Chicken saltimbocca (chicken with prosciutto) is a delicious and easy chicken and prosciutto recipe and the perfect weeknight meal.

saltimbocca top view — Chicken Saltimbocca

Sometimes all you have to do when looking for a delicious recipe that is healthy but loaded with flavor is look at dishes from other cultures and see how they got dinner on the table quickly. Italians are notorious for making easy and delicious meals and this chicken and prosciutto recipe is a great example of that.

When I can find a recipe that is full of flavor and has just a few ingredients, that is my favorite recipe to cook.

My friend shared this recipe with me years ago which she learned while working in the restaurants. It was our go-to quick dinner that was sophisticated yet easy to make when we were in college. Basically, our first easy dinner that we learned to cook.

Did you know, saltimbocca in Italian means "jump in your mouth". I love that quirky translation!

Let me show you how easy it is to make so you can make it part of your dinner rotation the way I have in my house.

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients for making chicken and prosciutto including: chicken breasts, prosciutto, parmesan and a marinade made of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

Boneless chicken breasts. I like to buy two chicken breasts and butterfly them thin. I then cut the butterflied chicken breasts in half to make a total of four chicken breasts.
Fresh Prosciutto di Parma. This is the salty bite. Make sure you buy this type of prosciutto from the store. It is the most tender and authentic Italian prosciutto.
Fresh Sage. Adds a light flavor. If you do not have it you can leave it out.
Fresh Parmesan cheese. This is that classic Italian salty flavor that really elevates this recipe. Though it is optional, I highly recommend it.
Olive Oil, lemon juice, and garlic. This is for the marinade the chicken goes into before cooking.

How To Make Chicken And Prosciutto

I have tried making this saltimbocca recipe both fully under the broiler or on the stove top then under the broiler for the last minute or two. I can tell you that cooking the chicken on the stove first is so much easier.

Prepare the chicken: Butterfly the chicken breasts.
Make your marinade: Combine the olive oil, fresh garlic, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Marinate the chicken: Place the marinade in a large plastic bag along with the butterflied chicken and seal. Take the sealed bag and rub the chicken around in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
Cook: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook your chicken (both sides.). Place cooked chicken on a sheet pan and cover with prosciutto and fresh sage leaves.
Broil: Place under the broiler for a minute or so then add your Parmesan and place back under the broiler until melted (about 2 minutes.)

I've added some Parmesan to the last step of the recipe for a little extra flavor. You can keep this part of the recipe or omit it based on your preference. It will be amazing either way.

Storing And Reheating

If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. To reheat the chicken, I like to wrap the chicken in aluminum foil in a 350-degree oven to heat it all the way through. Once the chicken is heated fully, I like to place it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to crisp up the top again.

If you have some Parmesan leftover, add a little more Parmesan during the last step of crisping up the chicken.

Tips

You can make this dish lighter by omitting the Parmesan cheese. It will taste great with or without it.

I chose to use only two chicken breasts for this recipe since I butterfly the breasts and cut those in half to make four smaller chicken breasts.

You can follow this step or you can just butterfly the chicken breasts and make each of the chicken breasts one serving by not cutting them in half. If you do this just make sure to buy four chicken breasts and double the amount of the other ingredients in the recipe (the prosciutto, sage, etc.)

Our Favorite Sides For Chicken Saltimbocca

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5 from 14 votes

Chicken Saltimbocca (Chicken with Prosciutto)

Chicken saltimbocca (chicken with prosciutto) is a delicious and easy chicken and prosciutto recipe and the perfect weeknight meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Servings: servings

Author: Melissa Oleary

Equipment

1 large skillet
sheet pan for broiling

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts butterflied and then cut in half to make 4 pieces of chicken.
1 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
4 pieces of prosciutto di parma sliced thin
12 fresh sage leaves

Marinade

3 tablespoon olive oil plus more for cooking
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
juice of a small lemon

Instructions

Butterfly the chicken breasts.
2 boneless chicken breasts
Now cut each butterflied breast in half to make four pieces of chicken.
Add all the ingredients for the marinade into a small bowl and mix well. (this is the olive oil, fresh garlic, salt and lemon juice).
3 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, juice of a small lemon
Place the marinade in a large plastic bag along with the butterflied chicken and seal. Take the sealed bag and rub the chicken around in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
Pre heat your skillet over medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Cook your chicken for 2-3 minutes per side until it is almost completely cooked. It will have a little more cooking time under the broiler later.
Place cooked chicken on a sheet pan and cover each piece with one slice of prosciutto that is folded in half and 3 fresh sage leaves.
4 pieces of prosciutto di parma, 12 fresh sage leaves
Press the sage leaves down a bit to make sure they have good contact with the prosciutto. This will ensure the leaves do not blow off the chicken under the broiler where the heat creates a small breeze.
Place under the broiler for a minute or so until the prosciutto lightly cooks and the fresh sage begins to crisp up.
Remove from the oven and now add ¼ of Parmesan over top of each piece of chicken and place back under the broiler until melted and crisp (about 2 minutes.)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Serve immediately.

Nutrition