I had veal saltimbocco at a friend’s place for the first time a couple of years ago.  It’s delicious, but sometimes the veal combined with the salty prosciutto is a bit rich when you are after something a little fresher.  Chicken is a good substitute for something more summery and for those a little less adventurous!

I love the crisp sage and personally think it is what makes this dish (and the stackloads of butter of course!).

Preparing this dish only requires 1 pan too which is also a nice sentiment for partners of messy cooks! Love you Josh!

It’s a great summer dish and could be grilled on the bbq just as easily.

ingredients
for 4

4 whole chicken breasts (the organic chicken from Village Meats in Toowong Village is the best – so tender!) cut into 3 pieces each.
12 long thin slices of prosciutto
1 bunch fresh sage
200g butter
2 lemons
2 medium zucchinis sliced thickly
olive oil
toothpicks or skewers

method

Lay a slice of prosciutto flat on a cutting board / flat surface and place a piece of chicken on top, the opposite way.  Place a sage leaf ontop of the chicken and wrap the prosciutto around to cover as much of the chicken as possible.  Secure the ends of the prosciutto with a skewer or finish so that the ends of the prosciutto wrap to the bottom side of the chicken.  Repeat for all chicken pieces and place in a bowl.  Cover in olive oil and juice of lemons and allow to sit for 10 – 15 minutes.

Heat a non stick frying pan on high with a dash of olive oil.  Once hot, place the chicken pieces in the pan – cook for 4 minutes each side (may need 5 minutes each side if the pieces are thicker).  Pan frying chicken is the hardest thing in the world to stuff up – especially if you have a timer!

Remove the chicken from the pan and reduce the heat to medium.

Once the temperature has lowered, melt the butter in the pan.  When the butter is melted, add about 25 sage leaves.  Allow the butter to bubble and froth up – it should get a distinctly nutty smell when it is ready, and the sage leaves will crisp up.  Pour sage & butter sauce into a bowl for the time being.

Throw the zucchini slices into the buttery pan, flip regularly and allow to brown – about 5 minutes.

Serve chicken with butter sauce drizzled over the top and zucchini pieces on the side.

A simple rocket and cherry tomato salad would also go nicely with this dish – and might clear your conscience!