Chicken saltimbocca (chicken with prosciutto) is a delicious and easy chicken and prosciutto recipe and the perfect weeknight meal.
About this Chicken Saltimbocca Recipe
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.
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.
Saltimbocca in Italian means "jump in your mouth". This dish is made either with veal or chicken cutlets and always involves prosciutto (Italian ham) and sage.
The first time I tried this dish was at a friend's house, not in a restaurant. I was blown away by how just a few simple ingredients can come together to make such a delicious dish.
That is classic Italian cooking at its finest. When I can find a recipe that is full of flavor and has just a few ingredients, that is my favorite recipe to cook.
This chicken saltimbocca is just that kind of recipe.
Ingredients Needed:
- 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. Make sure you buy this type of prosciutto from the store. It is the most tender and authentic Italian prosciutto.
- Fresh Sage (not pictured above).
- Fresh Parmesan cheese. Grated fine. Optional but highly recommended.
- Olive Oil, lemon juice, and garlic. This is for the marinade the chicken goes into before cooking.
Notes about the ingredients
It is important to find all high-quality ingredients for this recipe because there are only a few that you will be working with. The most important ingredients to focus on are the Prosciutto di Parma and The Parmigiano Reggiano.
Both of these ingredients are made in Italy and easy to find in all grocery stores but make sure you are buying these Italian items will make all the difference in the final dish's flavor.
How to make:
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.
Here are the steps to make this recipe:
- Butterfly the chicken breasts.
- Make your marinade (this is the olive oil, fresh garlic, and lemon juice).
- 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.
- 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.
- Place under the broiler for a minute or so.
- Now add your Parmesan and place back under the broiler until melted (about 2 minutes.)
- Serve immediately.
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.
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.)
Side dishes that go well with Chicken Saltimbocca:
- Italian Potatoes with Italian Salsa Verde
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Sautéd Spinach with Pancetta
- Roasted Broccoli
- Tomato Rubbed Crostini
- Italian Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Radicchio Salad with Arugula
- Oregano Crostini
- Roasted Broccoli with Whole Cloves of Garlic
- Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic Roasted Green Beans
- White Wine Garlic Butter Pasta
More Chicken Recipes You May Like:
- Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken
- Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
- Chicken Fajita Tacos
- Chicken With Tarragon
- Blackened Chicken
- Seeded Chicken Schnitzel
- Southwest Chicken Bowl
- Chinese Chicken with Green Beans
- Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Chicken Saltimbocca (Chicken with Prosciutto)
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.)
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Melissa says
Do you have a recommendation to replace sage? I’m not the biggest fan….
Melissa says
Hi Melissa. You can omit the sage or use another woody herb like thyme or rosemary.
Marilyn says
I am looking to make this for a ladies dinner, a crowd of 30. Any possibility that it can be baked in the oven, transported in a roaster and still be delish?
Ladies will be paying for the dinner. Looking for something different and special that I can still prepare at home. No ovens at the event space.
Melissa says
Hi Marilyn. That sounds like a wonderful event. I haven't tried transporting the dish to offer advice. If you do try it out, we would love to hear how it turns out 🙂