Chicken Saltimbocca
Chicken Saltimbocca means to literally “jump in your mouth”.
Chicken Saltimbocca has many variations. Most use sage as I do here in my recipe. Some vary and use thyme. Some layer on cheese, tomatoes or spinach.
I wish I’d tried making this in the summer, when an abundance of fresh sage spilled over its boundaries in my herb garden bordering my patio.
I will definitely revisit this dish when my new sage sprouts up this spring. It’s a keeper.
Start by taking a chicken breast. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper ,and top it with a few fresh sage leaves, or if you’re snowed in like I have been the past few days, just sprinkle on some dried sage.
Take a few slices of Prosciutto and layer them on top. Place the entire thing inside a gallon size bag (not zipped!) and pound your chicken to about 1/4 inch thick.
You’re actually pounding the sage and the prosciutto right into the chicken breast, and you’re breaking down the chicken breast so it will be nice and tender and thin when you cook it up in just a minute.
Get a pie pan or rectangular container, and put one cup of flour in it. Carefully, pick up your chicken breast, holding onto the prosciutto and place it into the flour pan. I found tongs didn’t work well, and used my hands.
Now, flip it over carefully, still holding the prosciutto in place, and lightly flour the other side of your chicken as well.
I know there are tongs in this picture, but seriously, use your hands. I think I washed my hands about 12 times while making this recipe, but it’s okay.
Sometimes life is just about getting dirty.
Hopefully Howie Mandel isn’t reading this. He would freak out.
Anyway, now we need a large sauté pan. Take two tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil, and let them start to melt over medium heat in your pan. Just pick up your pan and swirl them together.
Then watch until the butter begins to bubble or foam up. You don’t want it to get brown, just bubbly.
Now carefully place your chicken with the prosciutto side down, into the bubbling hot pan.
I turned my heat down just a tad at this point and let this cook for about 3 minutes on the first side. Then I flipped it.
See that lovely golden-brown color? That’s what you’re looking for. Leave this for another 3 minutes and then remove it to a plate or platter. Loosely tent it with foil or put into your oven on 200º to keep warm while you cook 3 more of these, using the exact same method as we just used.
If your oil gets dry, just add in another tablespoon of butter and olive oil to refresh it. I made four of these last night.
When I had them all keeping warm in the oven, I added one cup each of white wine (chardonnay) and chicken broth to the pan.
As you can see, there are little brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Take a wooden spoon and scrape those into your sauce. They’re flavor baby, flavor!
You want to let this simmer (lightly bubble but not boil!) for about 5 minutes until the amount of sauce is reduced to half of what it is now. This really intensifies the flavors of the sauce.
While your sauce is reducing, and using one lemon, zest it until you have close to one tablespoon.
And here’s where you decide.
Do you love lemon? Do you like it subtle or intense? Tori and I loved the amount we had in our sauce, being lemon the lemon lovers that we are. We used the juice of the entire lemon. I would recommend using half to begin, then taste. If you think it needs more, add the other half. Mr. Wonderful and Conner would have preferred less.
No one hesitates to voice an opinion in this family.
I wonder where they get that from?
Squeeze in your juice and add the zest right into your sauce mixture. Stir this around a bit, and then add in 2 tablespoons of butter. Cut them into 2 pats and add them separately, whisking them into your sauce at the last moment.
For the final touch, stir in 3 tablespoons of capers. Capers are little buds that haven’t developed into flowers. They are brined in vinegar or wine and have a bright lemony flavor. Nonpareils are the best, and what I’m using here.
Please note my freshly manicured chocolate lacquered fingernails. I’m trying to decide if I like them or not.
Now take one of your chicken breasts and plate it. Spoon the sauce over top of it.
Serve this up with some garlic mashed potatoes or a light pasta dish. This is one filling piece of meat, I tell you.
Jump in your mouth? Yep.
And it’s delicious too.
- 4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons dried sage or 8 whole fresh sage leaves
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 1 t. kosher salt
- ½ cracked black pepper
- 1 c. flour
- SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 c. dry white wine (chardonnay)
- 1 c. chicken stock
- 1 T. grated lemon peel
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 T. butter
- 3 T. capers
- pinch of salt and pepper
- Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle top only with sage (1.2 t. each).
- Place 2 slices prosciutto on each chicken breast.
- Place in gallon freezer bag, one at a time and pound to ¼ inch thickness. Dredge both sides in flour.
- In large saute pan over medium heat, melt 2 T. butter and 2 T. olive oil, swirling them together to mix.
- Place 2 chicken breasts in pan and allow to brown on first side, around 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Flip and cook an additional 3 minutes on 2nd side.
- Remove to a platter and loosely tent with foil, or place in 200º oven to keep warm.
- Keep pan juices/oils for sauce.
- Add one cup each of dry white wine and chicken stock to pan, scraping up brown bits with spoon.
- Add pinch of salt and pepper and reduce down by ½ volume.
- Add in lemon juice and zest.
- Swirl in butter until dissolved then add capers.
- Spoon over chicken and serve.
