Chicken Cannelloni Margherita
Ingredients
For the Tomato Sauce:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tbsp. olive oil
- 8 large ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 6 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. crushed chili sauce or chili flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Cannelloni Filling:
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced small
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
For the Cannelloni:
- 8 fresh lasagna sheets
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
- About a dozen basil leaves
Instructions
To prepare the tomato sauce:
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the oil for just a minute before adding the tomatoes, brown sugar, chili sauce, salt, pepper.
- Continue to cook until the tomatoes soften and the compote reduces to a chunky jam-like consistency.
- Add the balsamic vinegar in the final minute or two of cooking.
To prepare the filling:
- Stir fry the chicken and garlic in the olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Do not overcook, remember, the chicken will be going back into the oven.
- If you overcook it at this stage, it will be very dry after being baked.
- Set aside to cool for 10 or 15 minutes and add the basil, ricotta, egg yolks, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.
To prepare the cannelloni:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- If your lasagna sheets are very large you can cut them in half.
- Sheets about 6 × 6-inches is about right but you can make almost any size work.
- If the sheets are too stiff, just soak them in warm water for a few minutes until they soften sufficiently to roll.
- You will need two 8 x 8-inch baking dishes, or a large baking dish of the equivalent size.
- Spoon a thin layer of the sauce to cover the bottom of the pans.
- Spoon 1/8 of the filling onto each lasagna sheet and gently roll the sheet up into a tube about an inch thick.
- I find spooning the filling onto the center of the sheet and then rolling works best.
- As you roll, the filling disperses throughout the pasta tube you are forming.
- Place the cannelloni in the pan and cover with the remaining sauce, a layer of basil leaves and then sprinkle on the grated mozzarella evenly.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted and begins to brown.