Gluten Free Chicken Tenders Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca is one of those restaurant classics that I have had on my recipe bucket list. It can be made with chicken or veal; I’ve even had it as an appetizer with jumbo shrimp! Today though, I’m going with something a bit humbler. I’m using chicken tenders, easy on the pocketbook and easy on the prep! Each tender is wrapped in prosciutto with a beautiful fresh sage leaf tucked in. The bundles are then simmered in a simple sauce made with shallots, chicken broth, lemon and wine.

The inspiration for this post was a beautiful pot of sage from my herb garden. I’m really proud that I grew it from seed!

Fresh sage is really the star of this dish, really different than dried! If you don’t have an herb garden look for it at the market.

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Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken tenders, 5-6 pieces
fresh ground pepper
fresh sage leaves, whole plus 2 tbsp. minced
6 slices of prosciutto, or 1 per tender
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 cup gluten free lower sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup white wine (I used pinot grigio)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
juice of 1/2 lemon
remaining half lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Preparation:

Line your counter with wax paper and lay out the prosciutto slices. Place one whole sage leaf on the lower half of each slice.

Place one chicken tender on each sage leaf. Sprinkle with the minced sage and fresh ground pepper.

Roll each into a bundle.

Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tbsp. each of butter and olive oil. Place the bundles seam side down in the skillet and cook for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through. See how searing the prosciutto has sealed the bundles, no toothpicks or twine needed!

Transfer the tenders to a platter while you make the sauce.

Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and stir in the shallots. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the corn starch for about 30 seconds. Stream in the broth and the wine. Bring to a simmer, then finish with the butter, lemon juice and parsley. When the butter has melted, return the chicken to the skillet. Toss with the sauce, then cover and cook several minutes longer to heat through.

Transfer to a serving dish and spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh sage and lemon wedges.

I served it with roasted potato slices and sugar snap peas. So simple and delicious, as good as any restaurant! Isn’t it great that we can still enjoy this traditional Italian favorite on the gluten free diet?

Notes ♪♫ In addition to being gluten free, we are a low sodium household. Since the prosciutto in this recipe has plenty of salt, I did not add more to the recipe.