This chicken saltimbocca recipe is my delicious twist on a classic Italian dish. Made with chicken tenders stuffed with prosciutto, tarragon, and gouda cheese, then baked to perfection, this easy 30-minute dinner is an instant hit.

Chicken saltimbocca in a deep dish along with broccoli and rice

I gaze lovingly at these cute little chicken roll-ups. That’s what I call this chicken saltimbocca recipe. It’s an awesome combination of chicken, salt, pepper, prosciutto slices, fresh tarragon and gouda cheese.

Did you know that saltimbocca means “jumps in the mouth” in Italian? Well, it does and believe me, you are going to want these beauties to jump right into your mouth, no fork necessary!

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Helpful tips

Place as many toothpicks as pieces of chicken and place them on a plate so you can grab them as you go. This also helps to keep the toothpick box clean.
Use chicken tenders as it’s easier than cutting up chicken breasts.
If you can, use fresh tarragon.
If you don’t have a tenderizer, then use the side of a cast iron pan. Not elegant but it will do the job.
Don’t pound the chicken until it is paper-thin, you WANT it to be 1/8 inch thick. But 1/4 inch thick is also okay.
Use gouda cheese because it’s flavorful and melts delightfully and don’t skimp on the cheese.
Use prosciutto because it is so flavorful. But, you can also use ham if you prefer.
To roll them: grab the chicken at the fat end of the slab and roll tightly so that the cheese wraps up first, roll down the chicken and stick a toothpick 1/4 of an inch away from the seam.
I use fresh tarragon leaves because the herb goes so well with poultry. Although I didn’t use it in this recipe, you can add fresh sage leaves to enhance the flavor, if you have them. But it’s not necessary.

A blue plate with two chicken rolls on it along with rice and broccoli — Photo Credit: Dishes Delish.

How to make chicken saltimbocca

Pre-step

Get out your tools: plastic wrap, meat tenderizer and a large plate.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – chicken tenders, gouda cheese, prosciutto, and tarragon.

Raw chicken tenders on a blue plate, with gouda cheese, tarragon and meat in the background

Step two

Place tenders between two sheets of plastic wrap and take a meat mallet and pound the chicken until they are 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

Chicken tenders pounded flat between two plastic wrap sheets

Step three

Cut the gouda cheese in rectangles and lay out the slices of prosciutto for easy access.

Gouda slices, prosciutto and tarragon in the background

Step four

Place flattened chicken on a few plates and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the pieces. Add a slice of prosciutto, fresh tarragon leaves and 3 rectangles of gouda cheese on top of each piece of chicken.

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Three pounded chicken tenders with prosciutto, tarragon and cheese on a blue plate

Step five

Grab the end of the chicken and roll the chicken up. Secure it with a toothpick. (See notes.)

Chicken rolled up with toothpicks sticking out of them on a blue plate

Step six

Heat the sauté pan or large skillet on medium heat. Add a stick of butter and once the butter has melted, place each chicken rollup in the pan. After 2 1/2 minutes, turn each piece of chicken and sauté for an additional 2 1/2 minutes.

Step seven

Remove the chicken saltimbocca from the pan and place them on a plate. Add one cup of chicken broth and as much fresh tarragon and you would like. I actually use the at least half the container since it’s not that big.

If the butter-broth-tarragon mixture isn’t boiling, turn up the heat to medium-high heat so it does. Boil for 5 minutes. While you are waiting out the 5 minutes, take out the toothpicks from the chicken saltimbocca.

Don’t worry it won’t uncurl like a party favor. The chicken will stay in their rolled up position.

A metal pan with butter sauce and fresh tarragon

Step eight

Once the 5 minutes is up, turn the heat off for approximately 2 minutes (to end the boil), then I set the heat to a simmer and place the chicken back in the pan and sauté for 2 1/2 minutes.

Turn the chicken and sauté for an additional 2 1/2 minutes or until it’s fully cooked.

A pan with the chicken rolls in a butter sauce

I plate the chicken with rice and broccoli rabe. You can plate it with any vegetable of your choice. Make sure to spoon the sauce and juices over the chicken.

A blue plate with two chicken saltimbocca pieces on it

I hope you enjoyed this chicken saltimbocca recipe. It’s truly a favorite in my house.

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And as always, may all your dishes be delish!!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!