Valdostana Chicken Breast: The recipe for a second course with tender, stringy chicken breast
Valdostana chicken breast is a meat-based second course, ideal for when you want to enhance the classic chicken breast by cooking it differently than usual, making it tender, juicy, and not dry.
- Petto di pollo, 6 fette
- Fontina, 120 gr
- Prosciutto cotto, 3 fette sottili
- Olio extravergine di oliva, 3 cucchiai
- Farina 00, q.b.
- Prezzemolo fresco, q.b.
- Sale, q.b.
- Per preparare il petto di pollo alla valdostana, passa per prima cosa la carne nella farina, avendo l'accortezza di farla aderire per bene da entrambi i lati (1) e di eliminare quella in eccesso.
- Disponi i petti di pollo infarinati in una padella antiaderente in cui avrai scaldato un filo d'olio extravergine di oliva (2).
- Lascia rosolare la carne su fiamma viva, rigirandola a metà cottura con un paio di pinze da cucina (3).
- Aggiusta di sale, quindi copri ogni fetta di petto di pollo con il prosciutto cotto tagliato sottile (4).
- Farcisci con la fontina (5).
- Abbassa la fiamma, chiudi con un coperchio (6) e lascia cuocere dolcemente per circa un paio di minuti.
- Quando il formaggio si sarà sciolto, spegni il fuoco e completa a piacere con un trito di prezzemolo fresco (7).
- Trasferisci il petto di pollo alla valdostana su un piatto da portata (8), porta in tavola e servi.
To make it, you only need a few simple ingredients: thinly sliced chicken breast, flour, fontina cheese, and cooked ham. The meat, lightly floured, is browned in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then seasoned with a pinch of salt and finally stuffed with the cured meats and stretched curd cheese. Once the pan is covered, all you have to do is continue cooking for a couple of minutes, just long enough for the fontina cheese to melt and become super stringy.
Easy and delicious, the recipe requires only the use of chicken breasts cut into slices of the same thickness, ensuring even cooking. Once ready, Valdostana chicken is perfect for a quick dinner, perhaps accompanied by a portion of baked potatoes or seasonal vegetables. Even kids will love it, as it's tender and not stringy at all.
Discover how to prepare Valdostana chicken by following Anna Daniele's step-by-step explanations and valuable advice. If you enjoyed this recipe, also try chicken Kiev and Valdostana cutlet, or try your hand at homemade cordon bleu and chicken breasts cooked in milk.
How to prepare Valdostana chicken
To prepare Valdostana chicken breast, first coat the meat in flour, making sure it adheres well on both sides 1 and removing the excess.
Place the floured chicken breasts in a non-stick pan in which you have heated a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 2.
Brown the meat over a high flame, turning it halfway through cooking with a pair of kitchen tongs 3.
Season with salt, then cover each slice of chicken breast with the thinly sliced cooked ham 4.
Lower the heat, cover with a lid 6 and let it cook gently for about a couple of minutes.
Once the cheese has melted, turn off the heat and garnish with chopped fresh parsley to taste. 7.
Transfer the Valdostana chicken breast to a serving plate 8, bring to the table and serve.
Advice
If you prefer, you can replace the fontina with mozzarella, previously drained of the whey and well squeezed, with shavings of Grana or Parmesan cheese, or with Taleggio, Scamorza, or another stretched curd cheese.
Instead of cooked ham, you can use prosciutto or speck, or you can deglaze the scallops over the heat with a splash of white wine, which will make the cooking juices even creamier and more fragrant.
In addition to parsley, you can flavor the meat with a sage leaf to recall the flavor of traditional Roman saltimbocca. For a lighter version, you can replace the cured meat with grilled vegetables: aubergines, courgettes, and peppers are perfect in the summer, while in the winter you can opt for artichokes and spinach.
Valdostana chicken is delicious when eaten immediately, while still hot and stringy. Alternatively, it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
