Chicken Valdostana Fontina Prosciutto (Printable Version)
Italian chicken layered with prosciutto and Fontina in white wine tomato sauce.
# Ingredient List:
→ Poultry
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
→ Cured Meats
02 - 4 slices prosciutto di Parma
→ Cheeses
03 - 4 oz Fontina cheese, sliced
→ Breading
04 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
→ Cooking Fat
05 - 2 tbsp olive oil
→ Sauces & Liquids
06 - ⅓ cup dry white wine
07 - 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
08 - ¼ cup chicken broth
→ Aromatics & Seasonings
09 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
10 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
11 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
12 - 1 tsp dried oregano
13 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
# How to Make:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Place chicken breasts between sheets of parchment paper and gently pound to an even thickness of about ½ inch. Season both sides generously with salt and black pepper.
03 - Dredge each seasoned chicken breast in all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess coating.
04 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly golden. Remove and set aside on a plate.
05 - In the same skillet, add the finely chopped shallot and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
06 - Deglaze the skillet with dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and dried oregano. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavor.
07 - Nestle the seared chicken breasts into the simmering sauce. Layer each breast with a slice of prosciutto di Parma followed by a portion of sliced Fontina cheese.
08 - Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
09 - Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and serve hot with extra sauce spooned over each portion.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- That moment when you pull the skillet from the oven and the Fontina has melted into something resembling a cozy blanket over prosciutto is pure kitchen magic.
- It looks like you spent hours but the whole thing comes together in under an hour, making it perfect for impressing guests on a weeknight.
02 -
- Do not skip pounding the chicken evenly because a thick end will be raw while the thin end turns to rubber, a lesson I learned the hard way with very polite guests who chewed in silence.
- Letting the wine reduce for a full minute before adding tomatoes burns off the alcohol and concentrates the flavor, which completely transforms the sauce from watery to rich.
03 -
- Use a meat mallet with the flat side, not the textured side, because you want to gently stretch the meat, not tenderize it into mush.
- The real secret is resisting the urge to move the chicken while it sears. Let it sit undisturbed and it will release naturally when the crust is ready.