So, you decided to invite people over for a low-key dinner at the last minute and have nothing prepared? Well, look no further than this Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken with Roast Capsicum and Pecorino Cheese. It’s extremely easy and simple to prepare, can be prepared in advance and popped in the oven once guests arrive, looks impressive with its personalised tidy parcel-like appearance, is extremely flavourful with the prosciutto, capsicum and pecorino, and cooked this way is wonderfully moist!
I love cooking to impress but that doesn’t mean that when I have family or close friends over I need to serve a fancy three course meal. What I always strive for is a beautifully executed main course. Friends and family have come over to spend time with you, so the less time spent in the kitchen the better.
Our friend and family meals often start with a plate of finger food in the lounge room: usually with a couple of great dips, maybe some cheese, torn bread, grilled chorizo with lemon wedges. Enough to get our tastebuds going while giving us time to find out about what is new in everyone’s lives.
I then serve a tasty main dish at the dining table and later we retire again to the lounge for a dessert platter of whatever quality chocolates or treats we have in the pantry. It’s a handy template we have perfected over the past few years and one which our friends and family have come to love.
We invited Scotty’s mum over on Saturday night as it had been a couple of weeks since we had seen her and so we picked up a few dips for entree, grabbed some Turkish Delight for our dessert platter and decided to serve up this wonderful prosciutto wrapped chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus. Add to the menu a couple of bottles of lovely white wine and a documentary about Charles and Ray Eames after dinner and we had ourselves a wonderful evening!
PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHICKEN WITH CAPSICUM AND PECORINO
Serves 4
4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
1 red capsicum
1/4 cup olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
5 sprigs or lemon thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 batons of pecorino cheese
8 slices of prosciutto
Preheat the oven grill and place the red capsicum under it, blackening the skin of all sides by turning as each side blackens. Once all sides are blackened remove from grill and place the capsicum in a plastic bag for a few minutes. Remove from bag and peel the blackened skin off the capsicum. Then cut the top and bottom off, cut open and remove the seeds. Slice into long thin pieces and set aside.
In a bowl combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon thyme, salt and pepper and mix well. Open the chicken thighs into rectangular fillets and rub 1/4 of the mixture onto the chicken. Add two lengths of capsicum and a baton of pecorino cheese. Roll up the chicken thigh and then wrap with two slices of prosciutto and tie together with a few pieces of string. Repeat with remaining chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, cut off string, and serve with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus (dressed with olive oil and roasted hazelnuts).
Love these perfect little parcels. I appreciate that they are individual, I don't know if I would want to share this with anyone…
Easy, quick and very impressive. I especially love the chunk of pecorino in the centre!
This is such a gorgeous way to prepare chicken. I have a weakness for anything involving prosciutto so I'm absolutely going to try this sometime.
Thanks John. The pecorino added a great flavourful sharpness that I think it really needed.
Me too Connie, I look for excuses to put it in things all the time!
Great flavour combination. I can imagine the chicken would be very moist with that bacon wrapped around it. _I love your cute little wooden board.
This was perhaps the most moist chicken I've ever made – definitely down to the prosciutto! The board is from a wonderful Australian company called Byron Bay Chopping Boards: http://byronbaychoppingboards.com/
That is such a beautiful dish – those are lucky dinner guests!
Fancy! Oooh, this would be a showstopper for a dinner party.
So cute in that little bundle and the chicken looks perfectly cooked too! I can only imagine your guests' reaction to the provolone centre. Mmmmm!
Haha thanks Anna! I a notorious non-sharer (although I expect everyone to always give me a taste of their food when out at restaurats) so this dish is great for you and me both!
Thanks! I love a little pizazz at dinner time 🙂
The best part is how easy it is and that it can be prepared in advance!
Thanks Shez! I love pretty little portions when serving meals… it makes the plating so much easier.
I absolutely agree with you. This is an impressive dish and If I am the guest, I would say you spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Can't go wrong with Prosciutto, definitely delicious, Amanda. 🙂
I love the look of this chicken. It is beautifully wrapped and sounds like the best flavours are involved! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I am drooling
Prosciutto dresses up any dish, doesn't it? These look terrific – fancy, but simple to prepare. And I'll bet the flavor was out of this world. Really good stuff – thanks.
So pretty and fuss free! Love the capsicum centre – would not have thought to pop that in there…
You definitely can't go wrong with prosciutto Ray! Thank you so much for your lovely comment.
The flavours are great Tina, but it's how moist the chicken is that is the real winner!
Thanks John! I'm all for a bit of looking fancy with no effort…
The capsicum definitely adds a sweetness that works well with the cheese!
I'd love to try this recipe at home. Last summer, on my brother's wedding reception. I've seen the foods catering new york and this ones in it too.