Saltimbocco with Pesto and Vegetables

Saltimbocco is an Italian classic that features veal, prosciutto, and sage. I use chicken instead of veal. I don’t make it too often, but we love it when I do. All we know for sure is that this classic is Italian, but where in Italy is debatable. Some people claim it comes from Rome, whereas others say it came from elsewhere in Italy, like Brescia. We may never know, but all that really matters is how it tastes. The name “saltimbocco” means it jumps in the mouth, and that it does too.

I had bought my prosciutto for something else that never ended up being made, so I decided to make chicken saltimbocca instead. I already had the pasta made, so I just whipped up a quick batch of pesto, sauteed some mushrooms and onions and cut up some cherry tomatoes. Then I made some garlic and herb cheese bread to complete the meal.

I marinated the chicken in the pesto for about 3 hours before pan frying it. I pan-fried it for about 3 minutes per side, to brown it before adding the sage and prosciutto.

While the chicken was cooling a bit, I sauteed some mushrooms and onions, first in the butter and oil I used to cook the chicken, then added a bit of white wine to deglaze my skillet.

I added a whole sage leaf to each chicken piece then carefully wrapped it with a piece of prosciutto.

Each place was then placed on top of the mushroom and onion mixture and I steamed it for an additional 5-7 minutes to finish cooking the chicken.

Once the chicken was fully cooked, it was time to serve it up. Presentation is everything, so of course I made it look pretty. Pasta first, with a little pesto on top, then mushrooms and onions. Chicken saltimbocca came next, with more pesto on top. To finish it off, I added a sprinkling of cherry tomato halves all around, then added the garlic cheese bread. A cool crisp Pinot Grigio was the finishing touch, and VOILA! It was dinner al fresco.

Buon Appetito! !Ciao!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.