The chicken breast à la valdostana is a quick recipe and sure to please for cooking chicken breast in a different way using simple and accessible ingredients: chicken breast slices, cooked ham, and fontina cheese (or fontal). The procedure is very simple: the chicken slices are lightly floured and briefly cooked like a scaloppini, similar to the traditional saltimbocca alla romana. However, unlike saltimbocca, at the end of the cooking process, cooked ham, fontina, and a leaf of sage (optional) are added, cooking just long enough to melt the cheese. This keeps the chicken tender, juicy, and stringy: a truly irresistible dish that is usually very popular with children as well!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Aosta Valley
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 494.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 3.06 (g) of which sugars 0.52 (g)
- Proteins 61.32 (g)
- Fat 25.62 (g) of which saturated 13.40 (g)of which unsaturated 8.91 (g)
- Fibers 0.19 (g)
- Sodium 840.71 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 245 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Chicken Breast à la Valdostana
If you’re celiac, in addition to using gluten-free cooked ham, you can replace all-purpose flour with rice flour or gluten-free cornstarch.
- 1.54 lbs chicken breast (sliced)
- 6.35 oz cooked ham
- 7.05 oz fontina cheese (or fontal)
- 2 tbsps all-purpose flour (or rice flour/cornstarch, gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- A few leaves sage (optional)
- 3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 0.71 oz butter
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Plate
- 1 Pan non-stick, large (approximately 12.6 inches)
- 1 Lid
How to Prepare Chicken Breast à la Valdostana
To prepare the chicken breast à la valdostana, you’ll need chicken breast slices of normal thickness, neither too thin nor too thick. Pour the flour onto a plate and lightly coat both sides (1), shaking off excess flour. Cut the cheese into thin slices or buy pre-sliced. Heat the large pan with butter and oil (2) and when they are hot, place the chicken breast slices in (3).
Let them cook over medium heat for about a minute, then flip them over (4) and season with salt and pepper. Let them cook on the other side for about a minute. Then turn the heat to high and deglaze with white wine (5). Let it evaporate, then lower the heat to medium intensity and cover the pan with a lid (6).
Cook the chicken breast for 5-6 minutes until fully cooked (7). Then remove the lid and cover each chicken slice with some cooked ham (8) and some fontina cheese (9).
Finish with a sage leaf (10). Cover again with the lid and let cook on low heat for about a minute, just enough time to melt the cheese (11).
Turn off the heat and serve the chicken breast à la valdostana immediately, drizzled with some cooking juices.
Storage
Chicken à la valdostana should be enjoyed freshly made, but if you have any leftovers, you can store it in the refrigerator in a glass container for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
For cooking chicken à la valdostana, I used a bit of butter and extra-virgin olive oil. If you prefer, you can use just one of the two, increasing the quantity.
