Lidia's Chicken Bundles

One of my favorite cooking shows is Lidia's Italy. I love Lidia! She's such a funny and charming lady. I had the chance to meet her at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic in June; we didn't have time to swap cooking stories but she did stop for a picture. Next month I'll be traveling to Kansas City and I'm super excited to eat at her restaurant.

I found a fantastic recipe of Lidia's called Fagottini de Pollo, or skillet braised chicken bundles. They are delicious pieces of flattened chicken, stuffed with a vegetable pestata and wrapped with a piece of bacon. What is a pestata? Literally it means "stepped on", but most recipes consist of vegetables and/or meat that is blended or chopped into a paste and then used to fill something. In this version, it's a simple mixture of onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.

These chicken bundles are tender and packed with flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 stalk celery, cut into large chunks
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (6-8 large thighs)
• 6-8 pieces of bacon (1 per thigh)
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 3 cups canned crushed tomatoes (preferrably San Marzano)

Make the pestata:
1. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrot, celery, 4 sage leaves, and garlic. Mix for 10 seconds until the veggies are mixed well and the pieces are quite small.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the veggies with 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7-10 minutes until the veggies are mostly cooked and soft and any liquid has evaporated. Transfer the pestata to a bowl to cool.

Pestata

Make the chicken bundles:
1. Trim the chicken thighs to remove any extra fat or loose pieces of meat. One at a time, cover each thigh with a piece of plastic wrap and, using a mallet or frying pan, pound the thigh flat until it is even and about 1/2" thick. Sprinkle each side with salt and set aside.
2. Spread a tablespoon of pesata over each of the chicken thighs, almost to the edge.

3. Fold or roll the thighs into a bundle and then wrap the bacon around it (the long way). Use a toothpick to fasten the bacon to the chicken. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken. If you have some leftover pesata, save it for the sauce.

Braise the bundles:
1. Add the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil to the large skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken bundles in the pan so they cook for several minutes on each side until the bacon is crispy and carmelized. Add the remaining pesata to the pan, along with the other 6 sage leaves. Add the wine and bring it to a simmer. Cook for 10+ minutes until the wine has been reduced by half.

2. Turn the chicken bundles over and add the tomatoes (and their juices). Sprinkle with the remaining tsp of salt and bring the liquid to a boil.

3. Cover the pan and cook for 25-30 minutes. Adjust the heat so the braising liquid is at a steady rolling boil. When the chicken is tender, remove the lid and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.

Serve with pasta, gnocchi, or veggies.

Serves: 4 (2 thighs/person)
WW: 10 points for 2 thighs

Me and Lidia - she's amazing!