Chef Bill Fuller At Home: Calabrian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs With Pesto And Tomato Sauce

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Chef Bill Fuller, of the big Burrito Restaurant Group, is showing us the recipes he's making at home for his family during the social distancing period.

Bill at Home
Calabrian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs With Pesto and Tomato Sauce
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 12 ea. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 # Calabrian Sausage (may substitute spicy Italian sausage)
• 2 ea. Eggs
• ½ C. Finely grated Parmigianino Reggiano
• 1 C. Breadcrumbs
• ½ C. Pesto
• 1 qt. Tomato Sauce
• ½ C. Finely grated Parmigianino Reggiano
• ½ C. Breadcrumbs
• Pasta of your choice, polenta, or risotto

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine Calabrian Sausage, 2 eggs, first 1/2 C. of Parmigianino, the first 1 C. of breadcrumbs. Knead it together thoroughly.
3. Prep the chicken thighs. Lay each thigh on the cutting board. With a small knife, remove the vein that runs up inside. Also check to make sure that there are no remaining pieces of bones or sinew.
4. Lay thighs skin side down (the smooth side down) on a sheet pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Portion pesto among all 12 thighs. Spread gently
6. Portion sausage into 12 small tubes. Lay each into the middle of the thighs where the bone was.
7. Spread 1 qt. Tomato Sauce into a 9x13 baking dish.
8. Roll each thigh around the sausage tube. Place into the sauce with the open side down. Arrange them in three tidy rows of four stuffed breasts. Or four tidy rows of three. However you see it.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Spread second ½ C. portion of Parmigianino over the thighs. Top with bread crumbs.
11. Bake in oven on upper shelf for 35-45 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees.
12. While the thighs are cooking, prepare the pasta, polenta, or risotto of your choice.
13. Maybe make a nice salad too.
14. Eat!

Calabrian Sausage

Ingredients:

• 5 # Pork butt, cut int 1" cubes (need to fit into the grinder head)
• 3 Tbs. Chopped, canned Calabrian chilis (available a Labriola's)
• 1 Tbs. Anise seed
• 3 Tbs. Fennel seed
• 2 Tbs. Dried rosemary
• ¼ C. Kosher salt
• 2 Tbs. Black Pepper
• 1 C. Chopped garlic
• 3 Tbs. Red wine vinegar
• 1 C. Crushed ice

Directions:

1. Chill grinder head in freezer.
2. Combine all ingredients except crushed ice in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or preferably overnight.
3. When ready to grind, assemble grinder.
a. You probably want to use the larger holed plate if you have the Kitchen Aid grinder attachment.
b. I like to drape a piece of plastic wrap over the end where the ground sausage comes out. It keeps splatters to a minimum.
4. Add crushed ice to pork mixture.
5. Grind sausage into a bowl.
6. When all is ground, mix well.
7. At this point, I like to cook a couple of small patties of the sausage just to see how it tastes.
8. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
9. Package sausage into 5 plastic bags. Label and freeze if you are not using right away.

Pesto

Ingredients:

• 2-4 ea. Cloves garlic, peeled
• ¼ C. Pine nuts
• About ½ C. Extra virgin olive oil
• 3 C. Basil leaves, packed
• ¼ C. Finely grated real Parmesan Reggiano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place garlic in blender with pine nuts and olive oil. Do not use a food processor!
2. Puree, making a thick mixture.
3. Add basil. Pack down into bottom of blender. Puree.
4. Using a rubber spatula, push basil down while blending. Do not puree the spatula.
5. When pureed to thick, green goodness, stir in Parmesan. Do not blend the Parmesan!
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbs. Extra virgin olive oil
• ½ C. Small diced onions
• 6-8 ea. Cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2-3 Tbs Butter, softened
• A lot of basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a wide skillet, place olive oil and onions. Bring up over medium heat until onions sweat and turn clear.
2. Add garlic and cook until aromatic.
3. Add tomatoes, bring to a simmer.
4. Swirl butter into tomato sauce. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Add basil leaves to sauce.

Creamy Buttermilk Polenta

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Buttermilk
• 2 C. Whole milk
• 1 C. Stone-ground polenta, not the quick cook kind
• 4 Tbs. Unsalted butter
• ½ C. Grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the buttermilk and whole milk and heat an pot that allows some stirring. Bring to a simmer.
2. Add the polenta in a stream, whisking constantly until all the polenta is incorporated.
3. Turn the heat to very low and cook until all of the polenta is tender -- with stone-ground polenta, the size of the grain will vary, and larger pieces will take longer to cook than small ones. The cooking time should be 45-60 minutes; stir frequently endlessly with a wooden spoon.
4. While finishing polenta, bring sauce to a simmer.
5. Stir in 2 Tbs. butter and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.

Simple Risotto

Ingredients:

• Approx. 1 1/2 qt. chicken stock, brought to a boil and kept hot
• 2 Tbs. Butter
• 2 Tbs. Olive oil
• ¼ C. Minced yellow onion
• 1 C. Arborio rice
• 2 Tbs. Butter to finish
• ½ C. Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat butter and oil in a wide, heavy pot over low heat. Sweat onions and until soft. Add rice and cook, stirring to coat the grains with butter, until opaque, 3 to 5 min.
2. Add 1/2 C. hot stock and stir until liquid is absorbed. Be careful to stir regularly so the risotto does not scorch.
3. Continue adding stock in this fashion until rice is cooked al dente. Risotto should be a little loose, not soupy.