Chicken ballotine

Petto di Pollo Ripieno
For some reason Italian butchers automatically slice up chicken breast in 4-5 wafer thin ‘fette’ that seem grossly misplaced in a ragu or when served as a roast. But if you can manage to deter the knife swinging for a sec, the macellaio will be quite happy to turn a half chicken breast into a large, flat parking space for the most delicious filling.

This recipe is inspired by a visit to Gasthof Rainer in Merano, and although it can be prepared in less than a half hour it is a bit of a show-off. And a nice, juicy, tasteful one, too.

Ingredients
1 chicken breast – two boneless halves (if you can’t persuade your butcher to transform each half into one square, flat cut of meat, you can use a sharp knife to make a pocket in the meat)
3 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp finely chopped speck or prosciutto crudo
1 tbsp roasted pine nuts
1 tbsp bread crumbs
Fresh rosemary
Salt, pepper, olive oil
1 dl white wine or chicken stock

Preparation
Make a stuffing of parmesan, speck, bread crumbs, pine nuts, salt, pepper and rosemary.
Place the half the stuffing on each chicken breast and close the meat around the filling with toothpicks or string.
Roast the chicken rolls quickly on all sides in hot olive oil.
Add wine or both to avoid burning and braise the stuffed chicken under lid for 20 minutes.