Spiedini translates to “skewer” in Italian, and this dish calls for cubes of beef, lamb, or veal to be seasoned, skewered, and grilled over hot coals. Thanks to the “spiedie” sandwich stuffed with skewered meat, created by Italian immigrants in New York, Kansas City’s Mike Garozzo was inspired to create the city's own iconic spiedini.

Sicily's unique take on the spiedini is a street snack of breaded, rolled, skewered, and grilled veal. Garozzo's own spiedini dish was inspired by this version, and owing to his own Sicilian heritage and help from his Uncle Alfio, Garozzo, owner of Garozzo's Ristorante in Kansas City, Mike created a mashup of Sicilian and Italian-American spiedini.

Kansas City spiedini uses chicken, and Garozzo's recipe involves marinating chicken tenders in olive oil, garlic, basil, and breadcrumbs for three to six hours, then rolling up the tenders, skewering, covering in more breadcrumbs, broiling, and serving the skewers with a sauce. This deliciously crispy KC original is often served with pasta.