Chicken Saltimbocca

I had 4 chicken breasts and I went looking for something good to make. Once again, My Year With Chris, to the Rescue. I found this recipe for Chicken Saltimbocca (as my Mom told me, Saltimbocca means "jump into your mouth" in Italian) With my Husband's approval, I went out and bought the prosciutto (which is an expensive Italian meat). It is vital to the dish, since it replaces the skin on the chicken, so I decided to cook it the authentic way and deal with the fact that I had to lay out extra money. The chicken was half price, so I figure I came out OK.

I only had red wine, left over from another recipe and so that is what I used. White is preferred.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Ingredients

1/3-cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
3 slices prosciutto (1/4-pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cups dry vermouth or white wine
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Trim away any ragged edges as necessary, and cut away the pointy tips trimming back 1 inch to form a rounded cutlet. Lay chicken flat on cutting board and put in freezer for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put flour in a shallow dish or plate.

3. Lay your hand flat on top of chicken, and with knife flat (parallel to cutting board) slice each breast to form two thinner cutlets. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cut each slice of prosciutto in half to form 6 pieces. I like to cut it at a bit of an angle to approximate the shape of the chicken cutlets.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200°.

5. Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in 12″ skillet (regular, not non-stick) over medium-high burner until begins to shimmer; about 4 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, work in batches of 3, pat cutlets dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off any excess and lay cutlets flat with the flattest side upward. Lay a slice of prosciutto on top of each cutlet, pressing lightly to try to get it to adhere. (mine never adheres, but it’s okay)

7. Add 3 cutlets to skillet with the prosciutto-side down. Cook for 4 minutes until golden brown.

8. Flip and cook on other side until golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Ensure that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180 degrees

9. Transfer to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

10. Repeat with another 1 tablespoons olive oil and remaining 3 cutlets, then put in oven to keep warm while preparing sauce.

11. Pour off any excess fat from skillet. Turn up heat to high and add vermouth/wine. Use metal spatula to scrape up any browned bits, and allow to reduced for 7 minutes to about 1/4 cup. Add lemon juice and whisk in butter, a tablespoon at a time.

12. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over cutlets before serving.

This is Angel, back to say a few things.
Some things I have seen around the web, that you might find of use. You can add provolone cheese, at the end, just long enough to melt it. Sage leaves are recommended by many other recipes, as garnish and next time I might use them. My Husband thought it was a bit bland, so maybe some garlic in the olive oil, would bring a nice flavor to the chicken and the sauce. Who knows.

All I know is I liked it.