Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Petti di Pollo Ripieno alla Griglia
Region: Italia, Campania
Category: Fowl-Grilled
Season: Summer time
Difficulty: Labor Intensive
Around Campania, in older occasions, rural folks always had chickens playing around their yards and gardens and also the recognition of egg and chicken recipes abound. Within this wonderful recipe, an involtini or roll-up, a flattened chicken scaloppine full of a combination of fresh bread, nutmeg, garlic clove, and mortadella, and covered with pancetta is grilled over hardwood charcoal. It°s scrumptious with Grilled Polenta (see below).
[photo: Clifford A. Wright]
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: forty-five minutes
4 boneless and skinless chicken white meat halves (1-to-1 1/4 pounds total)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
About 1/2 loaf Italian or French bread, white-colored part only, ripped into small pieces (about 3 cups)
3 ounces mortadella, chopped
Pinch of grated nutmeg
two tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 large garlic clove clove, finely chopped
2 large eggs, gently beaten
1/4 pound pancetta, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin essential olive oil for drizzling
1. Make a medium-hot charcoal fire or preheat a propane gas grill for fifteen minutes on medium-high.
2. Put the chicken breasts between 2 bits of wax paper and flatten having a hammer or even the side of the heavy cleaver until they're about thrice 5-inch scaloppine. Pepper and salt the chicken breasts to taste.
3. Prepare the stuffing by kneading the bread, mortadella, nutmeg, parsley, garlic clove and eggs together inside a mixing bowl. Divide the stuffing into quarters, and put each quarter of stuffing on a single finish from the flattened breast, and roll-up. Wrap the chest in pancetta, securing the pancetta and also the ends from the roll ups with toothpicks.
4. Drizzle the roll ups with essential olive oil, put on the grill, and prepare, turning from time to time, until golden brown, about twenty minutes. Serve hot.