Chicken Saltimbocca Pasta
Saltimbocca is a beloved Roman dish that consists of a thin veal or chicken cutlet topped with sage and prosciutto that is then finished with a white wine based sauce, leading to a delectable combination of salty, herbal, and brightness that’s great with pasta, salad or any veggie.
But today I thought “Hey, why not make saltimbocca into a pasta dish?” So, that’s the plan, I will make a dish using chicken, crispy prosciutto, sage, and white wine, which will all be enveloped by my pasta. And while veal is the classic, it is rather expensive and hard to find so I will opt for chicken. Sure, Italians would never pair chicken with pasta, but I say…whatever.
Let’s get it!
Serves 4
8 thin slices of prosciutto
Olive oil
12oz boneless chicken thighs and/or breasts, your choice, sliced thin
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh sage leaves
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound penne, farfalle, fusilli or any pasta you have in your pantry
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
Finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for topping
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Working in batches, lay the prosciutto slices into a frying pan with a thin layer of oil over medium heat and fry for 2 minutes per side, or until the prosciutto is brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towels, and set aside.
While the prosciutto fries, coat the sliced chicken in flour and season with salt and pepper. Dust off the excess flour, then add to the same pan used to fry the prosciutto, plus more oil if needed, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, tossing now and then, until the chicken is browned all around. Remove to a plate and set aside.
(It’s fine if the chicken isn’t fully cooked at this point, because it’s going to cook some more later.)
Add more oil to the skillet along with the shallots, garlic and sage. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cook for 2 minutes, or until the shallots begin to brown, then add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes more, until the tomatoes soften.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scrape up the bottom of the pan, then let the wine reduce by half. And while the wine reduces, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions for al dente.
Once the wine has reduced by half, return the chicken to the pan along with the chicken stock, then bring to a simmer and let it go for 5 more minutes, or until the sauce thickens into more of a gravy texture.
Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain, then add the pasta to the sauce and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes more, adding pasta water if the skillet looks to dry.
Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper if needed, then serve, crumbling the reserved prosciutto on top and finishing with a shower of grated cheese.
