Chicken Saltimbocca will forever be my first love. This restaurant-style chicken saltimbocca is served with a silky white wine sauce that will make you feel like you're sitting in a dark Italian restaurant somewhere in the Bronx!
If you love classics like saltimbocca, you'll love Authentic Italian Braciole, Easy Chicken Cacciatore, or Our Baked Ziti.
I remember sitting at Mamas, a restaurant in Copiague, when I ordered Saltimbocca for the first time. It was one of the first times my parents let me order off the adult menu. I looked through and found something I would never find at home. And for some reason, the saltimbocca caught my eye.
We didn't go out to eat often as kids so this was a very clear memory for me. My memory of it is quite faded and to be honest, when I first attempted to recreate it when I was learning to cook, I ended up with spicy chicken saltimbocca. Definitely not the classic saltimbocca that I remembered. Still a classic in my mind though.
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Chicken breast. The chicken breast needs to be sliced thin and pounded. In order to make it extremely tender this is an important step that CANNOT be skipped.
White Wine. I use sauvignon blanc for this recipe. I really liked this brand I found called Sea Salt. It's great for drinking and cooking with!
Butter. Unsalted butter is ideal but salted butter will also work fine. You want it to be cold when you add it to the pan.
How to Make Saltimbocca
A true saltimbocca is a difficult dish because the chicken can overcook quickly. The sauce can turn into a watery mess. Or the prosciutto can cook into a gray piece of bologna.
I have made all of these mistakes. This recipe works because it takes you step-by-step through the process and why I choose to use certain techniques
Step 1: Prepare chicken by slicing it thin and pounding it out. Normally, saltimbocca is made with veal, not chicken. Veal is thinner and more tender than chicken, so it is important that we make the chicken as tender as the veal can be.
Step 2: I try to slice 4 cutlets from each chicken breast and then cover them with plastic wrap to gently pound and tenderize them.
Step 3: Top each chicken cutlet with 1 sage leaf and then a slice of prosciutto. Smack the prosciutto on to make it stick. When I say smack it on, I'm being literal. Place the prosciutto over the sage and smack it. This will adhere it to the chicken.
Step 4: Some people will thread the chicken and prosciutto with a toothpick but I don't find it necessary. Salt the chicken side and then dredge the chicken side in flour.
Pro-Tip
- When searing the prosciutto side, you're just trying to get the slightest crust on the prosciutto. You're not cooking it. So just 15 seconds on that side is absolutely plenty.
- It is very easy for the white wine sauce to separate and become oily. It should be an opaque yellowish color. If you start seeing the oil separate, add 2 tablespoon of water. Stir it and it should come together and look yellowish and creamy again. Next time, lower your heat just a little bit more for the sauce.
Frying the Chicken
Step 5: In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to medium heat. Place chicken, prosciutto side down for 15 seconds, and then flip to the chicken side. You want the prosciutto to barely kiss the frying pan. Leave it on there and it will turn gray, chewy, and gross.
Flip to the chicken side and saute in the olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 6: In the same pan, add 2 tablespoon butter and toss in some sage leaves. Once the foaming subsides remove the sage.
Step 7: Add the white wine and bring to a simmer.
Step 8: Return the chicken to sauce and simmer until they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 9: Remove the chicken from the sauce and simmer and reduce. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Reheating Chicken Saltimbocca
This dish is not easy to reheat because of how thin the chicken is. It is best served fresh because of this. I highly recommend serving fresh and not using this for meal prep. The microwave will dry out the chicken and the taste will not be the same because the prosciutto will overcook.
If you must reheat, I'd put butter in a pan with some chicken broth and bring it to a simmer then add the chicken to the pan. It may be able to save some of the moisture in the chicken.
FAQs
The most abundant flavor is the sage which is leveled out by the bright lemon wine sauce and savory prosciutto.
Yes. A Restaurant-style chicken saltimbocca is a difficult dish but can absolutely be mastered by reading THIS BLOG. It's important to know what steps are coming next because everything happens quickly with saltimbocca. It took me a couple of times to get the sauce right!
What Should I Serve with Saltimbocca?
- I love a good vegetable side dish with saltimbocca so I'd make the Italian Cabbage, Italian Lacinato Kale, or Brussels sprouts!
- This dish would also go great with a bowl of soup like white bean and lentil soup or creamy mushroom mascarpone soup.
- Saltimbocca also goes great with pasta, so serve it alongside an amatriciana, carbonara, or garlic anchovy pasta.
- Nothing goes great with a classic Italian dish like a classic Italian dessert. Share some Pistachio-cream tiramisu or Rainbow Cookie Cake after.
If you love this restaurant-style chicken saltimbocca, leave us a review below to tell us where you had your first bite of saltimbocca or what you thought of our recipe. Follow us on Instagram @vindelgiudice or Tiktok @alwaysfromscratch.
Video Recipe
Our Favorite Italian Classics
📖 Recipe
Restaurant-Style Chicken Saltimbocca
Equipment
- 1 large pan
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts, sliced thin
- 8 oz prosciutto
- 1 bunch sage leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup flour
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare chicken by slicing it thin, topping it with 1 sage leaf, and then a slice of prosciutto. Smack the prosciutto on to make it stick or thread it with a toothpick. Salt the chicken side and then dredge both sides in flour.
- In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to medium-high heat. Place chicken prosciutto side down for 15 seconds and then flip to the chicken side and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set chicken aside.
- In the same pan, add butter and toss in some sage leaves. Once the foaming subsides, add the white wine. Bring to a simmer add the chicken to the sauce and finish cooking the chicken until they reach 165 ℉.
- Remove the chicken from the sauce. Add the lemon to the sauce, simmer, and stir for 3-5 minutes until the sauce slightly reduces and thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Notes
- When searing the prosciutto side, you're just trying to get the slightest crust on the prosciutto. You're not cooking it. So just 15 seconds on that side is absolutely plenty.
- It is very easy for the white wine sauce to separate and become oily. It should be an opaque yellowish color. If you start seeing the oil separate, add 2 tablespoon of water. Stir it and it should come together and look yellowish and creamy again. Next time, lower your heat just a little bit more for the sauce.
Via K
I used to serve at a restaurant that served Saltimboca and it was my favorite dish by far.
This recipe was easy to prepare and so easy to cook! Loved it. Will be making again, again, and AGAIN for friends and family
Vincent DelGiudice
Wow, thanks, what a compliment!
Vinny
Such an old school New York Italian meal and you'll love the recipe! Enjoy and leave a comment below!