Chicken Saltimbocca Recipe

Prepare chicken

Trim any fat from the chicken breasts. Place one breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a large zip-top bag and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch (6 mm). Repeat with remaining breasts.

Season both sides of each pounded breast with about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a light grinding of black pepper (total 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper across all breasts).

Set up a dredging station: put the flour in a shallow dish; beat the eggs with the milk in a second shallow bowl. Lightly coat each seasoned breast with flour, shaking off excess, then dip into the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Do not bread heavily — a light coating is enough to help brown the chicken and thicken the sauce slightly.

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers and is hot (but not smoking), add the chicken breasts, smooth side down. Cook 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 165°F / 74°C). Remove chicken to a plate and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

While chicken rests, place one prosciutto slice on a cutting board, lay 3–4 sage leaves on top (depending on size), then place a cooked chicken breast on the prosciutto and roll so prosciutto wraps the chicken and the sage is between prosciutto and chicken. Secure with 2 toothpicks if needed. Repeat for each breast. If you prefer to assemble before cooking, wrap raw breasts and cook 3–4 minutes per side, but the recommended method is to brown first then wrap for cleaner prosciutto texture.

In the same skillet used for the chicken, lower heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon butter. Swirl to melt and scrape up any browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon — these add flavor.

Add the wine (or 1 cup wine total; if you prefer stock, use wine + up to 1/4 cup chicken stock as listed) to the skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by about half, roughly 3–4 minutes. This concentrates flavor and cooks off most alcohol.

Add the lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring to melt and emulsify the sauce. If sauce seems too thin, sprinkle in the 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and stir to slightly thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper as needed.

Return the prosciutto-wrapped chicken to the skillet, spoon sauce over each piece, and simmer 1 minute just to rewarm and meld flavors. Remove toothpicks before serving.

Plate the chicken, spoon remaining sauce over the top, and finish with chopped fresh parsley and an extra sprinkle of grated cheese if desired.