Adapted from Alfa Forni with permission.
Pancetta-Wrapped Chicken Involtini
Pancetta-Wrapped Chicken Involtini
These little bundles of chicken thigh wrapped in crispy pancetta with a molten fontina centre are absurdly good - and they're cooked entirely in your pizza oven at a gentle 170°C. The technique is straightforward: debone the thighs, wrap them around cheese, encase in pancetta, and bake until the outside is golden and the inside hits 74°C. The pizza oven's retained heat does the work beautifully, giving you an even cook with no hot spots.
Ingredients
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 100g fontina cheese (or any good melting cheese), cut into 1cm cubes
- 24 pancetta rashers
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh chives, finely chopped
- Courgettes and flat-leaf parsley, for serving (optional)
Method
- Let your pizza oven cool to around 170°C. This is gentle retained-heat territory.
- Cut each chicken thigh in half lengthways. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lay 4 pancetta rashers in a crisscross pattern on your work surface (or in a pudding mould if you have one). Place a piece of chicken thigh in the centre, add a cube of fontina, then fold the chicken around the cheese and wrap the pancetta tightly to seal.
- Repeat with all the chicken pieces. Place them seam-side down on a baking tray.
- Slide into your oven and cook until the pancetta is golden and crispy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74°C - about 25-30 minutes. Rotate the tray halfway through.
- Serve scattered with chopped chives, alongside sauteed courgettes with parsley if you like.
Cedar Tip
Use a meat thermometer - the chicken must hit 74°C internally. The pancetta crisping up on the outside doesn't guarantee the inside is cooked through, especially at this gentle oven temperature. Be a pro - get a Thermapen (kitcheninthegarden.co.uk/products/thermapen-one-thermometer). Probe the centre of the thickest involtino - 75C means perfectly safe and still juicy.
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