Chicken cannelloni

To prepare the chicken cannelloni, debone the whole chicken: separate thighs and drumsticks, breasts and wings 1. Remove the bones and skin from each part, keeping the trimmings aside. Rinse these trimmings under running water. In a large saucepan pour a drizzle of oil, add the bones and skin 2, brown well 3, deglaze with white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.

Add cold water 4 and cook for one hour, skimming from time to time 5. Cut the cleaned chicken into cubes 6.

Chop the onion and garlic, then cut about 5.3 oz of escarole into small pieces (approximately 150 g) 7. In a frying pan make a soffritto of garlic and onion, season with salt 8 and add the escarole 9.

Sauté everything together for 5 minutes, stirring 10. In a separate pan, brown the chicken with oil 11, then salt 12.

When the chicken is cooked transfer it to the pan with the escarole 13. Add a ladleful of chicken broth 14 and a small herb bundle of thyme and rosemary tied with kitchen twine 15. Cook for about 30 minutes over medium‑low heat.

At the end of cooking add chopped Taggiasca olives 16 and adjust the salt. In a pot of boiling heavily salted water, blanch about 3.5 oz of escarole (approximately 100 g) for a few minutes 17. When cooked, cool it in a bowl of ice water 18.

Blend the escarole with an immersion blender, adding 2 tablespoons of cold water 19. Strain the purée using a paper cloth 20. Blend the strained liquid again with about 6 3/4 tablespoons (≈3.4 fl oz) of extra virgin olive oil to obtain a thick flavored oil 21.

Meanwhile the broth will be ready; strain it 22 and set aside 3 ladles. Pour the remaining broth into a saucepan and reduce it to create a brown chicken jus 23; you should obtain a thicker, syrupy consistency 34.

Prepare the fresh pasta: on the work surface arrange the flour in a well, pour the eggs into the center 25 and mix with a fork to combine 26. Knead with your hands and with energy for about 10 minutes to form a smooth, elastic dough 27. Wrap it in cling film and let rest in a cool place for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile you can prepare the béchamel: heat the milk in a small saucepan. In a pan melt the butter 28, then add all the flour at once off the heat and mix 29. Return to the heat and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. When the "roux" has formed — that is, the mixture turns golden and pulls away from the bottom — pour the hot milk in several additions, whisking to prevent lumps 30.

Salt, pepper and cook until thickened, then let the béchamel cool to room temperature 31. Dust the pasta dough with flour, slightly flatten it with a rolling pin 32, then pass it through the pasta machine from the widest to the thinnest setting until you obtain a sheet about 2 mm thick 33.

Cut rectangles of pasta about 4 3/4 × 3 1/2 inches (12 × 9 cm) 34. Blanch the pasta rectangles in boiling salted water for about 1 minute 35. Drain them onto a tray covered with a kitchen towel. In a bowl combine the chicken ragù with the béchamel, keeping a little béchamel aside for the baking dish. Fill each pasta rectangle, along the short side, with the obtained mixture 36.

Roll the sheet to form the cannelloni 37 and place them on a tray as you go 38. In a baking dish pour a layer of béchamel, arrange the cannelloni and brush with more béchamel, then sprinkle with grated Grana Padano PDO 39. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 390°F for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven 40 and serve the chicken cannelloni with the chicken broth reduction 41 and the escarole‑infused oil 42. Finish with fresh thyme and rosemary.