)
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- 3 scallions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Mix all the chicken and marinade ingredients in a bowl or plastic bag. Allow to sit overnight.
Cook and prep the filling
- The next day, preheat broiler to high and add some salted water to a pot.
- Add the potatoes to the water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Lower the heat and let simmer lightly for about 30 minutes until you can easily slide a fork into them. Drain and transfer to a large bowl
- While the potatoes are starting to cook, add the chicken to a baking sheet. You can add whatever marinade is clinging to the chicken but don't add it all. Broil about 8 minutes per side until starting to char on the edges. If the liquid in the pan starts to burn around the edges, move things around so it doesn't get too charred.
- When the chicken is cooled, transfer to a cutting board and chop very small. Return the chicken to the baking sheet and stir it around to collect the juices and burned bits.
- Add the chicken to the bowl with the potatoes. Add in the remainder of the potato filling ingredients. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, with more salt, pepper, or lemon pepper to personal taste. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Pierogi dough
- Mix all the pierogi dough ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine and transfer to a clean work surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until a smooth soft dough is formed. Cover and store in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.
Make the pierogi
- Roll half the dough as thin as you can. Should be about 1/8th inch thin. Cut 3 inch circles with a glass or cookie cutter.
- Add about 1.5 tablespoons of filling to the center of the dough. Spread water along one half of the edge of the dough. Roll the dough around the filling and seal it along the edge to form the half moon shape. Use a fork to make sure it is really sealed. Repeat with the remaining rounds, then add the extra dough to the other half ball of dough, and re-roll it to make more.
Make the dip
- Add all the dip ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
Cook and serve the pierogi
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add about half the pierogi or as many as will fit in a frying pan. Preheat a frying pan to medium with some olive oil. When the pierogi float, transfer from the boiling water to the hot frying pan. Add in a little butter and cook to golden on both sides.
- Serve with the dip!