Saltimbocca....for the Coast to Coast Cookoff

SLIM SALTIMBOCCA

      

Ingredient list:

2 whole med. chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb. total),

skinned, boned & halved lengthwise
slice part skim mozzarella cheese (1 oz.)
2 oz. very thinly sliced, fully cooked ham ( prosciutto , is the preferred meat of choice if not making a slim version)
1 sm. tomato, seeded & chopped
3 tbsp. fine dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. snipped parsley or 1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. skim milk

Directions:
Baking instead of frying cuts the fat in the classic dish. And you'll still find the crisp coating and ham and cheese filling that makes saltimbocca popular.Rinse chicken; pat dry. Place each half between 2 pieces of clear plastic wrap. Working from the center to the edges, pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Remove wrap.

Cut cheese into 4 pieces. Place 1/4 of the ham and 1 piece of the cheese on each chicken piece. Top each with 1/4 of the tomato. Roll up jelly roll style, tucking in sides to seal well. Secure with wooden toothpicks.In a pie plate or on a sheet of waxed paper, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and pepper. Mix together.Brush chicken rolls with milk. Then roll in crumb mixture to coat well. Place in a 10 x 6 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Makes 4 servings.

I didn't follow this recipe exactly. I used an Italian gourmet pack of meat I found that had calabrese, salame, capocollo meats instead of the ham and I cut them up and put them in. They were sliced very thing and added great flavor. I also covered it in my roasted garlic olive oil before baking. Other than that I think it was about the same.

Ok....while I was waiting on the chicken to cook and Andy to come home from work. I finished decided after all this work I could use a snack. It has been 8 hrs since Ive ate and all this food is making me hungry. I took the left over tomatoes and some of the cheese and tried attempted to make me a little tomato salad. I added to it some of my cucumber salad we had with lunch and added some thin pepperoni. I then topped it off with that wonderful roasted garlic olive oil and WoW was it YUMO