Chicken Involtini With Prosciutto And Basil Food

CHICKEN INVOLTINI WITH PROSCIUTTO AND BASIL

Steps:

• Prepare your grill for direct cooking over medium heat.
• Working on each chicken breast individually, place a breast smooth side down, inside a large sheet of plastic wrap {about 2 inches from the edges}. Starting from the thick side, gently pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a small, heavy skillet, until the breast is about 1/4 inch thick and just about double in size. {Don't pound too hard or the chicken might break apart.}
• Season each piece of chicken on both sides with the salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Then arrange the chicken with the smooth side down on a work surface.
• Lay a slice of prosciutto on each piece of chicken. Then lay down 2 halves of the provolone and then 2 basil leaves.
• Carefully roll up the chicken, keeping it snug as you work. Tie 2 pieces of butcher's twine around each piece to keep it together and trim the loose ends of the twine.
• Lightly brush each rolled piece of chicken with the oil and grill the chicken over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until golden on all sides {about 12 minutes, turning a quarter turn every 3 minutes}. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check your chicken for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
• Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the tomato sauce.
• Remove the twine from the chicken, slice them, and serve warm in a pool of sauce with some pasta or ravioli. Garnish with small pieces of basil and some freshly grated Parmesan.

GRILLED CHICKEN INVOLTINI

Steps:

• Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Move the coals to the side so that one part of the grill has indirect heat.
• In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, parsley, lemon zest and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate small bowl, mix together the salt, oregano and red pepper flakes.
• Lay the chicken cutlets flat on a cutting board, lengthwise, and season all sides with the salt mixture. Place a piece of prosciutto on each cutlet. Fold each piece of provolone in half and place on top of the prosciutto. Follow with 1 sundried tomato.
• Working one at a time, roll the chicken up, in a continuous spiral roll, and seal by sticking 2 parallel skewers through the roll. Proceed with the remaining chicken, sticking 2 rolls on each pair of skewers for easy flipping. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil and grill starting directly over the coals. Sear the chicken on all sides flipping as needed, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Move the skewers to indirect heat and continue to cook until cooked through, about an additional 10 minutes or. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the skewers from the involtini, slice and serve, drizzled with the parsley oil.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN INVOLTINI WITH PEAS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the peas to a bowl and begin to mash them with the back of a fork until they are mostly broken down. Add the ricotta and use the fork to blend and mash them together. Add the Parmesan, lemon zest, chile flakes, garlic powder and onion powder and stir to combine. Set the mixture aside while you prepare the chicken.
• Place the chicken cutlets between 2 pieces of parchment paper and pound them with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are 1/4-inch thick. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide the pea and ricotta mixture evenly among the chicken cutlets, smoothing it out to cover the surface area.
• Working one at a time, starting with the large end of the cutlet, roll the chicken up in a continuous spiral. Place the chicken on a plate seam-side down and continue the process with the remaining chicken.
• Shingle 3 slices of prosciutto so they slightly overlap. Place one piece of chicken about a third of the way up from the bottom of the prosciutto. Similarly to wrapping a burrito, bring the base of the prosciutto up over the chicken, roll the chicken once, then fold in the ends of the prosciutto, so that the ends of the chicken are covered, and continue to roll until the chicken is completely wrapped in the prosciutto. Set aside and continue the process with the remaining chicken.
• Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the skillet. Add the prosciutto-wrapped chicken to the skillet and sear it on all sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the prosciutto is golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.