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    Home » Recipes » Italian Chicken Recipes

    Restaurant-Style Chicken Saltimbocca

    Published: Apr 22, 2023 · Modified: Dec 5, 2024 by Vinny · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    chicken saltimbocca

    If you love classics like saltimbocca, you'll love Authentic Italian Braciole, Easy Chicken Cacciatore, or Italian Baked Ziti.

    Jump to:
    • Why this Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
    • How to Make Saltimbocca
    • Pro-Tip
    • Reheating Chicken Saltimbocca
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Video Recipe
    • Our Favorite Italian Classics
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Reviews

    Why this Recipe

    When I first attempted to recreate saltimbocca 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.

    Saltimbocca has always been one of my favorite chicken/veal dishes although Chicken Piccata is a close second. This dish is so delicately cooked with the perfect sauce. It's delicious and with a little patience it's not too difficult to make.

    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

    tenderizing chicken

    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.

    Chicken breast sliced thinly

    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.

    chicken breast topped with sage and prosciutto

    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.

    chicken breast dredged in flour

    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.

    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.

    prosciutto lightly seared

    Flip to the chicken side and saute in the olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

    sage added to butter

    Step 6: In the same pan, add 2 tablespoon butter and toss in some sage leaves. Once the foaming subsides remove the sage.

    white wine simmering

    Step 7: Add the white wine and bring to a simmer.

    finishing chicken in the pan with the sauce

    Step 8: Return the chicken to sauce and simmer until they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

    white wine and lemon sauce

    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.

    Pro-Tip

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    chicken saltimbocca

    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.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is the flavor of Saltimbocca?

    The most abundant flavor is the sage which is leveled out by the bright lemon wine sauce and savory prosciutto.

    Is Saltimbocca difficult to make?

    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 Maple Bacon 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 a Bucatini Amatriciana, Spaghetti 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.
    chicken saltimbocca

    Video Recipe

    Our Favorite Italian Classics

    • Chicken marsala with mushrooms served over top.
      Restaurant-Style Chicken Marsala
    • Restaurant style chicken francese
      Restaurant-Style Chicken Francese
    • chicken pizzaiola
      The BEST Chicken Pizzaiola
    • Pasta alla norma plated on a dish and garnished with basil.
      Pasta alla Norma (A Sicilian Dish)

    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.

    📖 Recipe

    chicken saltimbocca

    Restaurant-Style Chicken Saltimbocca

    Vincent DelGiudice
    Chicken Saltimbocca is a classic Italian dish with sage, prosciutto and lemon white wine sauce.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 407 kcal

    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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 407kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 21gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 385mgPotassium: 401mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 212IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?We'd love for you to Leave a Review!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Via K

      August 16, 2024 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
      • Vincent DelGiudice

        August 17, 2024 at 9:43 am

        Wow, thanks, what a compliment!

        Reply
    2. Vinny

      July 11, 2023 at 10:55 am

      5 stars
      Such an old school New York Italian meal and you'll love the recipe! Enjoy and leave a comment below!

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes

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    Vinny DelGiudice, MS CCC-SLP

    My name is Vinny. I am an Italian-American home cook, a photographer, and previously, a speech pathologist specializing in swallowing and voice disorders. I share the recipes I grew up eating in my home and the recipes that I cook for my family. Always From Scratch is about cooking homemade meals and eating with family.

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