Preview: Chicken Saltimbocca

by Tony M in Rouxbe Videos

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Chicken Saltimbocca

Preview: Chicken Saltimbocca

by Tony M in Rouxbe Videos

Layered with prosciutto, sage, and melted cambozola, this tender chicken dish is finished in a sexy sauce.

Serves
2 to 3
Active Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins

Step 1: Preparing the Mise en Place

Preparing the Mise en Place
  • 3 oz cambozola cheese
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 slices prosciutto
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
  • 3 large fresh sage leaves

To prepare the saltimbocca, slice the cheese into 6 pieces. Thinly slice the garlic, and cut each slice of prosciutto in half. Set aside.

Cut each chicken breast into 3 equal pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Tear each sage leaf in half and place on top, followed by the cheese and prosciutto. Cover with plastic wrap, and flatten to just under ½-inch.

Related Tips & Techniques

Step 2: Cooking the Chicken Saltimbocca

Cooking the Chicken Saltimbocca
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp white wine
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp cold Unsalted butter
  • salt and pepper - to taste
  • juice of half a lemon

To cook the saltimbocca, preheat a stainless-steel pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and once hot, add the chicken, prosciutto side down. Shake the pan periodically and once the chicken releases on its own, you’ll know it’s time to turn it. Don’t worry if the cheese oozes out of the sides during cooking. This will make the sauce even tastier. Check for doneness and place onto a plate. Loosely tent with foil.

Make sure the surface of the pan is shiny with the oil that remains, adding a bit more if needed to cook the second batch, if necessary. Once done, discard the excess oil. Off the heat, add the wine, then garlic, and let simmer. Reduce this to about 2 tablespoons, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

The sauce should look a little syrupy and have a nice sheen to it, before you add the stock. Bring this to a boil and reduce again by half. Once it looks syrupy again, add the cold butter and gently swirl until everything is melted and combined. Add the lemon juice and taste the sauce for seasoning.

Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan, pouring in any accumulated juices. Coat both sides of the chicken in the sauce. Place onto a platter, pour the sauce over top, and serve.

Related Tips & Techniques

Notes

Go to School and Learn About:

Pan Frying
Pan Sauces
Dark Stocks
How to Use and Cook with Herbs

SOME SUGGESTED SIDES:

Lemon Parmesan Orzo
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Lemon Garlic Rapini

OTHER NOTES:
This dish is perfect for a dinner party, as the first step can be done ahead of time. Place the chicken on a tray, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. This can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day before cooking.

Cambozola cheese is a combination of creamy Camembert and blue Gorgonzola cheese. You can substitute with Blue Castello, Bleu de Bresse, (both are also creamy and mild). You could also substitute with Brie, Camembert or Gorgonzola dolce.

Comments

Lemon?

I'm making the recipe and while the video demonstration shows adding lemon juice, it seems to be absent form the text recipe.

Confused. Going to experiment.

by Giacomo D | December 05, 2007 | Permalink
Yummie.....

I make this dish once a week and everyone loves it, even my 3-year old daughter. It's really "so good, it jumps in your mouth".....

Eveline

by Eveline D | December 05, 2007 | Permalink
Looks great will give it a try

What can I use for a substitute for the wine, would white balsimic vinegar work?

by Gary S | December 05, 2007 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
Use Chicken Stock

If you must omit the white wine then I think you should just deglaze the pan with a bit of chicken stock. The white balsamic might be a bit too much....but you could certainly try it.

by Dawn T | December 06, 2007 | Permalink
Substitute for wine.

The addition of the fruit and acidity from the wine can really make the dish but always having wine on hand for cooking is sometimes a pain, especially because it doesn't keep once its open.
What I do is keep a bottle of dry white vermouth in the cupboard. It keeps for several weeks after opening, its inexpensive, and has the flavour and acidity to elevate your recipe. Just keep in mind that it has a stronger flavour and higher alcohol than a standard table wine so take that into consideration. Don't use as much and simmer it a little longer to burn off the alc. I especially like it in Risotto.

by Patrick O | December 06, 2007 | Permalink
This is quite good, but...

... it seemed to me that the sage is really a key to the recipe. Maybe my sage leaves weren't 'large' enough, but after making it once, my only thought was to add additional sage to the sauce (dry? chopped leaves?). I'll give it a shot with v2.0 tonight and see what happens.

by Doug & pam F | December 07, 2007 | Permalink
Very tasty!

I made this last night. It was delicious and did not take too long to make. The prosciutto makes a nice seal over the cheese so everything stays in place quite nicely as it cooks. I served this with the lemon parmesan orzo, which is one of my favourites, and a side of steamed green and yellow beans. Yummy!!! My husband really liked it with the cheese as alot of recipes for saltimboca don't call for it.

Definitely a keeper.

by Patricia S | December 08, 2007 | Permalink
Chicken Saltinbocca

Oh my, were my ladies at my monthly lunch gatherings impressed with this recipe. Being a roast beef and potatoes cook, I found your video so very helpful Dawn. Even Jack, who does most of the cooking, was impressed with what I accomplished. Walking one through each step is really helpful. As I say, it was a hit!!! Many thanks for your help I told the ladies all about you guys!

Have a wonderful holiday, and Merry Christmas!

Sheelagh O'Donnell

by Sheelagh O | December 16, 2007 | Permalink
Chicken Saltinbocca

Great! learn another chicken dish. The combination of air-dry ham, chesse and the juice frim the chicken give it a unique taste. May I know a little history of this dish and also at the end of the recipe ,Lemon Parmasen Orzo and Lemon Garlic Rapini,it's a side dish that compliment the chicken?

Thank
Alex

by Alex L | December 23, 2007 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
History of this Dish

Translated, Saltimbocca means "jumps in the mouth". It is a popular dish in southern Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Greece and can be made of veal, chicken or pork, lined or topped with prosciutto and sage. This dish is also occasionally topped with capers depending on individual taste.

And yes, the Orzo and Rapini make great side dishes and can be found in our recipe gallery.

by Dawn T | December 24, 2007 | Permalink
OMG This is so good!!!!

I tried to hold true to the recipe; I had trouble finding the cheese asked for in the recipe. I substituted a bree and gargonzola mixure that worked just fine. This recipe is soo good. I would not have known how to do this without the video.
Rouxbe rocks!!!
Make this dish, you will love it.

by Terrell N | December 24, 2007 | Permalink
Best meal yet!

I tried this and my wife loved it. The video really helps with each step.
Looks great too with the dark prosciutto on top. I will certainly serve it again.
The videos are the next best thing to having Tony there with you.

David C

by David C | January 06, 2008 | Permalink
Excellent tastes!

This was a wonderful dish.
I have to remember to watch the heat of the pan as it got a bit smoky on me, but all in all a very tasty meal!
We also loved the orzo. The flavor of the lemon and mint in the orzo balanced the robust flavor of the saltimbocca.

by Brian F | January 11, 2008 | Permalink
Nice flavours!

Cabozola cheese is one of my favorites and I must say that the pairing of it with the procuitto was a delicious combination. The only thing that I found was that the lemon juice was a bit overpowering. The next time, I will add a little lemon juice and then taste, as I found that the lemon was almost too much. All in all, it is definitely a dish I will make again and my only adjustment would be the lemon.

by Tia B | January 18, 2008 | Permalink
Chicken sultimbucca

Great dish! One of the best chicken recipe I have made. The cheese is so mellow cooked this way. The taste of the chicken, chesse and prosciutto is out of this world. I would recommend it to anyone and it was very easy to make. So happy, I have found your site. i am anxious to try more of your recipes.

Nicole Simon
January 22, 2007

by Nicole S | January 22, 2008 | Permalink
Quick and savoury SALTimbocca

I found this recipe dead simple with terrific results, thanks Tony and the Rouxbe team. A great quick meal to impress friends when your pressed for time.

I only had regular salted butter on hand and Asian chicken stock (higher sodium) and when combined with the cured prosciutto and cambozola found the dish bordered on over-salted.

I served this with traditional Italian risotto in stead of orzo, but on reflection think it would be better paired with some fresh, crunchy veggies. Next time I may try the suggested rapini dish, though I'm tempted to find something to add contrast rather than so complimentary (both dishes contain garlic, butter, lemon, salt).

by Mark B | February 24, 2008 | Permalink
Wonderful - a definite make again

Wonderful version of saltimboca. I have made it a few times and tried substituting other cheeses, but the cambozola is the best. I have tried to double it for a dinner party, but it was not as good and required too much stove time for a company meal, so I am going to try a make ahead version.

by Shel M | July 15, 2008 | Permalink
Amazing mixture of flavors

Thank you for this wonderful recipe, my girlfriend and I really enjoyed it. I used gorgonzola cheese instead of cambozola because I couldn't find it here where I live (Mexico) but it tourned out delicious as well, I was just careful with the salt because gorgonzola is saltier. It made our special dinner even more special.

by Al M | October 06, 2008 | Permalink
Chicken Saltimbocca

First of all, let me just say that I am a big fan of the site having just discovered it last weekend. I've made three rouxbe recipes this week and my husband enjoyed all of them. The videos are amazing. Couldn't have done this recipe without the video. It was helpful knowing how to slice the chicken and place the prosciutto and cheese.

My store did not have cambozola cheese. So I tried the Farmstead Blue Cheese from Point Reyes. The taste was good, but I was frustrated that the cheese was too sticky and crumbly so that it was difficult to place on the chicken. I think next time I will try the Blue Castello. Any other cheese substitute recommendations?

For some reason, I got a lot of brown encrusted bits in my pan that I ended up having to throw out because they were too hard and big, although I was able to incorporate some of them into the sauce.

Also, since the prosciutto was already plenty salty, I would skip seasoning the chicken with more salt, as was shown in the video. It seems that no extra salt is needed for the sauce either! The lemon juice was fine. I got points for presentation and it definitely felt like a fancy chicken dish at a restaurant!

by Christie C | April 10, 2009 | Permalink
Rouxbe User Photo
Rouxbe Staff
Re: Other Cheeses

So glad you have been having success Christie, here are a few other suggestions for cheeses.

Blue castello (as you suggested), bleu bresse, which are both creamy and mild. You could also use brie or camembert cheese, these are also creamy and mild, but they lack that subtle blue cheese note. If there is a local cheese shop near you, they will definitely be able to guide you in the right direction.

BTW - the brown encrusted bits where likely the result of the type of cheese you used. Happy Cooking!

by Dawn T | April 10, 2009 | Permalink
Recipe for bean, tomato, olive dish?

There's an interesting looking dish in the mise en place video. What is it and do you have the recipe?

by Howard F | August 07, 2009 | Permalink
Rouxbe User Photo
Rouxbe Staff
Re: Dish in the Mise en Place Video

The dish in the mise en place video is the Cod Provencal (which is one of my favorite dishes).

Happy Cooking!

by Dawn T | August 07, 2009 | Permalink
Amazing!

Thank you for the lesson, and this dish is delicious! I'm on my way to becoming a domestic goddess at last!

by Amanda B | August 19, 2009 | Permalink
Delicious

Tried this for a special dinner. It was so good. This is the first time I've had cambozola cheese and really enjoyed it, and am snacking on the leftover portion. I'm so happy I found this site, as I'm not in a locale that offers any cooking lessons to speak of.

by Jennifer G | September 22, 2009 | Permalink
Cooking temperature

I am confused about the different temperatures to cook at. I know you heat the pan at medium high but do you cook the chicken at this temperature? And, what temperature do you make the sauce with? Thanks!

-Very new to cooking if you can't tell :)

by Julia K | September 24, 2009 | Permalink
Rouxbe User Photo
Rouxbe Staff
What Cooking Temperature to Use to Panfry

My suggestion would be to watch the lesson on Pan Frying

This should provide you with some guidance. Make sure to watch topic 5, which is called how to control pan temperature.

Good luck! Hope this helps answer some questions for you.

by Dawn T | September 24, 2009 | Permalink
A tip for always having wine (@Patrick O)

I always save white wine left overs (amazingly so, that happens) as ice cubes in the freezer. The wine can then be used for cooking, eg. Saltimbocca.

by Julie N | December 15, 2009 | Permalink
OMG

Made this for guests and it is really a wow. The cooking of the meat doesn't take much time but the reducing and sauce took a little longer than I anticipated. Although supper was a tad late, served with the amazing potato gratin receipe....well...I was a superstar!

by Suzan A | December 16, 2009 | Permalink
Tried this one with pork

This was the first recipe I tried after joining Rouxbe because I love Saltimbocca Alla Romana and this was so close. I had all the ingredients except the chicken. I had pork and so did everything using pork. It was a little different of course but the flavors were still there and sooo good. I made this for the entire family and everyone raved about it. My 10 year old daughter asked if we could have it every week at least once. So, there you go. Definitely a keeper and am loving Rouxbe. I've been cooking and experimenting with things, watching cooking shows but so far, I have learned a great deal and after watching the videos, I usually have one of those. ah haa! moments, run to the kitchen and ask a family member if they would like a poached egg, or maybe an Alsation onion tart for the heck of it.

Thank you very much for all the wonderful videos.
Ana

by Ana S | December 22, 2009 | Permalink
What can you do

with the Tenderloin?

by Aubrey G | January 07, 2010 | Permalink
Rouxbe User Photo
Rouxbe Staff
Re: Chicken Tenders

Many things! You can use them in stir-frys, bread them and fry them for chicken fingers, bake them, grill them, put them in salads and quesadillas - really anywhere that you would use chicken breasts.

by Kimberley S | January 07, 2010 | Permalink
Bitter

I made this recipe and was pretty disappointed. I am sure it is something I did. The cheese (i used Blue Castello) was terribly bitter and tasted like feet smell. The chicken and prosciutto cooked perfectly. The sauce was also bitter. Any ideas? I have never had these cheese before but have had other less common cheese and usually like them. Any ideas what went wrong? Thanks for your help! Love the school by the way!

by Nina G | January 15, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
Re: Bitter

I imagine like you said it was the cheese. If you say it was "bitter and tasted like feet smell", then I am guessing it was the cheese. It could have been off or past its prime, which would account for the bitter or off taste in the entire dish.

I would say try this dish again (with a different cheese) as it is a delicious dish.

by Dawn T | January 15, 2010 | Permalink
nonstick pan

would using a nonstick pan mess with the deglazing process?

by Madeleine S | January 19, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
Re: Deglazing Non-stick Pans

Stainless-steel pans tend to create better sucs, but you can still deglaze non-stick pans. Just be sure to use a tool that won't scratch the non-stick surface to lift the sucs. You can find more information in the lessons on Pan Frying and Pan Sauces.

by Dawn T | January 19, 2010 | Permalink
A KEEPER!!

This recipe is fabulous all around, and will be made many more times. It was excellent with a side salad consisting of organic Arugula, toasted pine nuts, and a light home-made bleu cheese vinaigrette dressing, crusty french bread and a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc! CHEERS to the Rouxbe staff for this winner!

by Tenley F | February 01, 2010 | Permalink
Cheese...

Could anyone suggest another cheese to use? I intend on making this later this week but I'm afraid of all the blue cheese types that are bitter and have a strong odor/taste. I mainstream cheese I like are america, mozzarella, and cheddar. Can anyone help?

Thanx.

by Greg B | February 16, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
RE: Cheese

Sliced mozzarella, fontina or even brie would be nice. This dish is delicious! Happy cooking!

by Kimberley S | February 16, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
Re: Cheese | Another Note

Gredg I just wanted to say, don't be "afraid of all the blue cheese types that are bitter and have a strong odor/taste" as there are many that do not taste or even smell too bitter or strong. For instance the cambozola cheese in this recipe is very mellow. It is more like a brie cheese with a bit of mellow blue cheese throughout.

I say buy just a bit and try it. Come on live on the wild side :-)

by Dawn T | February 17, 2010 | Permalink
Absolutely fantastic!

I'm in love with the cambozola. It was a bit difficult for me to find in the local grocers, but what a wonderful taste! This dish was great. I found myself wishing I had more of the sauce.

by John K | April 05, 2010 | Permalink
Chicken Saltimbocca

My husband and I LOVED this recipe! I used Fontina cheese instead as I couldn't find cambozola in the grocery store.

by Jane D | April 19, 2010 | Permalink
Best. Sauce. Ever.

Wow. Was really impressed with the flavours in this one. You can't really go wrong with prosciutto, sage and butter. I tried to pull off the rapini and orzo all at once and, well, not everything came out perfectly. The saltimbocca was awesome though. Next time I would have a better sense for the timing of each dish. Any tips in general for pulling off two or three dishes to finish at once?

by Jamie R | April 25, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
RE: Timing with Cooking

Jamie I think you sort of answered yourself on this one. Timing really comes down to practice and setting yourself up with your mise en place. Get yourself as set up as possible before you start cooking. That means get your pans ready, get the water in the pot (if using) etc etc. The more you prep and set yourself up before and even for after you are done (platters, dishes etc) the more success you will have. Hope this helps!

Glad you like the dish. Cheers!

by Dawn T | April 25, 2010 | Permalink
Video vs. Text recipe

In the text recipe, it says to make sure the pan is still shiny with oil, adding more if needed, and then to add the wine, garlic, etc.

In the video (which I'm guessing is correct), the comment about the pan still being shiny with oil is referring to cooking the second batch of chicken, and you are instructed to pour the oil out of the pan before adding the wine (off the heat) and then the garlic....

by Colleen S | May 05, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
Re: Video vs. Text Recipe

The video and text may not always be exactly the same as cooking is never exactly the same...sometimes you may need less or more oil depending on what is happening in the pan at that particular time. Basically what I am saying is that cooking is about being flexible and just being aware of what is happening with the ingredients in the pan at any given time.

The video in this case was showing you what was happening in the pan at the time we were cooking the dish and the text is there to provide more general guidelines.

Hope this helps to clarify things for you. Cheers!

by Dawn T | May 10, 2010 | Permalink
Still confused: video vs text

I'm still a bit confused. In the text version of the recipe, you potentially add oil before you deglaze; at the very least, you leave whatever oil is already in the pan. Why do you want oil in the pan to deglaze?

by Colleen S | May 11, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
RE: Video vs Text

The text has been changed to avoid any potential confusion. The additional oil is needed to cook the second batch, if necessary. You might find it helpful to review the lesson on "How to Make a Pan Sauce". This dish follows that method and the lesson will help you understand the steps in order to make any pan sauce. Cheers!

by Kimberley S | May 11, 2010 | Permalink
Very dark sauce, salty and bitter

Hi,

I'm thinking the reason for the bitterness as mentioned earlier was the cheese. I used cambozola. (had never heard of it before) It was firm on the outside, but in the middle it was really soft like too soft and I had to put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up after I cut it. Your cheese looked firm all the way through. The cheese was room temperature by the time I cooked it.

Also the problem with the dark sauce might have been the heat not high enough? I had a huge amount of dark, (not burned) melted cheese in the bottom of the skillet. A lot more than you had on the video. So I made the sauce anyway.

My only complaint was the bitterness and saltiness. My prosciutto was paper thin and tore as I tried to pry it apart.

I fried the chicken tenderloins first for my kid thinking he wouldn't go for the cheese and prosciutto. I tossed them into the sauce at the end and they tasted amazing. Go figure.

If my heat was too low, would that cause all that cheese to run onto the pan before it was time to flip them? Or could my heat have been spot on and I just flipped them too late?

I'm thinking it was caused by my temperature being too low. Does this make sense?

Are some brands of prosciutto saltier than others? I only put a little kosher salt on the chicken side before I fried them.

Please advise.

Thanks!

by Jude O | June 14, 2010 | Permalink
Had great success

I used bacon instead of the suggested meat, however, it turned out beautiful and was delicious. Thanks for teaching me all of the great techniques I used to prepare this fantastic dish.

by Zachary C | June 17, 2010 | Permalink
Results

Hey,

Great recipe, turned out well. My timing was awful, kitchen was a mess, but overall tasted nice, and chicken was cooked fantastically. Definitely a dish that takes a bit of practice to get perfect. Thanks a lot Rouxbe team :)

by Lachy G | June 18, 2010 | Permalink
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Rouxbe Staff
Re: Chicken Saltimbocca Results

Glad you liked the dish Lachy. Regarding your messy kitchen, it is funny how messy things can get the first time we make things but it is also equally surprising after making the same dish a few times just how efficient (and clean) we become. Keep up the good work and practice. Cheers!

by Dawn T | June 18, 2010 | Permalink
Cooking

Thanks Dawn, sorry to hijack the thread, might be better if their was some PM sort of functionality(I might just not be able to find it!)... I'm pretty young, trying to get better at something I'm passionate about. I want to do a lot more cooking, but have little time on my hands, what do you recommend to get skills up? Less time consuming / impactful dishes?

by Lachy G | June 18, 2010 | Permalink

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