Recipe of the Week: Chicken Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca, loosely translated as “jump in your mouth”, is an Italian dish typically made with veal, but also commonly made in North America with chicken. The cutlets can be rolled or flat, as in this recipe, and is a delicious dish to make quickly on a weeknight when time is tight. Serve with a salad or some sauteed vegetables. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3-4                 boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced horizontally into cutlets (your                                     butcher can help you with this). You should have at least 8 cutlets.
16 or more     fresh sage leaves
8 or more       prosciutto slices
1 cup              all purpose flour
To taste          salt and pepper
1 cup              dry white wine (pinot grigio is good)
2 tbsp             butter (for initial cooking)
2 tbsp             cold butter, diced (for finishing the sauce)

Method:

1) Place the cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap, and lightly pound them to achieve an even thickness of about ¼ inch. You can do this with a mallet or a small pot, or ask your butcher to help you with this.

2) Lay two leaves of sage on each cutlet, then drape a slice of prosciutto on top. Set aside on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cutlets until all the cutlets have both sage and prosciutto.

3) Mix the flour with a small pinch of salt (the prosciutto will add salt to the dish) and black pepper. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, tapping off excess, and place back on the baking sheet. 

4) Place a large skillet on medium high heat and add half of the butter. When foaming, add the cutlets, prosciutto side down (you should be able to fit 4 cutlets in the pan at a time). After a minute or so the cutlets should be golden on the prosciutto side. Flip the cutlets to finish cooking on the other side. Remove to a clean plate and repeat the process with the remaining butter and cutlets until they are all cooked.

5) When the cutlets are all finished cooking, return the pan to the heat and add the white wine to deglaze. Reduce by half, then turn off the heat and swirl in the 2 tbsp of cold butter to emulsify. Add the cutlets back in the pan to heat through and get saucy, then serve immediately.