Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Salami and Mozzarella

With the hot weather this is the perfect recipe, because I cooks on the BBQ and keeps my non-centrally-air-conditioned kitchen cool. The “secret” of this recipe is to cut pockets into bone-in chicken breast, rather than the more common butterfly-and-roll technique, which results in less leakage. I had previously made a version using prosciutto and fontina, which was 4-stars. This turned out almost equally good, but using the salami and mozzarella that I already had in my refrigerator. The results were flavorful, well-balanced taste with minimal effort and clean-up. 4-stars.

Great recipe made on the grill to keep your summer kitchen cool.

Comments:

1. This recipe comes with a new knot. But it left the chicken bundles very loose. So I gave up and went to a regular old double-knot.

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $5.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low.
Start time 6:00 PM. Ready at 7:45 PM.

Chris Kimball’s original charcoal grill version is here .  My descriptions of how I cooked it it today are given below:

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Table salt
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic gloves
1 tablepoon chopped fresh basil
2 ounces mozzarella
8 slices salami
Ground black pepper

1. Remove butter from refrigerator and allow to soften on the counter-top. Trim and access fat or skin from the chicken breasts.
2. Cut a pocket in each breast. Start on the thicker-side of the chicken, slicing horizontally leaving a 1/2″ attached to hold the butter and melting cheese.
3. In a large bowl, dissolve 3 tablespoons of table salt in 1 quart of cold water. Brine the chicken breasts in refrigerator for 30 minutes; covered with plastic wrap.
4. Light a full chimney starter of charcoal (roughly 100 briquettes), allowing about 20-minutes for the coals to fully ignite. Dump coals over half of grill, leaving the other half empty to form two distinct heating zones. Replace cooking grate, clean, and then season the grate by dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; then use tons to wipe grate with oil.
5. With the charcoal starts, cut the mozzarella into four 3″x1/2″ sticks. Roll each stick cheese inside two slices of salami.
6. Mince your garlic and chop your basil; add to small bowl, the add softened butter; mix.
7. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, and dry the inside and the outside using paper towels. Sprinkle with ground pepper.
8. Spread 1/4 of the butter mixture inside the pocket of each breast. Put salami-wrapped cheese inside each breast and fold over to enclose. Wrap with three 12″ pieces of kitchen twine. Tie using a simple double-know, then trim away any excess twine.
9. Start grilling the chicken, skin side down, over the hot side of grill. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip a cook the other wide until it is slightly browned; about 4 minutes.  Finish cooking the chicken on the cool side of grill (position so that the thicker end of the chicken is closer to the fire. Cover and cook for 25 more minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken from be 165 degrees.
10. Tent with foil on carving board; and let rest for 10 minutes.
11. Cut away twine. Carve breast meat away from bone using a boning knife to follow the contour of the bone. Slice into 1/2″ slices and serve.

Wrap the cheese in salami so it doesn’t leak