Chicken Braciole Messinese

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/4 cups pine nuts
• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 4 chicken legs, butterflied open and thigh and drumstick bones removed (this can be done by your butcher)
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 cup small black olives, such as nicoise
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, more to taste
• 2 tablespoons dried currants

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 450° f.
• 2 in a mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the pine nuts, the pecorino, and nutmeg.
• 3 place the chicken legs skin side down on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper.
• 4 divide the pine nut mixture among the chicken legs, filling them as full as possible.
• 5 fold the meat up and around the mixture and tie tightly with butcher’s twine.
• 6 place the legs in a small roasting pan, flap side down.
• 7 roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crispy and cooked through.
• 8 remove from oven and allow to cool.
• 9 in a medium bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes, olives, capers, olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and currants.
• 10 place 1 piece of chicken on each plate and spoon some over each piece of chicken and serve.