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This chicken saltimbocca is a traditional Italian dish where the chicken is wrapped in sage and prosciutto and then finished with a wine butter sauce. It is the perfect weeknight meal if you are looking for an excuse to open a bottle of wine.
I can never get enough chicken – from chicken francese to Indian butter chicken.
I remember the first time I had saltimbocca. No it wasn’t at an Italian restaurant. It was actually something my mom had decided to make one night.
My mom has a healthy obsession with Martha Stewart, and while her cookbook, Martha Stewart’s Cookies, inspired by mom to start her cookie business, it was her chicken with prosciutto and sage that inspired her that night.
It was love at first bite. And I remember my mom whipping it up in under 30 minutes, which I’ve got to be frank, doesn’t happen very often. I’m not going to lie.
For me any meal that has prosciutto in it is tough to beat. I can’t explain why I love it as much as I do, but if you follow this blog at all, you have probably noticed how often I use it in my recipes, especially pizza! So if you want a quick and easy dinner that is super tasty, this chicken saltimbocca should be on your list.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil – used to cook the chicken.
- Chicken cutlets – you can also use chicken breasts and cut them in half.
- Sage leaves – fresh sage is important.
- Prosciutto – adds the saltiness you expect.
- Flour – coats the chicken to give added texture.
- Salt and black pepper – enhances the flavor.
- Dry white wine – Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc work great.
- Low-sodium chicken stock – thins out the sauce.
- Unsalted butter – adds flavor and makes the sauce a little creamier.
How to Make Chicken Saltimbocca
- Wrap chicken with 2 sage leaves and two slice of prosciutto.
- Dip chicken in flour mixture and shake off any excess.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in skillet and add chicken, cooking for 3-4 minutes
- Flip chicken and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken and deglaze skillet with wine and chicken stock. Once it has reduced by half, stir in butter and chopped sage leaves.
- Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over.
What is Chicken Saltimbocca?
Chicken saltimbocca is chicken wrapped in sage and prosciutto and then quickly sautéed. Saltimbocca actually means “jump into the mouth.”
You can be creative with your chicken saltimbocca sauce, but usually it consists of a quality dry white wine like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc and some chicken stock. It is then finished with some butter. You can also add a little more acidity with some fresh lemon juice as well.
Side Dish Options
In general, you want a starch or carbohydrates to pair with chicken saltimbocca, so pasta, potatoes or polenta make for a great side.
Or if you want to go all-in on the Italian meal, try some goat cheese risotto.
As far as vegetables, roasted broccoli or asparagus work great. I’m actually partial to parmesan roasted brussels sprouts.
What Cast Iron Skillet Do You Use?
For this as well as many other recipes such as sun-dried tomato chicken and one pan pesto chicken and veggies, I use a Lodge cast iron skillet. It’s surprisingly affordable and will last years if you take care of it.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use chicken cutlets or cut chicken breasts in half so the chicken is thin enough to cook quickly.
- Add cold oil to a cold skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- When you wrap prosciutto around the chicken, use the palm of your hand to press it against the chicken so it will stick. You’d be surprised but it does actually stay wrapped. Dredging in the flour helps too.
- Use quality dry white wine that you’d be willing to drink. The flavor of the sauce comes from the wine. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc are best.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
Other Chicken Recipes
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Chicken with Herb Garlic Butter Sauce
- Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Apple Cider Chicken
- Chicken Schnitzel
If you’ve tried this chicken saltimbocca or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Chicken Saltimbocca
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken cutlets
- 8 whole sage leaves, plus 6 minced leaves
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add flour, salt and pepper and stir together. Lay 2 sage leaves on each cutlet and then wrap two prosciutto slices around the middle of each cutlet, enclosing the sage. Flatten with the palm of your hand to help prosciutto adhere to the chicken. Dredge the cutlets in flour.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook 2 cutlets until golden brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Add wine and stock to skillet, scraping up the browned bits. Cook over high heat until it reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and minced sage leaves. Stir until butter is melted. Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over.
Notes
- Use chicken cutlets or cut chicken breasts in half so the chicken is thin enough to cook quickly.
- Add cold oil to a cold skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- When you wrap prosciutto around the chicken, use the palm of your hand to press it against the chicken so it will stick. You’d be surprised but it does actually stay wrapped. Dredging in the flour helps too.
- Use quality dry white wine that you’d be willing to drink. The flavor of the sauce comes from the wine. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc are best.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
Anything with prosciutto is good!
Made this the other night. It was delicious! Followed recipe exactly but added mozzarella cheese on top at the end because I needed to use it up. Fantastic!
Yum! Can’t go wrong with some mozzarella!