Chicken Saltimbocca Spaghetti

Happy 2015 Everyone! 

I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve and a relaxing (and recovering) New Year's Day.  On New Year's Eve we celebrated with our friends. We feasted on stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, mac and cheese and chicken wings. It was delicious.  The adults chatted and played with the kids, and new toys from the holidays. We headed home around 10:30 with a tired little guy who fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  We stayed up a little longer, watched the ball drop and shared a New Year's kiss before hitting the hay. The next morning we bummed around the house and I made pancakes and sausage to start our day. I also put a big pot of chili on the stove to share with any family members that might stop in to say hello.  My parents stopped later in the day when we were in the middle of a rousing game of Mario Kart on our Wii. We taught them how to play and they get competitive (just kidding Mom!).  

I originally saw this recipe when Elly, author of Elly says Opa, posted it in October and it has been on my reader ever since. I can't believe how long it took me to get this on my table because it is so delicious. Saltimbocca is one of my favorite Italian dishes, and it was the first thing I ordered when I was in Italy in 2008. My friend Heather and I traveled to Rome in July to meet my family who had been traveling in Tuscany the month prior. We arrived the day before everyone and had a lovely apartment to ourselves with a small restaurant very near. I remember our meal well because we were exhausted, but so excited to be in Italy. At the time I was a smoker and all I wanted was a cigarette, wine and Saltimbocca (in Rome all were easy to come by). We shared Chicken Saltimbocca, Penne Arrabiata and two bottles of wine. It was delicious and one of my favorite memories with Heather (we have been friends for 16 years do we have many memories).  A funny thing happened after our amazing meal- we couldn't open the door to the apartment. The building was very old and the door were very large and heavy. I guess more attention should have been paid when we met the owner and she unlocked to door! The trick was to lift twist and push into the area where the deadbolt was..... we sat outside the apartment thinking we were going to sleep there till the rest of the family came the following day (this was before everyone had an international smart phone!). 

This weekend we are laying low and are suppose to get snow tomorrow! I am actually excited about this since the grass is still green here....frozen, but green.  Have a great weekend everyone! 

Ingredients

2 Tbl olive oil

5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

8 large fresh sages leaves, plus 3 Tbl minced sage

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into pieces

Salt and Pepper

1 shallot, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp flour

1 cup dry white wine

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

12 oz dried spaghetti, broken in half

3 Tbl capers, rinsed and chopped

2 Tbl unsalted butter

1/2 tsp lemon zest 

 2-3 Tbl fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, nonstick rimmed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Add the sage leaves to the same skillet and cook until crisp. remove and transfer to a paper towel lined plate with the prosciutto.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and place in the hot skillet.  Cook until browned and almost cooked through. Remove the chicken and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Stir in the shallots and cook over medium heat until softened, about a 1 minute. Stir in the minced sage and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, stir and cook for 30 seconds before whisking in the wine.  Lightly simmer until reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the stock and water, and then stir in the pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often using tongs, until pasta is tender and sauce has thickened (about 12-15 minutes).

Add the chicken and cook 1-2 minutes, until completely cooked and warmed through. Stir in the capers, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Plate and top pasta with crispy prosciutto and sage.