Chicken Scaloppini Saltimbocca is a lighter pasta dish that is delicious year round. Lean chicken breasts, salty proscuitto, and fresh sage are sauteed before being added to spaghetti and tossed in a light Marsala wine sauce. Serve with a side salad or some crusty French bread for a satisfying meal.
I’m the type of person that can eat pasta all year round. Maybe it’s my Italian roots, but pasta is never off the table as a dinner option. While pasta with meat sauce (my lazy version of bolognese) is the most common pasta I make because it’s super easy and doesn’t require a lot of handson time (essential for weeknight cooking), I do love to experiment with other recipes.
This recipe is a long-time family favorite of ours. It is a bit lighter than the tomato-based sauces I favor, making it perfect for any time of the year. In fact, I make it most frequently during the summer when my garden is producing more sage than I know what to do with. This recipe cooks up fairly quick, is forgiving in the quantities of ingredients used, and is bright with flavor. It also scales really well, when we are entertaining and need to feed a crowd. Besides, a little leftovers never hurt – they never last long in my house.
Tip: Preserve Summer Sage
This particular recipe does well with fresh or frozen sage. When my herbs are overflowing in the summer (or maybe you just didn’t finish the package you had bought for another recipe), I trim the plants back and freeze the sage leaves to be used in this recipe and others (i.e. these Blood Orange Sage Vodka Sodas).
To freeze, place sage – cleaned with stems removed – in a single layer on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 24-48 hours. Transfer to an airtight freezer bag and store in the freezer until further use.
To use, remove sage from freezer. Chop when still frozen. Use in recipe as directed (still frozen or defrosted are both fine.)
Chicken Scaloppini Saltimbocca
Chicken Scaloppini Saltimbocca is a lighter pasta dish that is delicious year round. Lean chicken breasts, salty proscuitto, and fresh sage are sauteed before being added to spaghetti and tossed in a light Marsala wine sauce. Serve with a side salad or some crusty French bread for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. white cornmeal
- 1 Tbs. Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 to 1 1/2 lb. chicken cutlets cut into chunks (or, pounded thinly and then sliced)
- 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 4 oz. proscuitto, small dice
- 1/3 c. chopped fresh or frozen sage
- 1 16-oz. box spaghetti
- 1/2 c. dry Marsala wine
- 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter
Instructions
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Mix cornmeal, Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Seal and shake to mix thoroughly. Add chicken and shake again, ensuring that all pieces are coated.
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Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, prosciutto, and sage. Saute.
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Meanwhile, start boiling a pot of water for the spaghetti, and cook according to package. If finished before the chicken, toss with a little bit of extra olive oil and keep warm.
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When chicken is browned and cooked, add Marsala wine, chicken broth, and butter. Cook for 10 minutes, reducing slightly.
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Toss chicken and sauce with spaghetti.
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Serve hot sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, with a side of French Bread and Sage Butter (recipe below).
Recipe Notes
- Nutrition calculated using 1 1/2 lb. chicken breast.
- Feel free to adjust quantities of chicken, sage, and prosciutto to taste. I like more sage and prosciutto than the original recipe calls for, but tend to use whatever is in a package.
This recipe was adapted from Veal Scaloppini Saltimbocca in Bon Appetit, Sept 2002.
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Chicken or Veal Scaloppini Saltimbocca
Bon Appetit Sept 2002
Ingredients:
§ 6 oz. spaghetti
§ 2 Tbs. olive oil
§ ½ c. white cornmeal
§ 1 Tbs. herbes de Provence*
§ ½ tsp. salt
§ ¼ tsp. pepper
§ 4 3-oz chicken or veal cutlets, pounded thin (or thinly sliced and then cut into chunks)
§ ½ c. thinly chopped prosciutto
§ 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
§ 1/2 c. dry Marsala (Florio brand recommended)
§ 1/2 c. low-salt chicken broth
§ ¼ c. butter
Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain & toss with oil. Keep warm.
Mix cornmeal, herbes de Provence, salt & pepper in a bag. Coat chicken/veal with cornmeal mixture.
Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken/veal, prosciutto, and sage. Sauté.
Add marsala wine, chicken broth and butter. Reduce.
Serve over spaghetti.
* A combination of herbs typically including basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram or mint, rosemary, savory, sage, and thyme. Variations may include additional herbs (such as bay leaf, peppercorns, orange peel, and tarragon). These are all herbs grown in the Provence region of France and the herb mixture is used to flavor fish, meats, olives, potatoes, stews, soups, and sauces.
Ingredient Substitutions: For 2 tbsp herbs de Provence substitute the following mixture:
§ 4 tsp each dried thyme and marjoram
§ 1 1/2 tsp summer savory
§ 1/4 tsp dried rosemary and mint
§ 1/8 tsp fennel seeds
§ Pinch each of dried sage an lavender flowers
Yum! I have a ton of sage in the garden and this would be the perfect use for it. So comforting.
Oh I love this. Like Tara, I have fresh sage growing in the herb garden this year. It would be great in this recipe!
Pasta is a win in our house too. I can have pasta year round.
I’m with you – pasta all the time! My husband, not so much. Next time I have extra sage I’ll look to this recipe!
LOVE this recipe! I pinned it to my “Dinner tonight” board since I want this soon! I love chicken marsala but saltimbocca on pasta would be a hit with at least a couple of my kids too!
I never know what to do with all of the sage in my herb garden. Now I have a great option! I can’t wait for it to green back up now!
I tend to feel the same way – my herbs produce really well, so I freeze a lot and make a lot of pesto. I also really enjoy Blood Orange-Sage Vodka Sodas with my freezer sage, if you’re looking for an extra recipe to bookmark. The frozen sage works well in the cocktail 🙂
I love your tip for preserving sage! This dish sounds absolutely delicious.
Thanks! I love being able to make my summer herbs last all year round!
Pasta with meat sauce was definitely a staple of mine through college when I was just starting to get into cooking for myself but now also like to experiment more. I love the flavors in this dish and thanks for the tip about sage! My same bush is always huge and I could never come close to even using 1/4 of it.
The sage in this sounds fantastic! And I like that this pasta dish is a bit lighter than most!
You mean there are people who don’t eat pasta year-round? Who are they? We must change this! I love your recipe and your tips to preserve sage!!
Chicken and pasta is right up my alley. It sounds delicious.
Love this recipe and the Hubby loves it too! Would make this weekly if I could….
This is such a delicious looking pasta dish! I always grow sage in my garden and dry some, but I love your tip to freeze it!
This looks delicious! I love all the flavors. Thanks for sharing on the Celebrate 365 Pasta Party!
This chicken sounds delicious! Thanks for the tips on preserving sage. I have been drying mine out, but I like to freezer idea!
I bet the sage butter adds so much flavor! I can’t wait to try this dish.