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This Prosciutto-Wrapped Baked Chicken recipe is a quick and easy spin on traditional Chicken Saltimbocca. It’s served with a delicious buttery sage sauce, and tastes absolutely delicious!
Hey friends! This is the time of year that we always start hearing more and more requests for next chicken recipes here on the blog. So today, I thought I’d share with you a super-simplified version of an Italian classic I’ve always loved…
…chicken saltimbocca!
Turns out that word saltimbocca literally means “jumps in the mouth” in Italian, which I’d say is pretty fitting for this dish filled with so many of my favorite flavors. ? The traditional version is usually made with veal, which is pounded thin and rolled up with prosciutto and sage, and cooked in a buttery white wine sauce. Since I’m not into veal, and didn’t feel like making some fancy-shmancy rolls, I went with a simplified version of this recipe with chicken and wrapped in prosciutto and cooked with a buttery white wine sage sauce. Same great flavors, and so much easier to make.
I served mine with roasted veggies (which I baked side-by-side with the pan of chicken) and a big green salad and some crusty bread and a chilly sauvignon blanc. And oh my goodness, this simple meal tasted like a downright Italian feast.
Here’s how to make it!
To begin, I highly recommend taking the extra 15 minutes (if you have the time) to brine your chicken, as I recommend in my post on How To Bake Perfect Chicken Breasts. It’s a small step that will go a long way in helping your chicken stay extra moist and juicy, and not dry out. (If your chicken is sold pre-brined, though, just skip this step!)
Once your chicken breasts are ready to go, simply wrap each one with a few pieces of prosciutto. Then brush each side of the chicken with some melted butter (or olive oil), season with salt and pepper, and place them in a single layer in a large baking dish or on a sheet pan. Bake until cooked through.
Then meanwhile, make that heavenly buttery-sage sauce. Just melt some butter and sauté some garlic, sage and crushed red pepper flakes. Add in a good splash of white wine.
Then once your chicken is ready to go, sauce it up!
As probably comes as no surprise with these ingredients, the result is a decadent, savory, delicious pan of chicken ready to be served.
This Prosciutto-Wrapped Baked Chicken recipe is a simplified version of traditional “saltimbocca”, made with a heavenly buttery-garlic-sage-white-wine sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
8–12 slices prosciutto
4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh sage*
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
fresh lemon wedges
(optional garnishes: chopped fresh chives, grated Parmesan cheese, and/or extra crushed red pepper flakes)
Instructions
To brine the chicken: Simply fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes. Or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water, then pat them dry with some paper towels. (Again, though, if your chicken breasts are sold pre-brined in a sodium solution, skip this step.)
To cook the chicken: Heat oven to 450°F.
Wrap each chicken breast with 2-3 slices of prosciutto, so that the prosciutto covers most of the chicken.
Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish. Brush the chicken breasts evenly with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Then season both sides of the chicken breasts with a quick pinch of salt and pepper, then lay the chicken back in a single layer in the baking dish.
Bake for 18-20* minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. If you use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature thickest part of the breast, it should be between 160-170°F. (The FDA recommends 165°F.)
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, as the chicken is cooking, add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to a small sauté pan, along with the garlic, sage and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté over medium-low for 6-8 minutes, or until the sage starts to get slightly crispy. Slowly add in the white wine, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Once the chicken and sauce are ready to go, spoon the sage-butter sauce evenly over the baked chicken breasts. Then serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges, sprinkled with optional garnishes if you’d like. (Feel free to make your serving as lemony as you’d like!)
Notes
*Feel free to substitute any of your favorite Italian fresh herbs here.
This looks delicious and it kind of reminds me of an upscale but unpretentious version of a bacon wrapped chicken recipe my sister tried. Can this also be made with other low fat charcuterie?
Nicolette | https://www.nicolette.co
This recipe sounds like a must-make to me. I hear you about veal – I don’t care for the flavor, or lack thereof, or what it is. I like how simple it is to do, and the sage sounds perfect. I’ve been tired of chicken lately, but I think that this recipe will revive my interest in chicken.
Mmmm…made this last night for the family. Sooo delicious. I loved the saltiness of the meat and the wine herb butter was melting in my mouth. Brined the chicken too so it was very moist. Another winner!
Made this last night and loved it. A bit salty so next time will not season until at the table- am thinking it was the prosciutto. Did not have any white wine available but DID have a great rose’ that I used instead- great substitute. Thank you for a great recipe!
Made it tonight for my 13and 18 year olds. Trying low carb. This recipe is a total hit! Used chicken stock instead of wine. Will definitely be doing again! Might use 2 slices instead of 3 with the prosciutto or no added salt. I definitely ate it, but a little too salty for me.
I would love to try this recipe but I was wondering what I might use instead of the wine? I can’t use wine (among some other things) in my cooking due to my boyfriend’s sulfite allergy. Please let me know if there is a substitution I can make!
I’m a little lazy so I tweaked it a bit, but it was absolutely amazing!! I didn’t have prosciutto so I used thin round slices of a meat that was similar (maybe pancetta?), but only laid them over the top because of shape and limited supply. Then I sprinkled garlic salt and pepper over the top only. Because I didn’t want to dirty another pan melting butter, I also sprinkled with italian seasoning (because I’m less excited about sage and it was suggested you could sub out the seasonings in the butter) and I put about 3 T worth of butter in the bottom of my dish in small chunks. About halfway through I drizzled some of the pan drippings over the chicken because I was afraid it was getting dry… it was absolutely mouth watering!! My 3 boys (ages 6,9 & 12) devoured it and my husband may have moaned! Lol! It was fast, easy to prep and fantastic… Definitely sticking around our menu lineup! Thank you!
This recipe was/is a total win! Made it for the spouse and it was a simple but tasty nightime dinner. Better still, we had the leftover breasts (made 4 in one batch) a couple nights later and they were superb re-heated. I got slightly thicker cut prosciutto from the deli meat counter versus the wafer thin pre-packaged stuff, and that made for a heartier, tastier bacon flavor surrounding the chicken. Thanks for this one. Continued joy and good luck in Spain!
I would give this recipe 6 stars out of 5 because it was not only delicious, but also extremely easy to make . My family loved it. I suggest this to everyone. Thank you, I will be making this regularly.
Giving it 5 stars because it’s one of the few chicken breast recipes my son will eat, so thanks for that! It dirtied several dishes – a bowl for brining (which then had chicken germs), baking pan, saute pan, plus I made angel hair and veggies. And I found the prosciutto a bit fiddly for klutzy me. However, with advanced planning I think I would find this easy enough for weeknights. I’d make extra sauce. Bottom line: Delish!
Not sure if I have commented on this already but just incase I haven’t… it is sooo good! I make frequently, especially when we have guests. Everyone loves it and it’s so simple to make! Highly recommend!
Made this tonight and got rave reviews from my family! Brining the chicken is genius-keeps the moist & tender. I cut the chicken in half horizontally to make it less chewy & cut down on cooking time. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as is and it came out perfect. All of your recipes are great but this one is a winner!!
I made this for my fiance who is notoriously hard to please, and he absolutely loved it. I had a few substitutions (not by choice)
1. I subbed the garlic clove for 1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder. Usually 1 clove = 1/8 of a teaspoon, but after reading other comments I used 1/4 instead and skipped using salt in this recipe alltogether. The prosciutto is a salty meat and the butter is salty as well; you don’t need it.
2. I subbed the butter for “Becel Margarine with Olive Oil” and the little touch of both tastes in the margarine turned out great.
3. I used dried sage seasoning; didn’t have any fresh. Still liked the outcome.
4. I added fresh cut chives to the sautee at the end, and upped the red pepper.
5. The wine (in my opinion) is a must for this. Please don’t skip it; I didn’t and I loved the taste it added.
6. I baked the chicken with the margarine, pepper (no salt) and a very light sprinkle of a garlic and herb seasoning (no salt included.)
Thanks so much for this recipe! I used the light remnants of the sautee to fry my asparagus and served with garlic mozza-feta bread and brown wild rice. Couldn’t be happier.
I was concerned about brining in salt water but it really isn’t salty and chicken is super moist. I did not add salt after wrapping in the prosciutto. I made the sauce but really don’t think it’s necessary. The melted butter placed over the wrapped chicken when baking is enough. I did add sage under the prosciutto for that wonderful flavor. This is definitely a keeper and dinner party worthy.
This was really a hit! All the flavors of Chicken Saltimboca with 1/2 the work, and much easier as can assemble ahead of time! Made just as described in recipe, only doubled for 6 people. Everyone raved! Chicken was very moist and sauce was delicious! Great option for entertaining, as it was just as tasty at warm, room temp an hour later! I ended up cutting my portion into little medallions so that I could pour more sauce over each bite! Think I might serve it that way next time, though the bundles are also a nice neat portion size. Also love the simple brining tip. Will always brine my B/S chicken breasts now!! Great recipe -going in the files!
This was a big hit tonight. Unfortunately I had to make a lot of substitutions but they still raved over it. I used lemon thyme instead of sage and chicken stock instead of white wine. Yum!
Absolutely delicious! Made this tonight for dinner! My husband loved it…me, too! Would be a nice dish to serve to company. Only thing I didn’t use was the fresh sage…used a Italian seasoning instead! Thanks!
Quick and easy! Bake time was perfect, too. Brined the chicken first and the breasts turned out tasty and juicy. Served the breasts with the lemon wedge, asparagus and some honey glazed carrots (which were boiled then sautéed in a butter/soy sauce mixture). This chicken recipe is simple to make and a welcomed change of pace from the usual mid-week meal. Thank you!
Simple and delicious. I doubled the recipe and prepped everything in advance so I could jut pop it in the oven when guests arrived. The brined chicken was moist and the sauce, made with fresh herbs, complimented it perfectly.. Guests loved it.
This recipe has been added to my easy meal rotation. Although I always forget to brine the chicken – seasoning before cooking still tastes delicious. Have used herb de provence for the sauce and lots of lemon when serving. Orzo and salad with a little fresh parmesan makes this an easy and complete meal! Thanks for the great recipe!
Delicious. I added shallots to the butter sauce and served with sautéed french green beans. We ate it up and plan to put this recipe on our normal dinner rotation.
You should NOT LOOK at the temperature. The chicken should be pulled at 20 mins and sit. By waiting for the right temperature, my chicken became as hard as a rock. Taste was nice.
We absolutely loved this recipe!! The only changes I made was: I wrapped all 4 pieces of chicken with all of the thin cut prosciutto, we love the saltiness. Had to cook a little longer than what was listed in recipe and took it checked out at 155 degrees, let it rest for 10 minutes and juices ran clear. For the sauce, I added 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, and 1 tsp of cornstarch to help thicken a bit. I added Barefoot Riesling which was slightly sweet, garlic, salt, proper, and garlic chives. It was the most delicious wine sauce I have ever had, so thank you for the inspiration!!! I am going to add baby Bella mushrooms to sausage next time. We made mushroom and wilted spinach saute and drizzled the sauce I’ve that also. Perfect, juicy and tender! Best meal we have made in quite a while. Thank you so much!!!!
This looks amazing!!!
This looks delicious and it kind of reminds me of an upscale but unpretentious version of a bacon wrapped chicken recipe my sister tried. Can this also be made with other low fat charcuterie?
Nicolette | https://www.nicolette.co
Chicken was very tender, juicy and delicious
Yummy !!
This recipe sounds like a must-make to me. I hear you about veal – I don’t care for the flavor, or lack thereof, or what it is. I like how simple it is to do, and the sage sounds perfect. I’ve been tired of chicken lately, but I think that this recipe will revive my interest in chicken.
This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it!
-Gabby
www.orcuttfamilydentistry.com
Awesome, hope you enjoy it!
Mmmm…made this last night for the family. Sooo delicious. I loved the saltiness of the meat and the wine herb butter was melting in my mouth. Brined the chicken too so it was very moist. Another winner!
I made this on the weekend and it was so fancy looking but super easy! Very tasty too. Definite repeat recipe in my books!
I think will be very tesy
Enjoy! :)
Made this last night and loved it. A bit salty so next time will not season until at the table- am thinking it was the prosciutto. Did not have any white wine available but DID have a great rose’ that I used instead- great substitute. Thank you for a great recipe!
Rosé sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Delicious and very easy
This chicken must be delicious! I’m already drooling!
Made it tonight for my 13and 18 year olds. Trying low carb. This recipe is a total hit! Used chicken stock instead of wine. Will definitely be doing again! Might use 2 slices instead of 3 with the prosciutto or no added salt. I definitely ate it, but a little too salty for me.
I made this recipe for a holiday crowd using tenders. I like that it can sit on the buffet table without drying out. The sauce is amazing.
I would love to try this recipe but I was wondering what I might use instead of the wine? I can’t use wine (among some other things) in my cooking due to my boyfriend’s sulfite allergy. Please let me know if there is a substitution I can make!
Thank you! I love your recipes.
I’m a little lazy so I tweaked it a bit, but it was absolutely amazing!! I didn’t have prosciutto so I used thin round slices of a meat that was similar (maybe pancetta?), but only laid them over the top because of shape and limited supply. Then I sprinkled garlic salt and pepper over the top only. Because I didn’t want to dirty another pan melting butter, I also sprinkled with italian seasoning (because I’m less excited about sage and it was suggested you could sub out the seasonings in the butter) and I put about 3 T worth of butter in the bottom of my dish in small chunks. About halfway through I drizzled some of the pan drippings over the chicken because I was afraid it was getting dry… it was absolutely mouth watering!! My 3 boys (ages 6,9 & 12) devoured it and my husband may have moaned! Lol! It was fast, easy to prep and fantastic… Definitely sticking around our menu lineup! Thank you!
This recipe was/is a total win! Made it for the spouse and it was a simple but tasty nightime dinner. Better still, we had the leftover breasts (made 4 in one batch) a couple nights later and they were superb re-heated. I got slightly thicker cut prosciutto from the deli meat counter versus the wafer thin pre-packaged stuff, and that made for a heartier, tastier bacon flavor surrounding the chicken. Thanks for this one. Continued joy and good luck in Spain!
What a lovely alternative to bacon -wrapped chicken…. can’t wait to try.
This is now one of our all-time faves!!!!! Easy to make, and melt-in-your-mouth goodness!!!
My first comment failed to state that I use chicken stock or bone broth instead of wine…simply scrumptious!
So delicious! My husband of 25 years said it was the best chicken he had EVER had! Thanks for the great recipe!
I would give this recipe 6 stars out of 5 because it was not only delicious, but also extremely easy to make . My family loved it. I suggest this to everyone. Thank you, I will be making this regularly.
Giving it 5 stars because it’s one of the few chicken breast recipes my son will eat, so thanks for that! It dirtied several dishes – a bowl for brining (which then had chicken germs), baking pan, saute pan, plus I made angel hair and veggies. And I found the prosciutto a bit fiddly for klutzy me. However, with advanced planning I think I would find this easy enough for weeknights. I’d make extra sauce. Bottom line: Delish!
Awesome take on Saltimbocca. Couldn’t be simpler.
Easy, great taste. Company worthy
Easy, great taste. Company worthy.
Not sure if I have commented on this already but just incase I haven’t… it is sooo good! I make frequently, especially when we have guests. Everyone loves it and it’s so simple to make! Highly recommend!
Made this tonight and got rave reviews from my family! Brining the chicken is genius-keeps the moist & tender. I cut the chicken in half horizontally to make it less chewy & cut down on cooking time. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as is and it came out perfect. All of your recipes are great but this one is a winner!!
I made this for my fiance who is notoriously hard to please, and he absolutely loved it. I had a few substitutions (not by choice)
1. I subbed the garlic clove for 1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder. Usually 1 clove = 1/8 of a teaspoon, but after reading other comments I used 1/4 instead and skipped using salt in this recipe alltogether. The prosciutto is a salty meat and the butter is salty as well; you don’t need it.
2. I subbed the butter for “Becel Margarine with Olive Oil” and the little touch of both tastes in the margarine turned out great.
3. I used dried sage seasoning; didn’t have any fresh. Still liked the outcome.
4. I added fresh cut chives to the sautee at the end, and upped the red pepper.
5. The wine (in my opinion) is a must for this. Please don’t skip it; I didn’t and I loved the taste it added.
6. I baked the chicken with the margarine, pepper (no salt) and a very light sprinkle of a garlic and herb seasoning (no salt included.)
Thanks so much for this recipe! I used the light remnants of the sautee to fry my asparagus and served with garlic mozza-feta bread and brown wild rice. Couldn’t be happier.
My husband cooked it and it’s amazing! He is learning how to cook and we love this recipe!
Looks delicious can you do the prep then stick it in the refrigerator before baking?
Yes looks wonderful. Can you do the prep on this put it if the fridge and then po it in the oven when you guests arrive?
I’m making this for dinner tonight….look yummy
Love this! Can’t wait to make it
I was concerned about brining in salt water but it really isn’t salty and chicken is super moist. I did not add salt after wrapping in the prosciutto. I made the sauce but really don’t think it’s necessary. The melted butter placed over the wrapped chicken when baking is enough. I did add sage under the prosciutto for that wonderful flavor. This is definitely a keeper and dinner party worthy.
It’s even better if you cut a slit in the breast and place herbs and a slice of cheese like smoked Gouda or cheddar in there before you wrap it.
This was really a hit! All the flavors of Chicken Saltimboca with 1/2 the work, and much easier as can assemble ahead of time! Made just as described in recipe, only doubled for 6 people. Everyone raved! Chicken was very moist and sauce was delicious! Great option for entertaining, as it was just as tasty at warm, room temp an hour later! I ended up cutting my portion into little medallions so that I could pour more sauce over each bite! Think I might serve it that way next time, though the bundles are also a nice neat portion size. Also love the simple brining tip. Will always brine my B/S chicken breasts now!! Great recipe -going in the files!
Very simple to follow recipe with rather splendid results. I followed it to the letter and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks awfully.
Just served this to my friends for lunch. The meal was very well received, thank you for your brilliant recipe
This was a big hit tonight. Unfortunately I had to make a lot of substitutions but they still raved over it. I used lemon thyme instead of sage and chicken stock instead of white wine. Yum!
Super exquisite recipe! We all enjoyed it. This was our Christmas dinner. Thank you so much! I have tagged you as well!
Have made several times and it’s a hit every single time.
Absolutely delicious! Made this tonight for dinner! My husband loved it…me, too! Would be a nice dish to serve to company. Only thing I didn’t use was the fresh sage…used a Italian seasoning instead! Thanks!
Made this for my husband and he was utterly in love with it! Tbh…. I loved it too!!!
Quick and easy! Bake time was perfect, too. Brined the chicken first and the breasts turned out tasty and juicy. Served the breasts with the lemon wedge, asparagus and some honey glazed carrots (which were boiled then sautéed in a butter/soy sauce mixture). This chicken recipe is simple to make and a welcomed change of pace from the usual mid-week meal. Thank you!
I probably added too much salt but altogether delicious!
Simple and delicious. I doubled the recipe and prepped everything in advance so I could jut pop it in the oven when guests arrived. The brined chicken was moist and the sauce, made with fresh herbs, complimented it perfectly.. Guests loved it.
This recipe has been added to my easy meal rotation. Although I always forget to brine the chicken – seasoning before cooking still tastes delicious. Have used herb de provence for the sauce and lots of lemon when serving. Orzo and salad with a little fresh parmesan makes this an easy and complete meal! Thanks for the great recipe!
Delicious. I added shallots to the butter sauce and served with sautéed french green beans. We ate it up and plan to put this recipe on our normal dinner rotation.
You should NOT LOOK at the temperature. The chicken should be pulled at 20 mins and sit. By waiting for the right temperature, my chicken became as hard as a rock. Taste was nice.
We absolutely loved this recipe!! The only changes I made was: I wrapped all 4 pieces of chicken with all of the thin cut prosciutto, we love the saltiness. Had to cook a little longer than what was listed in recipe and took it checked out at 155 degrees, let it rest for 10 minutes and juices ran clear. For the sauce, I added 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, and 1 tsp of cornstarch to help thicken a bit. I added Barefoot Riesling which was slightly sweet, garlic, salt, proper, and garlic chives. It was the most delicious wine sauce I have ever had, so thank you for the inspiration!!! I am going to add baby Bella mushrooms to sausage next time. We made mushroom and wilted spinach saute and drizzled the sauce I’ve that also. Perfect, juicy and tender! Best meal we have made in quite a while. Thank you so much!!!!