The One-Pan Italian Chicken Dish You’ll Want to Make Weekly

31 5 minutes read

Why It Works

Frying sage leaves before searing the chicken infuses the oil with earthy, aromatic flavor.
Starting the chicken prosciutto-side down gives the meat full contact with the pan, ensuring it crisps evenly.
Adding flour to the pan sauce thickens it just enough to coat the chicken.

Chicken saltimbocca tastes like something you’d order at a candlelit trattoria, but it comes together in under an hour—crisp, saucy, and packed with bold, savory flavors. Salty prosciutto, sharp lemon, fragrant sage—each bite of the chicken and its silky pan sauce lingers. The name saltimbocca literally means “jumps in the mouth,” and that’s exactly what this dish does. It’s a meal that delivers punchy flavors, varied textures, and a polished presentation, all from a single skillet in under an hour.

In Rome, saltimbocca is a classic secondi, traditionally made with thin slices of veal topped with sage and prosciutto, secured with toothpicks, and quickly sautéed in butter or olive oil. A splash of white wine deglazes the pan, creating a simple yet assertive sauce. Over time, the dish has traveled and evolved, especially in American kitchens, where chicken is often used as a more accessible and affordable substitute for veal. This version, developed by my colleague Jasmine Smith in our Birmingham, Alabama test kitchen, captures the character of the original while streamlining the recipe for weeknight ease.

Jasmine starts with lightly pounded chicken breasts, seasoned and topped with sage leaves, then draped with thin prosciutto slices. Instead of using toothpicks to hold everything in place, she presses the prosciutto firmly onto the meat—it sticks just fine, and you don’t have to hunt for toothpicks in your kitchen cabinets, nor do you have to worry about removing toothpicks after the dish is cooked. She also places the chicken prosciutto-side down in the hot skillet first. Starting with the ham-side flat against the hot pan ensures even contact from the get-go, helping it adhere to the chicken’s flat surface and brown uniformly before the chicken begins to contract and curl. The result is a crisp, savory layer that stays put and delivers a more consistent sear.

Flour does double duty here: A quick dredge helps the chicken brown, while a touch more flour added to the pan after searing helps thicken the sauce just enough to cling to the meat. The sauce itself—a balanced trio of white wine, chicken stock, and lemon juice—is bright and bracing.

And then there’s the sage. Some leaves go beneath the prosciutto, infusing the chicken with their piney, peppery aroma. The rest are fried briefly in olive oil until they are crisp and look like stained glass, becoming an aromatic, crunchy garnish that lingers on the palate.

Serious Eats / Frederick Hardy II, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

This one-pan meal comes together in under an hour, but tastes like something you’d linger over at your favorite Italian restaurant. Serve it with something simple, such as roasted potatoes or garlicky greens, and don’t forget to pass a few lemon wedges at the table. It’s elegant, quick, and just might enter your weekly dinner rotation.

This recipe was developed by Jasmine Smith; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.