Chicken Involtini in Lemon/Wine Sauce

Tired of boring, dried out chicken breasts? Here’s a way to pack some flavor into these bland cuts of meat and keep them moist at the same time. Start out with a couple of skinless, boneless chicken breasts and cut each one in half, then pound them with a meat mallet between sheets of waxed paper, to make them as even as possible.

Next, spread some seasoned bread crumb filling on each one, topping with small bits of butter, less than one tablespoon for all four pieces.

Secure with toothpicks and mix the ingredients for the liquid – chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice and spices and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, and place a small pat of butter on each chicken piece – about one tablespoon divided among the four pieces. Cook for only about ten minutes.

Doesn’t look like much yet. But just wait. 

Top it with the reserved bread crumb mixture and place back in the oven for another five minutes, or until the topping is browned.

Reduce the sauce on the stove top if it’s too liquidy, but the bread crumbs do get absorbed and thicken the sauce. Serve the involtini with some of the sauce and enjoy!

Chicken Involtini

Author: adapted from “Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen”

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
• 1/4 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably the Sicilian or Greek type, dried on the branch, crumbled
• salt, pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
• a sprinkle of crushed hot red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled

Instructions

1. Cut each chicken breast half in half crosswise to yield two pieces of roughly equal size.
2. Place a piece of waxed paper over each piece , and pound with a meat pounder or mallet to flatten slightly.
3. Toss the bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano and salt, in a bowl until blended.
4. Sprinkle each chicken breast with salt and pepper to taste, and spread with a bit of the bread crumb mixture, reserving half the crumbs.
5. Roll each chicken piece, securing them with a toothpick.
6. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
7. Arrange the filled chicken breasts in an ovenproof baking dish.
8. Stir the wine, stock, lemon juice, hot pepper, the remaining olive oil and oregano and some salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
9. Pour into the baking dish. whack the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and scatter them along the chicken pieces.
10. Bake 10 minutes.
11. Top the chicken with the butter, the remaining bread crumb mixture.
12. Return to the oven and bake until the bread crumb topping is golden brown, about 5 minutes more or so.
13. Remove the casserole from the oven, and if it is flameproof, put it over a medium high heat on the range to thicken and reduce the pan juices, adding more parsley.
14. If the casserole is not flameproof, remove the chicken pieces and keep warm.
15. Place the liquid in a pot, then reduce over a medium high flame.
16. Serve the chicken pieces, removing the toothpicks and spreading the sauce around the chicken, in order to keep the topping crunchy.

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