Straightforward Chicken Saltimbocca from the Pantry

Level up dinnertime with this Unfussy Chicken Saltimbocca! Each cutlet of chicken is seasoned with fresh sage, then topped with prosciutto and seared to perfection. Finish with the most flavor-packed lemon butter sauce for an impressive meal that’s reliable for any occasion. Ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!

Today marks 2 years since my father passed away. I wanted to honor him in his particularly go-to way: with home cooked Italian food.

Saltimbocca was probably his PARTICULARLY go-to dish to make for people. He had a whole routine; a somewhat complex recipe that lived partially scribbled on a random piece of paper, that we have yet to find, and partially simply in his brain. He always served his saltimbocca with herby potato coins which is the next recipe of his that I hope to master.

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find his recipe anywhere for this saltimbocca dish so my re-make of it is a go-to guess based on taste and a bit of research.

While my dad always made his saltimbocca with pork (which is the more old-style way to serve it), I decided to make my own version with chicken. Truthfully, I don’t have a lot of experience cooking pork AND I thought chicken would be a little more approachable for people looking for an unfussy dinner recipe.

If you aren’t familiar with saltimbocca, the word actually means “jump in the mouth” in Italian which SO accurately describes how SATISFYING this dish is. I swear, this is one of the GO-TO recipes on my blog. Admittedly, it’s NOT the prettiest dish in the world. I had a truly hard time trying to take pretty photos of this. BUT it’s good. SO deeply good.

Ingredients you’ll need

With only a handful of simple ingredients, you’ll create the most irresistible chicken recipe. It’s a dish that’s all about juicy chicken, loads of flavor and a burst of richness from the white wine butter sauce. Let’s dive into the magic these ingredients will bring to your plate. All measurements are in the recipe card below!

• Chicken: Gather thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts or cutlets.
• Sage: Fresh sage is sprinkled over the chicken with salt and pepper for seasoning. Plus, full sage leaves are placed on top of the prosciutto for extra flavor.
• Prosciutto: Pressed into the chicken the thin slices of prosciutto add a salty, slightly sweet flavor that is beyond satisfying.
• Olive oil: For cooking the chicken.
• Shallot: Milder and sweeter than regular yellow or white onions, shallot works great in this method not to overwhelm the other flavors.
• Flour: To thicken the sauce.
• Dry white wine: Any good dry white wine such as vermouth, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, marsala wine or Pinot Grigio works well.
• Broth: Adds flavor to the sauce while giving it the reliable consistency.
• Unsalted Butter: Provides an striking rich taste to the sauce.
• Fresh parsley: For herby Italian flavor.
• Lemon juice: Only 1 tbsp for brightness.

Substitutions and variations for this Chicken Saltimbocca recipe

• Feel free to use gluten-free flour to thicken the sauce instead of all-purpose flour.
• You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
• If you love garlic, add a minced garlic clove in with the shallot.
• Instead of adding wine, you can use additional broth. But the wine adds a truly great depth of flavor that adds a lot to the sauce, plus the alcohol will cook out, so I encourage you to use it!

How to make Chicken Saltimbocca

For this dish, we’re going to use particularly thin pieces of chicken breast (aka, cutlets). Or you can cut your chicken breasts in half to make them thinner. Some recipes also have you pound the chicken until it’s a certain thickness. I typically can’t be bothered with that so I simply go in knowing that each piece of chicken might cook at slightly different lengths depending on the thickness.

• The chicken is then seasoned with salt, pepper and sprinkled with fresh sage. The fresh sage is a must and what genuinely makes this dish Deeply good. Next, press a slice of prosciutto onto the chicken breast, and top with a leaf of sage.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the cutlets, prosciutto side down, and cook for about 3 minutes. Flip and then cook on the other side until chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 additional minutes. Once done, transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil.

• Pour out about half of the oil so that only 1 teaspoon of oil/liquid remains in the skillet. Add in the shallot and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
• Whisk in the wine and broth and bring to a simmer and cook for about 4 minutes until the sauce is thickened and reduced a bit.
• Turn heat down to low and whisk in the butter, parsley, and lemon juice until fully combined.
• Return the chicken to the skillet, prosciutto up, as well as any juices that collected on the plate. Simmer for about a minute so that the chicken can heat through again.
• Remove from heat and serve the chicken with the sauce divided evenly among the 4 cutlets.

Chicken saltimbocca is one of those dishes that many people are intimidated by but it’s SO straightforward! This seriously comes together in less than 30 minutes and is only so quite good!

Helpful tips

• Use a toothpick to secure the prosciutto: While not completely necessary, I like to use a toothpick to hold the prosciutto and the sage onto the chicken. My dad did it this way, so it’s one of those small things that I wanted to incorporate into the dish. Plus, it makes it easier to hold everything together when you flip the meat. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before eating!
• Brown bits: Be sure to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet when you add in the wine and broth. This is where much of the flavor comes from!

Frequently asked questions

Storage recommendations

• Storing leftovers: Place any leftover chicken saltimbocca in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to about 4 days.
• To freeze: This will also freeze well in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• To reheat: Rewarm leftovers back in the pan with sauce. You can also pop it in the microwave and heat until warm.

More unfussy dinner recipes

• Vegetarian Enchiladas
• Vegan Lentil Soup
• One Pot Taco Pasta
• Vegan Meatloaf