Pollo alla Valdostana

By Jackie618

Recipe from CHOW

This dish hails from the Val d’Aosta region of northern Italy and combines three local ingredients: white wine, prosciutto, and fontina cheese. When the weather grows cold, turn to this recipe for a quick, satisfying meal.

What to buy: Prosciutto and fontina can be found at most grocery stores. Though purists would call for fontina Val d’Aosta, a Dutch fontina will work fine, too.

Ingredients

• 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces total)
• 4 thin slices fontina cheese (2 to 3 ounces total)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and use a frying pan to gently pound the breasts to an even thickness. (They should be about 1 inch thick.)
2. In a wide, shallow dish, combine flour with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Coat each breast by dredging it in the flour mixture then shaking off any excess.
3. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add chicken breasts and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
4. Add wine and deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom with a spatula to incorporate any browned bits into the sauce.
5. Reduce the heat to low and place 1 slice each of prosciutto and fontina over each chicken breast. Cook, spooning sauce over the chicken a few times to help melt the cheese, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. (Add a few tablespoons of water if the sauce gets too thick.) Top with freshly ground black pepper and serve.