Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 drumsticks + thighs
- 1/4 pound pancetta (the kind that's rolled up, finely sliced)
- 2 Ounces Fontina cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 leaves sage
- The leaves of a short sprig of rosemary
- Needle and thread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sherry
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup cream
- 2-3 tablespoons tomato sauce
Preparation:
Clean, wash and bone the chicken legs without cutting into them -- in other words, work the flesh down the bones, remove the bones, and push the legs back into shape. Mince the garlic, rosemary and sage as finely as possible, coarsely mince the pancetta and fontina, and stuff the chicken legs with the mixture, sewing the openings shut when you're done.Heat the butter and the oil in a pan and brown the chicken legs on all sides. Once they have browned, sprinkle the sherry over them, and as soon as it has evaporated season the chicken legs with salt and pepper to taste. Next, dust them with the cornstarch, sprinkle them with the cream and the tomato sauce, and stir the mixture to keep lumps from forming. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes (stir in a little more liquid if necessary), by which time the chicken will be quite tender and the sauce will be pleasingly thick.
Remove the string from the chicken pieces, lay them out on a platter, spoon the sauce over them, and serve, with a zesty red wine or a fresh, fruity (non-oaked) white.
Yield: 6 servings stuffed chicken legs.
