Chicken Abruzzese combines tender chicken with crispy bacon, herbs and spices, melted cheeses… and a history lesson too! The Abruzzo region of Italy, to the east of Rome with a lovely Adriatic coastline and the Apennine Mountains, is rugged and mountainous with hilltop towns from the medieval and Renaissance periods tucked in and around national parks and nature reserves. From a culinary point-of-view, Abruzzo has a tradition of reliance on rich herbs and local cheeses and eclectic variety, incorporating coastal, mountain, and rural influences, but always using local ingredients; it can truly lay claim to being part of the cucina povera of the Italian Mezzogiorno region; Interestingly, some of the most sought-after saffron in the world comes from Abruzzo.
Vito’s maternal grandparents emigrated from Vasto, Abruzzo and brought their cooking traditions with them; Chicken Abruzzese is an homage to that cooking, employing simple but hearty ingredients and a rich mix of spices. Enjoy Chicken Abruzzese with a simple Wilted Arugula Salad, some fresh, crusty bread and a good, dry red wine.
Prep Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes. Serves 2.
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Ingredients:
- 1 Tb Unsalted Butter
- 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 12 fresh Sage leaves
- 2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
- 4 oz Bacon
- ½ cup Shallot, sliced very thinly
- 6 whole Cloves
- ½ tsp dried Thyme leaves
- ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp ground Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp whole Black Peppercorns
- Pinch Saffron threads
- ½ cup dry White Wine
- ½ cup combined shredded Mozzarella, Fontina, Parmesan, Pecorino Romano and Asiago Cheeses
Preparation:
- Combine the unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, swirling to mix as the butter melts. Once the butter has melted, lay the sage leaves in the pan and fry the sage leaves, turning the leaves over once. Turn off the heat, remove the crisp, fried sage leaves to a dish and set aside.
- Slice the chicken breasts horizontally to yield two flat, thinner pieces per chicken breast.
- Slice the bacon crosswise into thin ¼-inch strips and set aside.
- Make the seasoning by combining the cloves, thyme leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, nutmeg, black peppercorns and saffron in a small bowl and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into the frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken breasts into the pan and cook uncovered. Once the chicken has browned on one side, turn over to brown on the other side and sprinkle the bacon around the chicken.
- Once the other side of the chicken has browned and the bacon is beginning to crisp, sprinkle the sliced shallot around the chicken, then sprinkle the mixed seasonings over everything in the pan, cover and cook over a medium-high heat for a few minutes until the shallot softens.
- Pour the white wine into the pan, stir to mix and continue to cook, covered for two minutes, then uncover the pan and reduce the liquid volume by half.
- Sprinkle the combined shredded cheeses into the pan, cover and cook until the cheeses melt.
- Plate the cheese-covered chicken with sauce, place three fried sage leaves atop each piece of chicken and serve immediately.
