Flattened chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and sage, pan-fried hard and finished with a glossy white wine and lemon butter sauce.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
15 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.88
Difficulty
medium
The classic Roman treatment usually goes on veal, but chicken breast takes it well as long as it is beaten thin enough to cook in minutes. The pan sauce is made in the same pan straight afterwards, so nothing is wasted.
Lay each chicken breast between two sheets of baking paper and beat with a rolling pin until an even 1cm thick. Work from the middle outwards rather than hammering straight down.
Even thickness matters more than thinness. A breast that is 1cm at one end and 2cm at the other will always be either raw or dry somewhere.
Season the chicken with the pepper and only a small pinch of the salt, remembering the prosciutto brings plenty of its own.
Press four sage leaves onto one side of each breast, then wrap two slices of prosciutto around each one to hold the sage flat against the meat. Press firmly so the parcels hold together.
Dust each parcel lightly all over with cornflour and shake off the excess. You want a barely-there coating, not a crust.
Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the chicken sage-side down first for 4 minutes without moving it, then turn and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, until cooked through and the prosciutto is crisp. Lift onto a warm plate.
Pour the wine into the hot pan and let it bubble hard for two minutes, scraping up everything stuck to the base. Add the stock and reduce by half.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the remaining butter a piece at a time, then the lemon juice and zest and the remaining salt. The sauce should turn glossy and just thick enough to coat a spoon.
Adding the butter off the heat is what keeps the sauce emulsified. If it goes back on a high heat it will split into oil and liquid.
Return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan, turn to coat, and serve scattered with parsley.