Chicken Valdostana with Prosciutto Fontina (Printable)
Chicken breasts layered with prosciutto and Fontina in white wine tomato sauce. Ready in 45 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ 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
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
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 chicken breast in all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess to ensure a light, even coating.
04 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 2-3 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, stirring to prevent burning.
06 - Deglaze the skillet with dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and dried oregano. Stir to combine and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavor.
07 - Nestle the seared chicken breasts into the simmering sauce. Top each breast with one slice of prosciutto di Parma, followed by a layer of sliced Fontina cheese.
08 - Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the Fontina has melted and bubbled 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.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- The combination of salty prosciutto and melting Fontina over golden seared chicken feels like something you would order at a tiny trattoria tucked into a cobblestone alley.
- The white wine and tomato sauce comes together in the same pan, so every bit of flavor builds on itself with almost no extra effort.
02 -
- Do not skip pounding the chicken evenly because uneven breasts lead to dry edges and raw centers, a lesson I learned the hard way during a dinner party.
- Make sure your skillet is genuinely oven safe including the handle, because the sound of a melting handle is something you only forget once.
03 -
- Pat the chicken completely dry before dredging in flour because any surface moisture prevents that delicate crust from forming properly.
- Use a skillet that fits the four breasts snugly side by side so the sauce surrounds them evenly and the cheese does not slide off into the gaps.