Saltimbocca di Capicola e del Pollo

Submitted by MichaelC

(Chicken Saltimbocca with Capicola)

Saltimbocca is an italian dish. It can be made with pork, chicken, or veal. The meat is cut thin and flat, or pounded. A layer of prosciutto and then a layer of sage is laid atop the meat. They are then rolled up and marinated or cooked.

Below is one variation I like to make. It is made with chicken, capicola, and sage. It is then cooked in oil and lightly braised in chicken stock and lemon. The reason I sometimes use capicola is its slightly spicier flavor. It's not necessarily hot, though there are hot varieties of capicola. The stock from the cooking is reduced and then used to pour over the chicken.

I love the way the sage just kinda bursts with flavor when you bite into a slice of this meal.

Ingredients

 * chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten
 * salt and freshly ground black pepper
 * capicola, thin sliced (probably two per piece of chicken)
 * fresh sage
 * olive oil
 * parmesan, grated
 * low-salt chicken broth
 * lemon

Cooking Tools

 * heavy skillet
 * tongs for handling the chicken
 * meat tenderizer (optional)

Preparation
Place the chicken on a flat surface. If pounding, cover with plastic before pounding. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the capicola atop the chicken. Lay some fresh leaves of sage atop the capicola. Sage can be strong, so a couple leaves should be enough. Grate a little Parmesan atop everything.

Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken and secure with one or two toothpicks. Doesn't have to be a tight roll

Directions
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add enough chicken broth to come about 1/4 to 1/3 up on the chickens. Generously add lemon juice squeezed from the lemon. You'll probably have chicken stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Scrape up the bottom so those bits are swimming in the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Use a knife and fork to check if the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and remove the toothpicks from the chicken. Raise the heat high to reduce the broth, about 5 minutes. Season it with salt and pepper.

Pour the reduced broth over the chicken to serve.