Chicken Saltimbocca--almost

It's "almost" because I am just reading the recipe and I don't have any Prosciutto!!!

Well at least I am realizing this now instead of later.

I thought I would be crafty and get all the bones of this post out of the way and after I make it I can give you a picture and the verdict......saving time is every women's goal right.

Well might as well give it a whirl without.

sorry for the lame picture I was late getting dinner on the table and the kids weren't amused so I just shot it and then ate it :)

Chicken Saltimbocca

borrowed from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
6 (3-ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten ***I used 4 because we didn't need 6***
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 paper-thin slices prosciutto **oops how did I forget this?**

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan + 2 tablespoons
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

optional--I also added 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella to the spinach mixture

Directions
Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work surface.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Lay 1 slice of prosciutto atop each chicken cutlet.
Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water.

Season the spinach with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of oil to coat.
Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach atop the prosciutto slices.

Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each.

Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet as for a jellyroll.

Secure with a toothpick.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat.

Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove toothpicks from the chicken.

Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.

VERDICT

The recipe was great even without the prosciutto. I might not even add it next time. It got a rave review from my chief taste tester aka Doug. He said I made some really great dinners this week, so I guess Ina and Giada really do know their stuff. You should use a stainless pan to make this and not non-stick. You will get a better brown on the chicken and it will flavor the sauce more. I loved the sauce as is and could see using it for other chicken dishes too. I did thicken it with some cornstarch though. I tablespoon of water with 1 tsp of cornstarch added. I might even increase that next time to thicken it even more. I liked slicing it and letting the sauce sink into the spinach. The sauce was REALLY good. Yes it is a pain to pound out the chicken, and it was kind of a pain to roll it up too. It is nice to do every once in awhile though. I could see making this for company because it does look pretty impressive rolled up like that. Cooking it was pretty easy and quick though once you got it all rolled up.