Chicken Saltimbocca

We had our first taste of Saltimbocca back in college at a tiny little Italian restaurant we went to when we were dating. The first time my hubby ordered it we thought it was raw, actually it was just the Prosciutto that was wrapped around the chicken. After the first bite we were hooked, delicious. Saltimbocca means "jumps in the mouth" in Italian and it does. We served it up tonight with some sautéed asparagus and my new favorite wild rice blend!  The rice does take awhile to cook but it's very simple, just get it started in advance and you'll be in for a treat.  It's nutty, fluffy, full of fiber and delicious.

Chicken Saltibocca Recipe: (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10-12 fresh sage leaves
8 strips sliced prosciutto
olive oil
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Juice of half a lemon 
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions
1. Lay a few sage leaves on each chicken breast, wrap 2 slices of the prosciutto around each chicken breast.

2. Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil (~1 tablespoon) for 2-4 minutes on each side or until done and prosciutto is rendered. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165'F, we typically use our instant read thermometer and pull it off the heat around 160'F as it will continue to cook once removed from the heat. Once chicken is cooked through set aside and keep warm with foil.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch.  Add cornstarch mixture and 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan and simmer, stirring often, about 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Wild Rice Recipe: (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup Brown Rice
2/3 cup Wild Rice (also called black rice)
3 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Directions:
1. Combine the brown rice, wild rice and broth in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 45-50 minutes, or until all the liquid is evaporated and the rice is fully cooked.  Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and serve.

Sautéed Asparagus:
Wash thoroughly. Snap the bottom 1-2 inches of the stems off, they will break naturally with gentle pressure, discard tough ends.  Lightly toss the asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes until crisp tender and still bright green. I like to use our cast iron grill pan for these!