Chicken Saltimbocca is a fresh take on the famous Italian dish, made traditionally with veal. With a handful of everyday ingredients, you can make this elegant main course in about 40 minutes.
Wrapped in crispy prosciutto and smothered in a creamy tomato and white wine sauce, these juicy parcels of chicken make any meal feel special. It's a weeknight easy main course that's worthy of your next date night or dinner party.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Chicken Saltimbocca
- Chicken Breasts: boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Lemon: fresh lemon slices and, optionally, lemon wedges for serving
- Fresh Sage Leaves: dried sage isn't a good substitution here
- Prosciutto: thing slices that are large enough to wrap around chicken breasts
- Olive Oil: extra virgin olive oil
- Dry White Wine: such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris
- Chicken Broth: or chicken stock
- Diced Tomatoes: canned diced tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes
- Heavy Cream
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Recipe Tips
- You want your prosciutto slices to be thin enough to wrap around each chicken breast, but not so thin that they're difficult to work with and likely to split when cooking in the skillet.
- For the best depth of flavor, be sure to the the chicken lightly with salt and pepper before topping with lemon and sage then wrapping with prosciutto.
- Feel free to use chopped and drained fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes if that's what you have on hand.
FAQ
The original version of this dish called, Saltimbocca alla Romana, originated in Rome, Italy. It's traditionally made with veal, but is delicious with other meats as well, like Pork Saltimbocca and, of course, chicken!
Yes. The Italian word saltimbocca means, "it jumps in the mouth."
Because of Chicken saltimbocca's deep, savory flavors, brightly flavored side dishes are a great contrast. See pairing recommendations below.
Serve With
- Italian Roasted Potatoes OR
- Mashed Red Potatoes OR Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
- AND Rapini with Raisins and Hazelnuts OR Arugula Salad
How to Make Chicken Saltimbocca
With a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken breasts to a ½-inch thickness inside a plastic zip-top bag or between two pieces of plastic; season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
Top each chicken breast with one lemon slice and one fresh sage leaf; wrap crosswise with prosciutto. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Cook wrapped chicken breasts in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Gently flip and cook 3-5 minutes more. Transfer to clean plate and tent with foil.
Add white wine to skillet, stirring to break up any brown bits. Add chicken broth and cook until reduced by half. Stir in tomatoes, cream, salt and pepper; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Spoon sauce over chicken breasts arranged on serving platter and garnish with finely chopped sage; serve.
Chicken Saltimbocca
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning meat
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning meat
- 4 thin lemon slices
- 5 large fresh sage leaves divided
- 4 slices prosciutto large enough to wrap around chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 14 ½ ounce can diced tomatoes drained
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Place one chicken breast on a work surface inside a plastic zip-top bag or between two pieces of plastic. Pound with meat mallet or rolling pin to ½-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Season each chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place one slice of lemon and one fresh sage leaf on one chicken breast and wrap crosswise with a slice of prosciutto, pressing to seal. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
- Finely chop remaining sage leaf.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken breasts, lemon side up in the hot oil; cook 5 minutes. (Reduce heat if prosciutto is browning too quickly) Carefully turn chicken breasts over with tongs or a thin metal spatula and cook 3-5 minutes more, until chicken has just cooked through and prosciutto has caramelized. Remove from skillet and tent with foil; let stand 5 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165˚F.
- Meanwhile, add white wine to skillet; cook and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any brown bits. Add chicken broth and boil until reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cream, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Arrange chicken breasts on serving platter or place one on each of 4 dinner plates; spoon sauce over each and garnish with finely chopped sage; serve immediately.
Marissa, this sounds so delicious, and it's such a pretty dish. Often when I read one of your recipes, I change my mind about when I want for dinner. This is totally calling to me right now! 🙂 ~Valentina
That prosciutto looks so crispy and delicious! This is definitely Italian comfort food at its prime. Well done, Marissa!
Thank you, David! I hope you'll give this one a try.
This looks fantastic and it's not even difficult to prepare.
Thank you, Angie! It really is easy.