This recipe is just about the easiest thing to make ever AND it tastes REALLY good. I was expecting completely gourmet, but I’m not sure we hit that mark this time (there’s always next week to try again). It’s a 20-minute meal, but tastes kind-of like you spent an hour cooking. It’s similar to bacon-wrapped chicken breasts (which I’ve never made), but less salty and I believe much healthier.
Here’s what to do to make this dish complete – make a bed of angel hair pasta to put under the chicken and to pour the sauce over. Also, I like to make asparagus with this dish as a side. Add a little lemon zest and it pairs perfectly with the chicken.
As always, “chef’s” notes in parenthesis:
The Chicken Saltimbocca:
- 4 (4 oz.) chicken cutlets (chicken breast is even better here, IMO)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 2 oz sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (2 for each cutlet)
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (No need to use fresh, any lemon juice will work. I also thought this was too much, made the sauce very lemony, use your judgement on this one)
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (I used more – but don’t go over a tablespoon, the sauce will be too thick)
- Lemon wedges (always optional)
- Pepper (I added this, I think the sauce could use it)
- Parmesan (Added this to the recipe, cheese makes everything better!)
For the asparagus:
- Bunch of asparagus (trimmed)
- Olive oil (to drizzle on the top of asparagus)
- Salt/Pepper
- Lemon (for zesting over the top of asparagus)
- Parmesan (for sprinkling on top)
Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3-4 sage leaves on each piece of chicken (4-5 for the breasts). Then wrap two prosciutto slices around each piece of chicken securing the leaves in place.
At this time, I’d preheat the oven to 400 for the asparagus. Place the asparagus on a cookie sheet with some olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Spread evenly across the sheet, ensuring there is one layer and that all spears are covered evenly with the oil and toppings. Bake under high heat for about 15 minutes, tossing once.
Now, for the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon oil to pan; cook for two minutes on each side or until done (Ours took a LOT longer than two minutes on each side because we used chicken breasts vs. cutlets. Keep that in mind when you are cooking. Also, I covered with a lid for a while to help the chicken along). Then, remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
Combine broth, lemon juice and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute or until it slightly thickens (THIS was an issue for me. I did the sauce three times, all three with different amounts of cornstarch. I just didn’t believe that the 1/2 teaspoon was enough. Eventually, I used just over a 1/2 teaspoon to get this sauce right. It shouldn’t be think and you don’t need to use any amount over a tablespoon. It will actually be pretty runny by sauce standards. We also thought it was a BIT on the lemony-side and I’d add pepper).
Once you’re through there, pour sauce over chicken and angel hair pasta on the plate and serve with your asparagus side. Sprinkle Parmesan on top to-taste.
The original recipe is from the Jan/Feb issue of Cooking Light and serves four.
