This is a lovely secondo – quick sauteed chicken with prosciutto and marsala. I love it with sweet marsala, though you can use dry too. Good with simple sauteed greens on the side.
Serves 3
chicken breast 6 x 5mm-thick slices, not pounded, about 75g each
prosciutto crudo 6 thin slices
olive oil 2 tbsp
plain flour 35g, for coating
sage leaves 9
garlic 3 cloves, peeled and left whole
butter 50g, cut into a few pieces
sweet or dry marsala 125ml
Lay the chicken slices flat and cover each with a piece of prosciutto. Fasten with a toothpick or two, keeping them as flat as possible so the chicken will brown evenly.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy, non-stick pan over a quite high heat. Pat the chicken lightly with flour on both sides, shaking off the excess, then put into the hot pan, prosciutto side down. Scatter with a little salt (remember the prosciutto is generally salty) and grind a little black pepper over. Put the sage and garlic around the prosciutto in the pan. Turn over when the prosciutto is crisp and golden.
Grind a little black pepper over (no salt on this side) and cook for a few minutes more until the underside is nicely golden, the sage is crispy and the chicken is cooked through. (If the garlic and sage are getting too brown, you can sit them on top of the chicken.)
Add the pieces of butter to the pan and shake the pan to distribute as it melts. Remove a few of the crisp sage leaves to a plate for serving and leave some in the pan, probably clinging on to the chicken (I love this).
When it is bubbling, add the marsala and lower the heat a bit. Cook quickly until the sauce reduces a bit and is glossy and syrupy. Swirl and flick the pan with your wrist gently so everything is nicely covered with a good amount of syrupy sauce. Serve immediately.
From Now & Then: A Collection of Recipes for Always by Tessa Kiros (Murdoch Books, £30). To order a copy for £26.40 go to guardianbookshop.com
