I had two birthday dinners that were, at different times in my life, my go-to birthday treat. I have previously written about an amazing Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip that was one of my birthday traditions. This Easy Chicken Valdostana is the other birthday ritual dish that I would have when my mom came to visit me.
What is Chicken Valdostana?
There used to be an Italian restaurant where I lived that was tucked down a little alley with a brick path. It always felt like an adventure going there... a secret no one knew about but us. My mom and I were not familiar with this Northern Italian dish and ordered it on a whim. The recipe hails from a place called Valle D'Aosta and typically contains prosciutto, white wine and fontina cheese. One bite in, and we were completely hooked. It was everything you want in a chicken entree. The chicken was tender, there was cheese, ham (more on that later), it was saucy but you couldn't quite figure out the ingredients. We ate. In silence. The food was too good to talk. This chicken valdostana became a yearly treat I would anticipate starting months before my actual birthday. Eventually that restaurant closed down and I had to find a new birthday ritual. But I never forgot that incredible chicken and tried re-creating it over the years... so here we are.
You Can Substitute Ham for This Chicken Valdostana
I really don't want to offend the prosciutto lovers of the world, but I just never took to it. I find it to be a bit slimy and also it's too expensive. Black Forest ham is absolutely wonderful as a substitute. I realize this will make some people cringe, but that's okay. The rest of us (the non-prosciutto lovers) will be delighted with a tasty alternative like Black Forest ham.
You can prepare this dish as it is written and it really is delicious. There's only a handful of ingredients and I played with it to get the amounts just right. Feel free to kick it up a notch with additional flavors too. For example, after you've cooked the chicken and removed it from the pan, throw in some diced garlic and shallots if you want. Mushrooms too if you're a mushroom person.
This Easy Chicken Valdostana is Perfect for a Casual Dinner or Small Gathering
This is an easy recipe and it is very quick to come together. It's all cooked in one pan and prep is really simple. I love when I can make a low-maintenance dinner and keep the dishes at a minimum.
Flouring thin-sliced chicken cutlets and searing them in a pan is such a great base for a dinner. If you like this method, it's very similar to the preparation of my Chicken Piccata and Chicken Marsala. So, if you've made either of those dishes this will be a breeze for you.
Sides that go well with this dish: mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies, or a side salad.
a plate or sheet pan
Easy Chicken Valdostana
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
Description
This super easy Chicken Valdostana comes together in no time at all. A one-pan wonder to the rescue for your busy week nights!
Ingredients
- 6 thin boneless breast of chicken cutlets
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 eight-ounce package of fontina cheese
- 6 slices black forest ham (see note#1)
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional garnish)
- Salt and pepper
The flour dredge
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Chop the parsley garnish if you are using that and set it aside for later.
- Slice the fontina cheese into thin slices and set aside. (see video)
- Trim any fat around the edges of the chicken. Place a layer of plastic wrap on the chicken and pound them down a bit to tenderize. I used already-thin-cut chicken cutlets for this. If you are using regular boneless breast of chicken, simply cut the chicken in half lengthwise, then pound the chicken with a kitchen mallet or pan). Chicken should be maybe ¼” thick.
- Remove the plastic wrap and season both sides of the chicken with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- For the flour dredge: Put flour on a plate or wide bowl. Add garlic powder and salt and mix with a fork.
- Dredge all chicken pieces in the flour mixture. Be sure to coat both sides well, lightly shake any excess flour and transfer the chicken pieces to a plate or sheet pan. Don’t throw the flour away – we’ll need a little bit for later.
- Time to cook the chicken. Have your sliced fontina cheese on hand as well as the sliced black forest ham. Melt half the butter and half the olive oil in a pan. On medium heat, cook the chicken in two batches. I did four pieces on my first and two in the second. Place the chicken in the pan and then don’t touch it. Let it cook for about 3 minutes until the bottom is browned a bit. Then turn the pieces and cook for 2 minutes more. Do this for all the chicken. You may not need all the butter and olive oil. When you cook the last two pieces use your judgment. If you need to add a bit more butter and olive oil then do so.
- Once all the chicken is cooked and removed from the pan, add approximately ½ tablespoon of butter to the pan and about 1 tablespoon of the flour from the dredge mixture. I used a plastic whisk together to form a roux (thickening agent for sauces). Stir and let cook for a minute or two.
- Add the white wine here and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Stir well and let it cook for a couple of minutes until you see it thickening slightly. Taste the sauce here – if you think it needs a pinch of salt, add that and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back in the pan. Turn heat to low-medium. I usually turn the pieces to make sure both sides got coated in the sauce.
- Add the sliced ham (or prosciutto if you’re using that) to the top of the chicken pieces.
- Add two slices of the fontina cheese on top of the ham. Put the lid on and let the cheese melt for a couple of minutes. The sauce will also thicken a bit more here.
- Remove the lid. The cheese should be completely melted. Plate individually or on a platter. Garnish with chopped parsley, if using. Serve immediately.
- Sides that go well with this dish: mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies, or a side salad.
Notes
- Chicken Valdostana traditionally uses prosciutto not regular ham. Personally, I simply do not like prosciutto and also it’s expensive. I opted for black forest ham and it worked great. It’s up to you what you want to use for this.
- I used low sodium chicken broth for this. I try to use no-salt added broth when I cook, but I couldn’t find that. Also, here’s a tip: Buy a small four-pack of broth. Each container is one cup of broth. Then you don’t waste it if you buy the big container and have nothing to use it for.
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