Chicken Saltimbocca

Last week, I needed a quick weeknight chicken dinner and I was in the mood to try something new so I turned to my favorite recipe website for inspiration.  (Williamssonoma.com)  The website did not disappoint - I found lots of yummy looking chicken dinners but I finally settled on this recipe for Chicken Saltimbocca for my family.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,
    each about 6 oz., lightly pounded to an even
    thickness
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp. dried sage,
    plus 4 sage leaves for garnish (optional)
• 2 large slices prosciutto, not paper-thin,
    trimmed to fit chicken breasts
• 1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and
    trimmed to fit chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or
    Sauvignon Blanc

Directions:

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread the flour on a plate and dredge each breast, coating evenly and shaking off the excess. Set aside.

In a large fry pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter with the olive oil until very hot. Add the chicken breasts and cook until the undersides are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and continue to cook until they feel firm when pressed in the centers, 4 to 6 minutes more.  (I had to cook mine in 2 batches.)

 

 

Reduce the heat to very low. Sprinkle the breasts evenly with the chopped fresh sage. 

I headed out to my garden in search of fresh sage where I have 2 different kinds of sage growing.

Please send me a comment if I get the names wrong but I think the sage on the left is called purple sage and the one on the right is Russian sage.  I picked some of each because I really didn't know which one I wanted to add to my chicken dinner.  After several minutes of debate and intense sniffing, I decided to use the Russian sage.  (I think I made the right choice because it was the perfect seasoning for this dish.)

Top each breast with a piece of prosciutto.



Divide the cheese slices evenly among the breasts. 

 

Cover the pan tightly and cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil, being careful not to allow the foil to touch the cheese.  Increase the heat to high. When the pan is sizzling, add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits stuck on the pan bottom. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 Tbs. butter.

Spoon an equal amount of the sauce over each breast. Serve immediately.  

Serves 4.

 This chicken saltimbocca was delicious.

Ciao!

Chicken Saltimbocca

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,
    each about 6 oz., lightly pounded to an even
    thickness
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp. dried sage,
    plus 4 sage leaves for garnish (optional)
• 2 large slices prosciutto, not paper-thin,
    trimmed to fit chicken breasts
• 1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and
    trimmed to fit chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or
    Sauvignon Blanc

Directions:

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread the flour on a plate and dredge each breast, coating evenly and shaking off the excess. Set aside.

In a large fry pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter with the olive oil until very hot. Add the chicken breasts and cook until the undersides are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and continue to cook until they feel firm when pressed in the centers, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Reduce the heat to very low. Sprinkle the breasts evenly with the chopped or dried sage. Top each breast with a piece of prosciutto, then divide the cheese slices evenly among the breasts. Cover the pan tightly and cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil, being careful not to allow the foil to touch the cheese.

Increase the heat to high. When the pan is sizzling, add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits stuck on the pan bottom. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 Tbs. butter.

Spoon an equal amount of the sauce over each breast, then garnish with a sage leaf. Serve immediately.