Hen Saltimbocca is a basic Italian-American fundamental course that’s quick, weeknight-friendly, and naturally gluten-free. Skinny hen cutlets are topped with prosciutto and sage, pan-seared till crisp, then served with a fast white wine–butter pan sauce. My household loves it with a aspect of garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, or polenta.

What’s Hen Saltimbocca?

Traditional Saltimbocca alla Romana is historically veal scallopini (skinny veal cutlets) with sage and prosciutto, pan-cooked and infrequently deglazed with white wine and butter (typically with Marsala or a lightweight sauce). Hen Saltimbocca is the broadly liked, Italian-American adaptation that swaps veal for hen whereas maintaining the identical hallmark flavors—prosciutto, sage, and a vibrant pan sauce—making it extra accessible and weeknight-friendly. The hen swap is a contemporary, restaurant-friendly adaptation that took off in Italy-inspired kitchens overseas (particularly within the U.S.) as a result of hen is extra inexpensive and broadly most popular.

Prosciutto & Sage Hen: Italian Saltimbocca

I really like this Hen Saltimbocca as a result of it hits that candy spot of being protein-rich, gluten-free, keto-friendly, genuinely straightforward, and nonetheless having that “wow” restaurant-quality issue. It’s fancy-looking with out a lot effort. The crispy prosciutto acts like a salty, crackly jacket round tender hen, whereas the fast white wine–butter sauce is the type you need to swipe with my garlic butter dinner rolls or garlic bread. My household prefers serving Hen Saltimbocc with easy aspect dishes like my sautéed spinach and roasted garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes. If I need shade on the plate, I pair it with my roasted candy potatoes and broccoli or inexperienced beans with pine nuts. On cozier nights, I like serving it with my creamy garlic Parmesan orzo or a heat aspect of Marry-Me Butter Beans. Nevertheless you plate it, I hope this will probably be come your new go-to Italian consolation meals for straightforward entertaining and weeknight dinners.

You may Want These Components

Hen Saltimbocca requires solely 7 ingrediends (not counting fundamentals like salt & pepper): skinless boneless hen breasts, Prosciutto, sage leaves, white wine, butter, olive oil, and hen inventory. This picture reveals you the whole lot you want:

Learn how to Make Hen Saltimbocca

This can be a recipe overview. Discover the whole directions + ingredient quantities within the recipe card beneath (scroll down).

• Prep: Break up every breast lengthwise into 4 cutlets, pound to ¼-inch, and evenly season. High every with a slice of prosciutto, press to stick, add 1 sage leaf, and safe with a flat toothpick.

• Fry Sage: Warmth olive oil over medium; fry remaining sage leaves ~20 seconds till crisp. Take away to paper towels; preserve the sage-infused oil within the pan.

• Cook dinner Hen: Elevate warmth to medium-high. Sear cutlets prosciutto-side down 3–4 minutes till crisp; flip and cook dinner 2–3 minutes extra till performed. Switch to a plate and tent.
• Pan Sauce: Decrease to medium. Deglaze with wine, scraping fond; simmer 1–2 minutes. Add inventory; scale back 2–3 minutes. Off warmth, whisk in butter till shiny. (Optionally available: a pinch of flour—or cornstarch to maintain it GF—to thicken.) Season to style.

• Serve: Take away toothpicks, spoon sauce over hen, and garnish with crispy sage. Serve scorching with polenta, garlic mashed potatoes, or sautéed spinach.

Substitutions

• Veal cutlets: For a standard model, swap the hen for veal cutlets!
• Turkey or pork cutlets: For a much less conventional model, swap the hen for turkey or pork cutlets.
• Serrano ham, speck, pancetta (sliced skinny), skinny bacon: All of those can be utilized as nice substitutes for prosciutto. Simply keep in mind to not over-salt your hen as these cured meats have excessive salt content material.
• Rosemary, thyme, oregano: Use these herbs as options to the sage. Nevertheless, use the rosemary sparingly because it has a really robust taste. All the time use recent herbs for this recipe.
• White wine vinegar or lemon juice: No alcohol? Exchange the wine with 3 tablespoons of both white wine vinegar or lemon juice.
• Veggie broth or water with bouillon: If you happen to like, change the hen broth with veggie broth or water combined with bouillon powder. 
• Extra herbs: Add additional herbs like thyme and rosemary to the pan sauce should you like! 
• Dairy free: You possibly can change the butter with a plant primarily based model should you’d prefer to make this dairy free.

Various Strategies

• Rolled: Pound the hen even thinner and roll the sage and prosciutto on the surface of the hen, then safe with toothpicks previous to cooking.
• Baked: Warmth the oven to 400 levels and put the ready cutlets on a evenly greased or parchment lined baking sheet or shallow dish. Evenly brush the cutlets with oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes with the prosciutto aspect up. Make the pan sauce the identical as written above after frying the sage.

Extra Hen Breast Recipes

• Pan-Seared Hen Breasts (juicy, straightforward, with the most effective pan sauce)
• Basil Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Hen Bake
• Hen Breasts with Bacon Mustard Sauce
• Mozzarella Hen with Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms
• Grilled Hen Breasts (with the most effective marinade)