Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Salami and Mozzarella
By America's Test KitchenPublished on February 24, 2011
Time
1¾ hours, plus 30 minutes brining
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and skinTable salt Vegetable oil for cooking grate4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened3 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoons minced fresh basil 2 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese 8 slices Genoa salami Ground black pepper
Before You Begin
You can serve the chicken on the bone, but we prefer to carve it off and slice it before serving.
Instructions
- Starting on thick side of breast, closest to breastbone, cut horizontal pocket in each breast, stopping ½ inch from edge so halves remain attached. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 1 quart cold water in large container. Add breasts, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Arrange all coals over half of grill, leaving other half empty. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Grill is ready when coals are hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grate for 2 seconds).
- Meanwhile, combine butter, garlic, and basil in small bowl. Roll each piece of cheese in 2 slices salami. Remove breasts from brine, dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towels, and season inside and out with pepper. Spread equal amount of butter mixture inside each breast. Place 1 salami-wrapped piece of cheese inside each breast and fold breast over to enclose. Evenly space 3 pieces kitchen twine (each about 12 inches long) beneath each breast and tie, trimming any excess.
- Place chicken breasts, skin side down, over hot part of grill and cook until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until second side is just opaque, about 2 minutes. Move chicken, skin side up, to cool side of grill, with thicker side of breasts facing fire. Cover grill and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of stuffing registers 160 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, tented with foil, 10 minutes. Remove twine, then carve breast meat from bone (see photo below). Carve into ½-inch-thick slices and serve.
Time
1¾ hours, plus 30 minutes briningYield
Serves 4Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and skin
Table salt
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese
8 slices Genoa salami
Ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and skin
Table salt
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese
8 slices Genoa salami
Ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and skin
Table salt
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese
8 slices Genoa salami
Ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our charcoal-grilled stuffed chicken recipe’s stuffing, we opted for salami and mozzarella. We wrapped the salami around the cheese and placed the whole bundle inside the chicken, which we had sliced horizontally and spread with a simple compound butter. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts stayed moist, and the bone prevented shrinking and shielded the underside of the meat from the heat of the grill, giving us a stuffed chicken breast recipe that was made better by the grill, not worse.
Before You Begin
You can serve the chicken on the bone, but we prefer to carve it off and slice it before serving.
Instructions
- Starting on thick side of breast, closest to breastbone, cut horizontal pocket in each breast, stopping ½ inch from edge so halves remain attached. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 1 quart cold water in large container. Add breasts, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Arrange all coals over half of grill, leaving other half empty. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush. Dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Grill is ready when coals are hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grate for 2 seconds).
- Meanwhile, combine butter, garlic, and basil in small bowl. Roll each piece of cheese in 2 slices salami. Remove breasts from brine, dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towels, and season inside and out with pepper. Spread equal amount of butter mixture inside each breast. Place 1 salami-wrapped piece of cheese inside each breast and fold breast over to enclose. Evenly space 3 pieces kitchen twine (each about 12 inches long) beneath each breast and tie, trimming any excess.
- Place chicken breasts, skin side down, over hot part of grill and cook until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until second side is just opaque, about 2 minutes. Move chicken, skin side up, to cool side of grill, with thicker side of breasts facing fire. Cover grill and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of stuffing registers 160 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, tented with foil, 10 minutes. Remove twine, then carve breast meat from bone (see photo below). Carve into ½-inch-thick slices and serve.
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