Chicken Saltimbocca

This is just good ingredients doing what they do best. Thin chicken cutlets wrapped in salty prosciutto, pan-seared until crispy, and finished with a simple white wine and butter sauce that you’ll want to spoon over everything on your plate. The fresh sage ties the whole dish together with a flavor you’ll love and sets this recipe apart. Delicious!

This is one of those recipes I pull out when we’re having company or when I just want dinner to feel a little special. It looks and tastes like you spent real time on it, but the truth is it’s one of the simplest things I make. Six ingredients, one skillet, and no fussy techniques. If you can pan-sear a chicken breast (and if you think you can’t, you’re wrong) you can make saltimbocca.

what You’ll Need

For the Chicken

• 4 chicken cutlets (if you can’t find pre-cut cutlets, slice chicken breasts in half horizontally and pound them to an even thickness)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 12 fresh sage leaves (don’t substitute dried here)
• 4 slices prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sauce

• ½ cup dry white wine (If you’d rather skip the wine, use extra chicken stock with a splash of lemon juice)
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

Instructions

Season and Assemble the Cutlets

Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt since the prosciutto is already plenty salty. Lay one slice of prosciutto over each cutlet and press it down gently so it sticks. Place a sage leaf on top and pin it through with a toothpick.

Don’t skip the toothpick. Without it, the sage and prosciutto will slide right off when you flip the chicken.

Fry the Extra Sage Leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in the remaining sage leaves and let them fry for about 20 to 30 seconds. They’ll darken slightly and get crisp almost immediately.

Pull them out with a slotted spoon and set them aside. These are your garnish, and they’re worth every second of effort. Leave the sage-infused oil right there in the pan.

Sear the chicken

Raise the heat to medium-high and lay the cutlets in the pan prosciutto side down. This part matters. You want the prosciutto hitting the hot oil first so it crisps up like a shell around the chicken. Let it cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes. Don’t press on it, don’t peek. Just let it do its thing.

Flip and sear the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. These are thin cutlets, so they cook fast. Transfer them to a plate and tent loosely with foil while you make the sauce.

Deglaze the Pan

Lower the heat to medium and pour in the white wine. It’s going to sizzle and steam, and that’s exactly what you want. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

That’s flavor you paid for, so don’t leave it behind. Add the chicken stock and let everything simmer together for about 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid reduces down slightly.

Finish the Sauce with Butter

Turn off the heat. This is important. If the pan is too hot, the butter will melt too fast and break instead of turning into a sauce. Drop in the cold butter and whisk it in until the sauce goes from thin and watery to smooth and glossy.

Taste it and adjust the salt and pepper if it needs it.

Plate and Serve

Pull the toothpicks out of the chicken. Don’t forget this step or someone’s going to find one the hard way. Spoon that sauce generously over the top and finish with the fried sage leaves.

Serve hot.

Storage Instructions

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of chicken stock.

You can assemble the cutlets with the prosciutto and sage pinned on a few hours ahead of time. Keep them covered in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. Make the sauce fresh.

This dish doesn’t freeze well once cooked, but you can freeze the raw assembled cutlets individually wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the fridge before searing and make the sauce when you’re ready to serve.

Serving Ideas

This needs a starch to soak up that butter and wine sauce. Good options:

• Polenta
• Buttered egg noodles
• Crusty bread

For a vegetable, keep it simple so it doesn’t compete with the sage and prosciutto:

• Sautéed spinach
• Roasted asparagus
• Arugula salad

Simple Variations

• Swap the chicken for veal. That’s actually the traditional Italian version. Same technique, same cook time.
• Add a squeeze of lemon to the finished sauce. Brightens the whole thing up, especially nice in warmer months.
• Use thin-cut pork chops. Works surprisingly well with the prosciutto and sage combo.
• Tuck a thin slice of mozzarella between the chicken and prosciutto. Not traditional at all, but the cheese melts inside while the prosciutto crisps outside and it’s hard to argue with. I love this version.

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