Chicken Braciole with Parmesan and Pancetta is a gorgeous meal made with mouth-watering Italian ingredients!
Okay, I have a confession to make. The rebel in me has come out to play…
Have I piqued your interest? Are you wondering what could be so rebellious about Chicken Braciole?
Well, I’ll tell you.
Many moons ago I took a cooking class with a local chef. Her Italian restaurant, Angelo’s Cornucopia, sat close to the center of our tiny village. As a young child, I remember driving through town and often noticing the restaurant’s whopping colorful sign, featuring a large cornucopia, hung squarely above the front door…the front door of a building that looked more like a house than a restaurant. It was the kind of ‘house’ I would typically see driving through the streets of the small town where my parents grew up. So, the restaurant had a surprising familiarity to it. I didn’t know the people, I had never dined there, but for some reason, even as a child, I felt drawn to it. So, to have the chance to cook with ‘Lady Cornucopia’ was a kind of dream come true.
When I saw that she was offering classes (twenty years following those family drives with views from the back seat of Dad’s little blue Duster) in the months leading up to Christmas, I signed up. I learned a number of classic dishes – braciole, pasta dough, pastcchiatti (pasta-chatz), ricotta cake and a bunch of others – which I shared for Christmas dinner that year.
That holiday, Christmas of ’95, stands out as one of my favorites…not only for the tasty meal, but for the facts that it was Nick’s first Christmas, our teeny-little-super-guy, so adorable – all dressed up in his tiny bow-tie and velveteen vest with sweet big sisters showing him the way, and it was the first holiday that Mema came to our house for dinner…
Okay, back to the meal… Everything was wonderful but there was something about the filling we used for the beef braciole that absolutely spoke to my tastebuds. And the filling for the chicken, though good, I thought could use a punch of flavor.
And, it dawned on me: make the filling that’s used for the beef, rather than the original chicken filling, add pancetta, and call it done.
So that’s just what I did.
See… Rebel.
This recipe includes:
- Melted butter
- Chopped garlic
- Freshly grated Parmesan
- Chopped parsley
- Cracked black pepper
- Pancetta
- Chicken breast
Once the chicken is pounded thin, place a couple pieces of pancetta (because everything tastes better with pancetta) on each piece, then brush the pancetta with the cheesy glaze, roll the chicken up tight, cinch it closed with toothpicks, and bake.
Once the braciole comes out of the oven, remove the tooth picks and place directly into your favorite tomato sauce, homemade or jarred, to simmer for about an hour or so.
Am I pleased with this adaptation? Oh, you betcha!
This chicken braciole is buttery, savory, cheesy and melt-in-your-mouth good.
A perfect dish for any holiday meal!
Buon Appetito!
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Chicken Braciole with Parmesan & Pancetta
- Category: Dinner
Description
Chicken Braciole with Parmesan and Pancetta is a gorgeous meal made with mouth-watering Italian ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (3 large chicken breasts), split in half vertically
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 heaping Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 12 slices thinly sliced pancetta
- Favorite tomato sauce (homemade or jarred, roughly 2 quarts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter.
- Add garlic, Parmesan, parsley and black pepper. Stir and set aside.
- Slice chicken breast in half, creating 6 pieces total.
- Using a metal pounder, pound the chicken out.
- Place two pieces of pancetta on each half.
- Brush filling on meat like a glaze.
- Roll the meat and close with toothpicks.
- Bake for about 30 minutes.
- Remove toothpicks and place in sauce to simmer for about an hour.
We’re not finished yet… How about a few more holiday favorites…
Peppermint Pizzelles with Candy Cane Buttercream
Mini Baked Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata
CIAO!
Hi,
Recipe sounds great. Can you substitute prosciutto for pancetta?
Sure; I don’t see why not. I have not tried it – but I believe it’s a good alternative.
This was excellent! Cooked some penne and asparagus to go with it. Can’t wait to make it again!
Love that! Sounds amazing!
I can’t get enough of this recipe, came back, and make it at home, my kids ate so fast there was no time for pictures. But what an amazing recipe! Thank you for sharing Annie!
Awhhhh! That makes me so happy! So glad your family loves it! Thank you so much for sharing that, my friend! Cheers!
I love that you bring these Italian dishes into my life (via your blog). I have a few Italian friends, but none in the kitchen busting out sweet recipes. YUM! My son Gavin will love this. Always looking for creative recipes with breasts of chicken.
So happy you like it! And Gavin too! Thank you, my friend! 🙂
Wow! I am in love here. I highly agree with you that everything tastes better with pancetta. This sound so good. Another one of yours I must try, thanks Annie.
Thank you Kevin!! Hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
I love it! This dish looks super comforting, filling, homey and beautiful. Love that the rebel in you chose to use pancetta! Lovely. Take care. ?
Such a rebel wielding my pancetta! Watch out!! 😉 Hoping your week is wonderful, my friend!
You always have such a great story that ties into your recipes! And being a rebel in the kitchen can bring on wonderful results – like this gorgeous dish! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Thank you so much, Geraldine! Food inspires on so many levels! Happy Holidays, dear!
This is making me so hungry! I love this!
Thank you, Mary!! 🙂
Mmm the best kind of rebel! I’m on board with anything that involves pancetta and this looks to die for!!
Pancetta is such a treat! Thanks, friend!!
This looks like such a perfect dish for Christmas Eve at my house. Chicken full of smoky pancetta? Yes, please! I think my whole family would love this! Hope you have a relaxing holiday Annie!
You just can’t beat a dish where pancetta’s involved! Thanks, Karen! Enjoy!
Yes, you certainly are a rebel, you 😉 And, even bigger YES that pancetta makes everything better! Totally! If I could lick my screen right now, I would. How delicious does this look? And how awesome was it that you got to take cooking classes from a place you were so drawn to as a child. Funny how things work, isn’t it? Pinning this deliciousness and making over the holidays. This looks too good!! Merry Christmas! Have a fantastic one! XOXO
Girl after my own heart! Yes to pancetta! Always! That class really was an awesome and delicious opportunity (for so many reasons)!! 🙂 Thanks for your kind words, lovely! Merry Christmas! XOXO
Oh my, this sounds like one INCREDIBLE dish! I adore the addition of the pancetta – this is one I must try. I know my family would love it!
Ahhh yes! Pancetta! And don’t be shy with the Parmesan! So so good! Thanks, dear!
Oh I love reading about your adorable memories. This chicken braciole with parmesan pancetta look and sound wonderful! All the flavors work so well together here. Just gorgeous! Pinning!
Awh! That’s exactly how I feel about your blog! The adorable stories you tell of your daughter make me smile! Thrilled that you like this chicken dish! Thank you, dear!
I simply have to make this recipe! My heaven your photos have an aroma to them because I can smell the rich tomato smell. Rebel you may be but this recipe wouldn’t have been created had you not rebelled. Good for you because it’s to our benefit. Have a great Monday!
You simply must! I think you’ll love it, Marisa! Thanks for your kind words, my friend! 🙂
Such adorable memories…and this chicken braciole look and sound fantastic! The addition of pancetta and parmesan, really takes them over the top good and thY sauce…oh yum! Happy Holidays, Annie!!
Thank you, Nicoletta! I’m so happy you like it! Happy holidays, my friend! 🙂
Oh I love the rebel in you, Annie! Adding pancetta definitely sounds my kind of dish. I could eat it in just about everything! I love the flavors in here and it looks so comforting, especially for the winter. Love how easy this is to make, too! My kind of meal!
This meal is ideal for these cold winter nights! Thanks so much, my friend!
Yaaaaaahs, Annie, YES! Go on with your BA rebel self, girlfriend! ESPECIALLY if this is what happens when you are a rebel! This chicken looks AMAZING! That first shot – the up close of the inside has me droooooooling. Seriously, I want this for breakfast right now! Love that you added the pancetta! This looks just so comforting and ultimate in the delicious department! Pinned! On a side note, I LOVE reading about your family, it always gives me all the feels! And hearing about how you got to actually cook with ‘Lady Cornucopia’ years later is so neat!!! And I love that you have such fond memories of Christmas with your children. Thanks for the smile on my face! Cheers! xo
Hahahaah! Thanks for the support! I think I need to bring my rebel self out more often! (Because this is pretty darn good if I do say so myself!) 😉 Cheyanne, thanks so much for your kind words…I never tire of telling our family stories, or reading the stories of others… That’s what it’s all about! Have a great week, my dear! xo
Little Nick sounds adorable in his bow tie and vest! Wasn’t it just yesterday that our babies were celebrating their first Christmas? Where does the time go? Sigh…. I absolutely love braciole and you are so creative to make it with chicken! I would love this on my holiday table! We’re Irish, so corned beef is on the menu for Christmas :), but this chicken may make an appearance on New Year’s Eve!
Oh yessss! Where does the time go? It’s more than welcome to slow down, now… Don’t you just love all the authentic flavors of the holidays! Corned Beef sounds wonderful!
You rebel you!! This is totally my kind of meal Annie! Honestly, I should have been born Italian because it’s my favorite kind of food. I don’t think I’ve ever had an Italian dish I don’t like. That filling sounds so delicious. I wish I could bite into that chicken in that first photo! I’ll be dreaming of it all day! Happy Monday!
Come to think of it – there’s never been one I don’t like either! 🙂 I have an idea – I’ll share the braciole if you share your gorgeous cake! Thanks, my friend! 🙂