instant italian! chicken skewers

Spiedini di Carne

In Palermo, these stuffed meat pockets are threaded and grilled day and night sold by the thousands to hungry pedestrians.  Traditionally, they are made with thin veal cutlets but chicken works just as well for those who don’t eat veal.  Like in Palermo, you can make them early in the morning and pop them in the oven when you are ready to eat.  

Active time 45 minutes

Total time 1 hour 20 minutes

Yields: 5 to 6 skewers

¾ cups breadcrumbs, divided

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup tomato sauce

3 to 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ pounds veal or chicken cutlets (from about 8 cutlets)

5 to 6 slices deli ham

25 to 30 provolone cubes or caciocavallo cheese (about ¼ to ½-inch, about 2 ounces)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

20 to 25 dried bay leaves

½ red onion, cut into 2-inch pieces

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Soak 6 wooden skewers in water for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine  ½ cup breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, tomato sauce and a drizzle of oil, mix everything and set aside.

Place the veal or chicken cutlets on a cutting board and pound out very thin. Place a strip of ham on top of each piece.  Then, cut them into 2-inch strips.  Cut each strip about 3 inches long.  

Add 1 teaspoon of breadcrumb mixture onto each piece, 1 cube of provolone on top.  

Wrap like a roll, closing up the sides so that the filling does not come out during cooking.  

Repeat for all the slices of meat. Take the wooden skewers and arrange first a piece of onion, then a roll of meat, then a bay leaf until you have 5 to 6 rolls on attached.   

Drizzle olive oil on the front and back of each skewer.  Then, season each, front and back with salt, pepper, oregano and remaining breadcrumbs.

Oil a baking sheet with a few tablespoons of olive oil and lay the breaded skewers in a row.

Bake for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Then, broil for 2 minutes to char the onions and brown the breadcrumbs.  

Remove the hot pan from the oven and immediately spritz the meat with lemon. Serve immediately.

spiedini di carne