Chicken Saltimbocca
In Italian, Saltimbocca means “jump in the mouth”. Once you’ve tasted this recipe, thin cuts of chicken cooked with salty prosciutto and fresh sage, you’ll understand it’s meaning. Traditionally, saltimbocca is made with veal, but chicken tends to be more economical and easier to source. The sauce that finishes this dish is rich with mushrooms, garlic, and fresh sage. It’s tempting to eat it up before you serve it over the chicken!
Ingredients
Serves 4
Chicken:
4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
8 fresh sage leaves
4 thin slices of prosciutto, cut in half
4 thin mozzarella cheese slices
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup hot chicken stock
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cold water
6 finely chopped sage
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
Process
Chicken:
Cut each chicken breast in half, for 8 total pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and flatten with a meat pounder until almost 1/4” thick. Top each breast with a sage leaf and cover with a prosciutto half. Sprinkle with black pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 chicken pieces, prosciutto side down. Cook about 2 minutes and turn over. Remove chicken to a sheet pan (prosciutto side up) and repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of chicken. Place the cheese slices on each chicken breast and put in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
Sauce:
In the same skillet you cooked the chicken, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped sage and pour in the hot chicken stock. Simmer uncovered about 4 minutes. In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch and cold water together and add to the sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove sauce from heat and whisk in butter and parsley. Serve over warm chicken.
