Restaurant-Style Chicken Saltimbocca

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

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.

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.

Recipe FAQs

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.

Our Favorite Italian Classics

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