Laid on a soft bed of polenta, these prosciutto-covered chicken breasts live up to their recipe’s Italian name of ‘jump in the mouth!’
Serves: 4
Time: 50 minutes
Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally so that you have eight even cutlets. Season lightly with salt & pepper.
Place the chicken pieces on a clean surface or board. Lay 1 piece of prosciutto on top of each chicken cutlet and press to adhere. Place 2 – 3 sage leaves on top of each piece of prosciutto.
Tip: Secure the sage leaves & prosciutto to the chicken with toothpicks.
Pour the flour into a shallow dish and season with salt & pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken lightly in flour and set aside.
To make the polenta, bring the milk, chicken stock and salt to the boil in a large saucepan. Gradually pour in the dry polenta and stir continuously. Reduce the heat. Cook for 10 minutes until the polenta is smooth and thickened. Stir through the butter and keep warm.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the cutlets prosciutto side down and cook for 3 minutes until the prosciutto is crispy. Flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and remove the toothpicks if you have used them. Add more olive oil to the pan as necessary throughout the cooking process.
When all the chicken is cooked, add the white wine or marsala to the pan and deglaze, scraping up all the golden crispy bits. Once reduced by half, add the stock and bring to a simmer until the sauce has reduced by half again. Add the butter and stir through until thickened.
Place the chicken on a large serving platter, pour over the sauce and serve with the creamy polenta.
Tip: If you want to make your creamy polenta ahead of time, you can reheat it by whisking in more water, milk or olive oil to make it smooth and creamy again.