Stuffed Chicken Neck

In my travels throughout Italy while I was interviewing 90-somethings for my first book Chewing the Fat, a recurrent theme was how nothing was wasted. Cores, pods, peels, - everything was repurposed.

As part of the interview, I asked each participant if they would give me a recipe which for them characterized typical foods they grew up with during the fascist era, foods that were a normal part of their culinary experience. Aida, a mezzadra, or sharecropper, from Gubbio in Umbria gave me her recipe for stuffed chicken neck. It was a dish that combined old bread and the less desirable bits of a chicken to create something that was considered quite a treat.

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Your first thought might be - well what about the neck bone? How do you get the stuffing in? All will be revealed in the recipe below. It is better to think of the dish as something between a bread dumpling (like the northern Italian canederli) and a paté, as the stuffing is made with finely chopped chicken giblets. Ready-to-cook stuffed chicken neck can still be found in old-fashioned butcher shops, though I personally have only ever come across them twice, given the public’s predilection for breast meat.

I have taken license with the recipe, in keeping with my own tastes, by baking it instead of boiling. You get a crispy, browned skin rather than a pale boiled skin and you don’t have to be quite so careful about sealing the ends. Alternatively, they could be steamed. Remember to try the crests!

As you are unlikely to find necks with the head attached at the supermarket, this would be a good opportunity to get to know your local sustainable chicken farmer.

Stuffed Chicken Neck

  • 100g day old bread with milk for soaking

  • 2 fully intact chicken necks with head cut at the base of the chicken

  • Liver, heart, and gizzards

  • 1 stalk celery

  • 1 small onion

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 1 bunch fresh sage

  • 1 bunch fresh thyme

  • Freshly ground pepper

  • 1 whole egg

  • 20g grated parmesan cheese

  • Olive oil

  • Salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C

  2. Soak the bread in milk or water.

  3. Using a small sharp knife, pull the skin of the chicken up the neck until it is all gathered at the top around the head. (1)

  4. With a heavy knife, cut the neck off close to the head taking care not to slice into the skin. (2)

  5. Use the necks for broth on another occasion.

  6. Mince the onion, celery, garlic, herbs and chicken offal, removing the white part of the gizzards if desired and sauté in a small pan with oil until soft. (3)

  7. Sauté the vegetables and herbs (4) until softened and add the meats (5); continue cooking until the meats have changed color.

  8. Thoroughly wash the chicken necks inside checking for debris from the craw.

  9. Transfer the cooked mixture to a mixing bowl.

  10. Squeeze the bread and mix with the cooked mixture.

  11. When it has cooled a bit, add the cheese, egg, pepper, and salt.

  12. Divide the fully mixed stuffing into two even quantities.

  13. Take handfuls and stuff the necks not pushing too much towards the head.

  14. They shouldn't be packed too tightly because the stuffing will expand while cooking.

  15. Close the flaps of skin at the end of the neck either by sewing them with heavy thread or with toothpicks. (6)

  16. Place the stuffed necks into a non-stick baking dish and brush with olive oil. Salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes. (7)

  17. After 20 minutes, turn the necks over and bake another 20 minutes until fully browned. (8)

  18. Leave to cool and solidify. Slice like a salami and serve warm or cold. (9)