Clean and Easy Chicken Saltimbocca

Do you have any recipes that you love, but that you never make because they're just so darn time consuming? My mom has one for the most amazing chocolate raspberry cheesecake (and I don't usually like cheesecake that much) I have ever tasted. Everyone goes gaga for it. But, it takes days to make. First, you have to make cookies for the cookie crust, let them cool, grind them up, etc... and that's before you even get to the cake making. Needless to say, it's a special dessert and we don't get to have it very often.

For me, one of these recipes is chicken saltimbocca. 

I love it but, I've always thought it's very time consuming and labor intensive. But, now that Dave is back on the low-carb, "leaning out" plan (yep, that's life when you live with a personal trainer), I've been desperate for really delicious dinners that don't involve potatoes, rice, pasta, or other starches. So, I wracked my brain and remembered my beloved chicken saltimbocca.

I hadn't made it in years and I decided to change up my recipe to make it cleaner, healthier, and fresher tasting. Gone is the frozen spinach, replaced with a pile of fresh baby spinach. There's no longer any butter in the sauce. Just a sprinkle of flour sauteed in the pan drippings, and used to thicken some low-sodium chicken broth. Sounds simple, but the sauce is what makes this dish. I could eat it in a bowl with a soup spoon it's that good.

And wouldn't you know: making it is MUCH easier than I remembered. In fact, it was on the table in about 45 minutes. Why didn't I think of this sooner??

So, here it is, my clean, healthy, and super easy recipe for chicken saltimbocca. For you language-philes out there, saltimbocca is Italian for "leap into the mouth." And trust, me, it will have you jumping for joy.

Pepper wishes this Clean and Easy Saltimbocca would leap into his mouth!

Clean and Easy Chicken Saltimbocca

This would taste even better with pasta!

Serves 4


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and pounded to 1/4 to 1/3 inch thickness
1/4 bag baby spinach
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 thin slices of prosciutto
salt and pepper to taste

On a large work surface, sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and pepper and lay over a piece of the prosciutto ham. Then pile on a tall layer of spinach (about 1/2 cup) and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Carefully roll up the chicken breast with its stuffing, gently pushing the stuffing underneath the chicken breast as you roll it. Secure with kitchen twine, season with salt and pepper and repeat until all the chicken breasts are prepped.

Heat about 2 tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat in a lidded skillet. Add the chicken and brown for about 2 minutes per side, until all the sides are golden brown.

Place the lid onto the pan, lower the heat to low or medium low (depending on your stovetop) and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Place the chicken on a plate to rest while you make your sauce.

Here's what it looks like before you cut it.

Sprinkle 1/2 tbs of flour into the pan drippings and sauté it for a minute or so. Then whisk in a cup of chicken broth, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. If you like, you could add a little lemon juice, too. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and cover while you slice the chicken.

To serve, remove the twine from the chicken and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices, then spoon over the sauce.

After you've sliced the saltimbocca, it looks much prettier.

Enjoy!