Chicken Valdostana with Fontina (Print version)

Italian chicken breasts with prosciutto and Fontina in white wine tomato sauce, baked to golden perfection.

# What goes in:

→ Poultry

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

→ Cured Meats

02 - 4 slices prosciutto di Parma

→ Cheeses

03 - 4 oz Fontina cheese, sliced

→ Breading

04 - ½ cup all-purpose flour

→ Cooking Fat

05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Sauces & Liquids

06 - ⅓ cup dry white wine
07 - 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
08 - ¼ cup chicken broth

→ Aromatics & Seasonings

09 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
10 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
11 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

# Cooking steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Place chicken breasts between sheets of parchment paper and gently pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about ½ inch. Season both sides generously with salt and black pepper.
03 - Dredge each seasoned chicken breast in all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess to ensure a light, even coating.
04 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly golden. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
05 - In the same skillet, add the finely chopped shallot and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and dried oregano. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavor.
06 - Nestle the seared chicken breasts back into the simmering sauce. Lay one slice of prosciutto di Parma over each breast, then arrange the Fontina cheese slices on top of the prosciutto.
07 - Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the Fontina has fully melted and the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
08 - Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve hot with extra sauce spooned over each portion.

# Tips from flavorandfeast:

01 -
  • The combination of salty prosciutto and melting Fontina creates a flavor that tastes like you spent all day cooking when you barely spent an hour.
  • That white wine tomato sauce is rich enough to spoon over everything on the plate and simple enough to make while searing the chicken.
  • It looks like something from a restaurant menu but comes together in a single oven safe skillet with almost no cleanup.
02 -
  • Do not skip pounding the chicken evenly because uneven breasts will leave you with dry edges and raw centers.
  • Let the wine reduce for a full minute before adding tomatoes to cook off the harsh alcohol taste.
03 -
  • Take the chicken out of the fridge fifteen minutes before cooking so it sears evenly instead of steaming.
  • Use Fontina from the Aosta Valley if you can find it because its earthy complexity transforms the entire dish.

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