As well as inspired tuition, warm hospitality, beautiful accommodation and stunning locations, one of the extra pleasures you’ll enjoy on a Watermill creative course is the food. We offer you delicious, home-cooked dishes, many of them Italian classics with a Watermill ‘twist.’ We receive many accolades for our food from our guests on our Watermill creative courses. Comments like ‘out of this world,’ ‘outstanding.’ ‘top notch’ and ‘fabulous’ abound.

To whet your appetite, we’re serving up a series of blogs about some of the special dishes at the Watermill. Today: Involtini di pollo.

What is involtini di pollo?

I suppose that might be translated as ‘chicken rolls’ or ‘chicken wraps’, but in this case the wrapping is not a bread bun, but rather the chicken itself, rolled round a delicious interior of Italian ingredients, including ham, cheese, spinach leaves, sage and white wine. We serve them with grilled sliced zucchini and sauté potatoes.

Recipe from the Watermill cucina: Involtini di pollo

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 people)

3 large chicken breasts
1 bunch of fresh spinach, sautéed in olive oil and garlic ahead of time
125 g of fontina cheese, thinly sliced
6 thin slices of prosciutto crudo, cut in half
125 ml chicken stock
125 ml of white wine
125 g stracchino cheese
Chopped parsley (to garnish)
12 sage leaves, torn in half

And you will need lots of cocktail sticks.

Method

1. Thinly slice the chicken breasts horizontally so that you have 3 slices of chicken per breast. Lay them all out on your worktop and whack them thin with a meat tenderiser. Cut each in half lengthways.
2. Place on each piece a half of sage leaf, a slice of fontina, a spoon of spinach (spread out) and half a slice of prosciutto crudo. Roll up tightly and secure with a cocktail stick.
3. Arrange in a saucepan. Add the chicken stock and white wine. Bring to the boil then turn to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or so, with the lid on.
4. Lift out the involtini and set on a serving dish.
5. Add the stracchino to the stock/wine mixture and boil until the stracchino melts, creating a thick creamy white sauce.
6. Spoon over the involtini and garnish with parsley.

Come and taste for yourself!

More recipes from the Watermill cucina

Remember to explore the other food blog posts and discover more Watermill recipes inspired by Italian classics and convivial meals, see the links below:

Gorgonzola soufflés

Succulent salmon with a spicy salsa

Tiramisù

Parmesan lollipops

Fennel baked in white wine and parmesan