Chicken Saltimbocca

I often throw this together on a weeknight and skip the sauce.  It is definitely one of the most gourmet tasting dishes I make, with or without the sauce.  You will feel like a culinary expert with this one :)  You can even assemble the cutlets ahead of time, which makes it a perfect dish for serving to company.  Prosciutto can be expensive, but you only need a small amount as you use 1/2 or 1/3 of a slice for each chicken cutlet.  Any extra prosciutto can be stored in the freezer for next time.

Simple directions, no sauce:

Pound chicken breasts to even thickness and cut into smaller sizes (halves or thirds depending on the size of your breast).  Place a small sage leaf in the middle of the cutlet, smear on some type of gorgonzola or blue cheese (or sprinkle on feta if that is all you have on hand.  My favorite was the time I used those laughing cow blue cheese wedges - it was excellent!).  Cover with a thin slice of prosciutto just large enough to cover up the cheese.  Heat olive oil in a large pan and sautee cutlets over medium high heat (prosciutto side down first) until chicken is cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. 



Detailed directions, with sauce:

Step 1: Preparing the Mise en Place

• 3 oz cambozola cheese (gorgonzola/ blue cheese family)
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 slices prosciutto
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 3 large fresh sage leaves

To prepare the saltimbocca, slice the cheese into 6 pieces. Thinly slice the garlic, and cut each slice of prosciutto in half. Set aside.
Cut each chicken breast into 3 equal pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Tear each sage leaf in half and place on top, followed by the cheese and prosciutto. Cover with plastic wrap, and flatten to just under ½-inch.

Step 2: Cooking the Chicken Saltimbocca

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp cold Unsalted butter
• salt and pepper - to taste
• juice of half a lemon

To cook the saltimbocca, preheat a stainless-steel pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and once hot, add the chicken, prosciutto side down. Shake the pan periodically and once the chicken releases on its own, you’ll know it’s time to turn it. Don’t worry if the cheese oozes out of the sides during cooking. This will make the sauce even tastier. Check for doneness and place onto a plate. Loosely tent with foil.

Make sure the surface of the pan is shiny with the oil that remains, adding a bit more if needed to cook the second batch, if necessary.** Once done, discard the excess oil. Off the heat, add the wine, then garlic, and let simmer. Reduce this to about 2 tablespoons, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

The sauce should look a little syrupy and have a nice sheen to it, before you add the stock. Bring this to a boil and reduce again by half. Once it looks syrupy again, add the cold butter and gently swirl until everything is melted and combined. Add the lemon juice and taste the sauce for seasoning.
Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan, pouring in any accumulated juices. Coat both sides of the chicken in the sauce. Place onto a platter, pour the sauce over top, and serve.

**Denise's note: if the browned bits from the first batch look like they are going to get so brown they will burn you could go ahead and dump out the oil and add one tablespoon or so of the wine to deglaze.  When the crusty bits come off the bottom of the pan, pour it into a small dish to reserve for later and add it back when you add the rest of the wine.