Classic chicken saltimbocca in less than 30 minutes! This recipe pairs thinly sliced (or butterflied) chicken breast cutlets, crisp slices of prosciutto, and sage with a buttery white wine sauce. It’s an easy, classic Italian-style chicken dinner that looks and tastes like a restaurant dish.

A close-up picture of cooked chicken breast with sage and prosciutto.
Chicken saltimbocca with tangy butter sauce, crisp prosciutto and sage leaves.

Classic chicken saltimbocca is a tasty Italian chicken recipe that’s so easy to make at home. This simple dish features tender chicken breast cutlets topped with thin-sliced prosciutto and fresh sage leaves.

With white wine and butter, the light pan sauce has a bright, acidic edge with just the right amount of nutty, buttery flavor. It’s an unbeatable combination!

Fun fact: Saltimbocca is so good it literally means to leap or “jump into the mouth” in Italian. The dish originates from Rome and is traditionally prepared with veal and sage leaves wrapped in prosciutto.

A plate of prosciutto, a bunch of fresh sage, raw chicken breasts and small dishes of butter, flour and white wine.

About the ingredients

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Traditional saltimbocca is cooked with thinly sliced (scaloppine) veal or pork, but chicken is a wonderful, mild-tasting meat to use for thin cut chicken breast recipes, like crunchy baked breaded, crisp chicken breast cutlets. It pairs well with the tangy sauce and salty taste of the ham. To cut down on prep time, buy prepared chicken cutlets at the grocery store, or try butterflying whole chicken breasts yourself (see directions below).
  • Prosciutto: A type of fresh Italian ham that’s cured with salt and allowed to air-dry. It has a sweet, mildly salty flavor. In the oven, the thin slices of prosciutto crisp up into delectable chips.
  • Sage: Fresh sage leaves have a pronounced piney flavor and aroma — a little goes a long way. In saltimbocca, sage tempers the richness of the sauce and the prosciutto.
  • White wine: Use a good-quality white wine that you don’t mind sipping while you cook 🙂 — I recommend a pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. The wine cooks down, leaving the sauce with a bright note of acidity.
  • Chicken broth: Use a lower-sodium stock or homemade chicken broth if possible because the prosciutto is already salted.
  • Butter: When combined with olive oil, the butter adds a nutty flavor to the sauce without burning over high heat.
  • Olive oil: Use a good everyday extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Shallot: You can use an equal amount of very finely chopped yellow onion if you don’t have shallots.

Chicken saltimbocca in 30 minutes

There’s a reason this is one of my all-time favorite quick chicken recipes. When you’re rushing to get dinner on the table, the thought of making a traditional saltimbocca — which means pounding meat with a mallet and fussing around with toothpicks — is a big turn-off.

I still crave often chicken breast recipes for dinner, and the flavors and textures of a good saltimbocca with light, crisp chicken cutlets, so I simplified the method for faster prep time.

Prep the chicken breasts

  • Two chicken breasts on a prep board, one in the process of being sliced in half.
    1. To butterfly chicken breasts, start a perpendicular cut at the thicker side.
  • A butterfiled boneless chicken breast and a knife on a cutting board.
    2. Open the breast like a book.
  • Sliced uncooked chicken breasts on a cutting board.
    3. Slice them in half.
  • Raw chicken breasts arranged on a cutting board.
    4. Repeat to make four thin fillets.
Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper on a prep surface.
5. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • A tray with plain flour with chicken breasts next to it.
    6. Spread the flour on a rimmed sheet pan.
  • Floured boneless chicken breasts on a tray.
    7. Dredge the breasts to coat, then tap off the excess.

Key cooking steps

  • Chunks of butter and olive oil in a skillet.
    8. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Oil and butter heating in a skillet.
    9. Wait until the butter melts and start to foam.
  • Four raw chicken breasts cooking in oil in a skillet.
    10. Sear the chicken until golden on the bottom, 3-5 minutes.
  • Four browned boneless skinless chicken breasts in a skillet.
    11. Flip the chicken over.
  • Slices of prosciutto on top of chicken breasts in a skillet.
    12. Put a piece of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast.
  • Chicken breasts in a skillet, topped with a layer of ham and fresh sage leaves.
    13. Coat sage leaves with fat in the pan and stick to the prosciutto.
  • Cooked sage and prosciutto chicken in a skillet.
    14. Transfer to a 425-degree oven to finish cooking and crisp the prosciutto.
  • Cooked chicken breasts topped with prosciutto and sage leaves on a platter.
    15. Transfer the chicken to a platter and pour the pan juices over.
A close-up picture of cooked chicken breast with sage and prosciutto.
5 from 15 ratings

Chicken Breast Saltimbocca with Prosciutto

Karen Tedesco
Restaurant-caliber chicken saltimbocca with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Italian prosciutto, and fresh sage in a white wine butter sauce. This delicious dinner recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes! Serve with risotto, mashed potatoes and garlicky broccolini for a fabulous meal.
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Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 2 large (675 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds total), butterflied into 4 fillets; or 4 chicken cutlets
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour, or substitute with a gluten-free blend
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) finely chopped shallot
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) chicken broth
  • 4 slices prosciutto
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees 220 C °F
  2. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts.
  3. Spread the flour in a rimmed tray or pie dish. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour to lightly coat, then give them a gentle slap to remove excess flour.
  4. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and oil, swirling to coat the pan. When the butter begins to foam, add the chicken breasts.
  5. Cook 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is golden. Flip the breasts over with a spatula and cook on the other side for one minute. Add the shallots, white wine and broth to the pan around the chicken and let it boil for another minute.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat. Arrange a slice of prosciutto over each breast. Dip the sage leaves in some of the fat in the pan, then put two leaves on top of each breast, pressing them down to adhere.
  7. Put the pan in the oven and bake 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the prosciutto is crisp.
  8. To serve, transfer the chicken to a platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of coarsely chopped sage to garnish the plate.

Notes

  • Use thin slices (scaloppine) of veal or pork instead of the chicken. The cooking time will be about the same.
  • For a cheesy dish, top each chicken breast with a thin slice of provolone, fontina or mozzarella cheese as soon as it comes out of the oven. 

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 240kcal Carbohydrates: 14g Protein: 15g Fat: 12g Sodium: 133mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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