Gluten-free chicken saltimbocca recipe

Gluten-free Chicken Saltimbocca over GF pasta and a little "fresh" bruschetta

I recently taught a gluten-free cooking class at Whole Foods in Los Altos, CA. Some times, when I create menus, I assume everything will work out; I've been cooking a long time! This dish was inspired by one I learned from the very lovely and talented Wendy Holloway of Flavor of Italy. I had not made a gluten-free version before but I was confident I could replicate it.

The original recipe called for regular flour (of course it did; Italians do not seem to be plagued with the same level of gluten intolerance we Americans are). The challenge for this dish was to keep the flavor intact but make it gluten-free.

Honestly, the only real tricky part was to come up with a flour blend that would imitate the regular flour. I decided to go with a combo of white rice and potato starch which seems like the perfect balance.

The chicken is served on top of my favorite gluten-free pasta brand, Bionaturae. We all agreed it tasted like regular pasta.

I also created a "new" dish; my version of bruschetta: a fresh homemade gluten-free baguette with a smear of pesto and topped with fresh tomato and thinly sliced zucchini. It was like summer in my mouth; yummy!

As always, I hope I inspire you and that you will try this dish.

Gluten-Free Chicken Saltimbocca

Four 6-8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded
Salt and ground pepper
8 large sage leaves
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
Potato starch and white rice flour, for dusting (about 2 Tbl of each)
1 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbl unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine or sherry
1 cup gluten-free chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbl cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbl cold water

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Top with a slice of prosciutto. Place 2 sage leaves on each breast. Use a toothpick to hold the prosciutto and sage to the chicken.

2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, dust each breast with a combination of potato starch and white rice flour, shaking off the excess. Don’t do this step ahead.

3. Heat a large skillet. Add half of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add 2 of the breasts, prosciutto side up, and cook over medium-heat until nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook another minute. Chicken should be lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate; repeat with the remaining chicken.

4. Add the wine and deglaze the pan by cooking over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, 3 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook another 2 minutes.

5. Return the chicken to the skillet, prosciutto side up, and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes; season with a little more salt. Transfer the chicken to plates, pour the sauce on top and serve.