Prosciutto-wrapped chicken is an amazing and elegant dish that comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s great for a family dinner but also when you have guests and you want to impress them with something quick and simple but also very flavorful. Chicken breasts are stuffed with cheese and wrapped in prosciutto ham, then served with an amazing pan sauce, juicy peaches, and balsamic glaze.
Ingredients:
Parma ham – it’s best to order a thicker-cut hat at the deli counter, as the very thin-cut packaged ham tears more easily making wrapping the chicken a little harder. The recipe will work with both types o ham, it may just not look that pretty if your ham tears a bit. Use prosciutto crudo, not prosciutto cotto.
Prosciutto makes the chicken meat so moist and also adds so much flavor to the sauce. I highly recommend using it.
Instead of peaches, you can use plums or fresh figs. You don’t have to add any fruit – add a little bit of honey to the sauce instead.
Balsamic glaze (balsamic vinegar reduced in volume) can be omitted. Alternatively, you could buy ready-made balsamic glaze or just add a little balsamic vinegar to the pan sauce.
Cheese – I used mozzarella but goat cheese would also be great.
Instead of wine, you can use chicken broth + a little bit lemon juice.
If you like peaches, you may also like this peach bellini cocktail.
How to make prosciutto-wrapped chicken step by step:
STEP 1: If the chicken breasts are very large, pound them lightly in their thickest place. Make a slit in the chicken breast and stuff it with cheese.
STEP 2: Wrap the chicken breasts in prosciutto ham slices (as many as needed to cover the chicken).
STEP 3: Brown the chicken in the pan on both sides until nicely browned. Move the chicken to the sides of the pan, add the butter and garlic in the middle. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
STEP 4: Add the wine.
STEP 5: Add the peaches and cook the sauce for 1 minute. Bake the chicken until cook through in the oven.
STEP 6: Transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain the sauce through a strainer and cook for a couple of minutes or until reduced in volume. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Make the balsamic glaze (optional): just add the balsamic vinegar into a small pot and cook over low heat until thickened. Here you’ll find a detailed tutorial showing how to make homemade balsamic glaze.
Enjoy!
What to serve it with:
- mashed potatoes
- orzo / rice
- roasted potatoes
- Roasted cauliflower
- steamed green beans / broccoli / asparagus
- simple green salad
FAQ:
It’s best to check its internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should be 160°F / 70°C (the safe internal temperature is 165°F/74°C, but since we’re letting the meat rest for a while, the residual heat will cook the chicken). You could also just cut the chicken in half to check if the meat is white and not rose and if the juices are running clear – this is not an accurate method.
If you don’t have an oven-proof pan, just transfer the content of the pan into a baking dish. Make sure to scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to loosen up any brown bits that could have stuck to the pan – these brown bits add lots of flavor.
You can stuff and wrap the chicken in advance, then store it in the fridge for up to 2 days, then cook. You could also reheat cooked chicken, but it won’t taste as good as freshly prepared.
Prosciutto-wrapped chicken with peaches and balsamic glaze
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 6 slices prosciutto ham prosciutto crudo
- 2 large slices mozzarella or goat’s cheese
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1.5 peaches rather firm than ripe, cut into 8 wedges
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5, no fan (if you have a convection oven reduce the temperature by about 20° or follow the manufacturer's instructions).
- Create a pocket for the cheese: Place the chicken breast on a cutting board. Press a hand on top of the breast and carefully insert the tip of a knife into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Cut 3/4 of the way through the breast to create a pocket without cutting all the way through. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on all sides, stuff the pocket with the cheese. Wrap each breast in prosciutto ham, use as many slices as it's needed to completely cover the meat.
- Heat the oil in an oven-proof pan. When hot add the chicken, cook on both sides over high heat until nicely browned (this should take about 2 minutes per side).
- Move the chicken to the side of the pan and add the butter. When it's bubbling add the pressed garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.
- Add the wine and cut into 8 wedges peaches (peeled or skin-on), cook for about 1 minute, scraping all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven (if you don't have an oven-proof pan, just transfer the content of the pan into a baking dish) and bake until the chicken is cooked through. It should take about 13-15 minutes for medium chicken breasts ad 15-18 minutes for large chicken breasts. It can vary, depending on how long you've cooked the chicken in the pan and how large your chicken breasts are. To be sure if the chicken is cooked through, it's best to check its internal temperature with a meat thermometer – stick it into the thickest part of the breast. The temperature should be 160°F / 70°C (the safe internal temperature is 165°F/74°C, but since we're letting the meat rest for a while, the residual heat will cook the chicken).
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting it into slices.
- Cook the sauce that has remained in the pan for a couple of minutes until thickened, then strain through a sieve. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Now you can: make the balsamic reduction or use a store-bought balsamic glaze or add about 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar to the sauce or leave the dish as is. I prefer to serve it drizzled with homemade balsamic reduction.
- How to make the balsamic reduction: add the balsamic vinegar into a very small pot and cook over low heat until reduced in volume, about a half, and thickened (don't wait until the sauce will be very thick as it will thicken more while cooling). Take the pot off the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. When it's thickened, drizzle it over the chicken.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient notes:
- Parma ham – it’s best to order a thicker-cut hat at the deli counter, as the very thin-cut packaged ham tears more easily making wrapping the chicken a little harder. The recipe will work with both types o ham, it may just not look that pretty if your ham tears a bit. Use prosciutto crudo, not prosciutto cotto.
- Instead of peaches, you can use plums or fresh figs. You don’t have to add any fruit – add a little bit of honey to the sauce instead.
- Balsamic glaze (balsamic vinegar reduced in volume) can be omitted. Alternatively, you could buy ready-made balsamic glaze or just add a little balsamic vinegar to the pan sauce.
- Cheese – I used mozzarella but goat cheese would also be great.
- Instead of wine, you can use chicken broth + a little bit of lemon juice.
- Calories = 1/2 of the recipe (1 serving). This is only an estimate! The mashed potatoes shown on the photos are not included.
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
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