Description
Ina Garten’s chicken saltimbocca combines Italian chicken breasts with prosciutto and sage for a classic Mediterranean-inspired dish. Elegant yet simple preparation guarantees restaurant-quality results you can confidently recreate in your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 chicken cutlets (3 oz/85 g), pounded flat
- 6 thin slices of prosciutto
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 10 oz/280 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 14 oz/400 ml low-salt chicken broth
- 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preparation: Position chicken cutlets on a cutting board, season with kosher salt and black pepper. Layer each cutlet with a slice of prosciutto, creating a delicate foundation.
- Spinach Layering: Squeeze excess moisture from spinach, season with salt and pepper, and blend with olive oil. Spread the vibrant green mixture evenly over the prosciutto-covered chicken, ensuring full coverage.
- Cheese and Rolling: Sprinkle Parmesan cheese across the spinach layer. Skillfully roll each cutlet into a tight cylinder, resembling a culinary spiral. Secure the rolls with toothpicks to maintain their elegant shape.
- Searing and Braising: Ignite a large skillet with olive oil over high heat. Gently introduce the chicken rolls, searing until a golden crust develops. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth and lemon juice, reducing heat to medium and covering the skillet to allow gentle simmering.
- Finishing and Serving: Cook chicken until tender and fully cooked, approximately 8-10 minutes. Transfer the rolls to a serving platter. Reduce the remaining liquid to a concentrated sauce, drizzling the aromatic reduction over the chicken before presenting to eager diners.
Notes
- Maximize Meat Tenderness: Pound chicken cutlets to an even 1/4-inch thickness before seasoning to ensure uniform cooking and tender texture.
- Moisture Management: Squeeze spinach thoroughly to prevent excess water from making the chicken rolls soggy during cooking.
- Secure Rolling Technique: Use toothpicks strategically placed at slight angles to prevent unraveling and maintain elegant cylindrical shape during searing and simmering.
- Sauce Reduction Strategy: Watch sauce carefully during final reduction to concentrate flavors without burning, creating a rich, glossy finish that elevates the entire dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg