Chicken Saltimbocca Zuzu Style
(Keto)
NYC has a huge number of really good Italian restaurants. There are a few dishes I like to order in different places to “judge” the quality of the food. Most respectable places do an amazing veal saltimbocca that is at once light and rich and leaves you wanting just one more bite, and one more bite, and one more bite…or maybe that’s just me.
My husband is not a veal fan so below is my chicken version of this dish (chicken being my husband’s favorite protein). I tweaked it a little more to suit my taste – I love both basil and sage so I wanted to include both. A little melted cheese tucked inside feeds my cheese addiction; I do love a gooey, cheesy center to counterpoint the crispy prosciutto that envelopes this chicken.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken boneless thighs (I prefer thighs to breasts because they’re more succulent but feel free to use chicken breasts)
- 8 slices of prosciutto (2 slices per chicken piece)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4-5 tablespoons of pesto sauce (the Costco brand is excellent, I always have a jar on hand)
- sage leaves
- 1 cup of white wine
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 4 slices of mozzarella (or any other melty cheese: fontina, gruyere, even provolone)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- a dash of crushed red pepper
- Salt & pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- We will start with the chicken: lay it flat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, spread a tablespoon of pesto sauce, place the slice of cheese in the middle and roll it up.
- Wrap the chicken with the prosciutto slices and secure with two toothpicks underneath.
- Place in a baking dish and in the oven. Bake at 375F for about 40 – 45 min or until thermometer indicates 165F internal temperature.
- While the chicken is baking, we will make the sauce: melt the butter over medium heat along with the red crushed pepper flakes. Add the sage leaves, the garlic, some salt & pepper. Sauté until the sage leaves look crispy (maybe about 4-5 min) taking care not to burn them. Pour the wine and lemon juice and reduce for another 5 min. For added richness, immediately after you turn off the heat, you can add another tablespoon of cold butter and stir the sauce until melted. It adds more suppleness to the mouthfeel.
- To serve, place the chicken on the plate and spoon the sauce over it (don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving). You can serve it with potatoes or asparagus or even a small salad.
All photos are the work of my very talented, professional photographer husband, Dariusz Terepka.