PARMESAN CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CRISPY PROSCIUTTO

2 servings

I ran across a video of Jamie Oliver cooking this dish with NYT’s Mark Bittman  and it looked so easy and tasty that I decided to make it myself. It was easy and very tasty- thank you Jamie, aka “The Naked Chef”! Watch the video !


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

few sprigs of thyme- stems removed

4-6 slices of very thin prosciutto- depending on the size

zest of 1 lemon

olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

lemon wedges

Score one side of the chicken in a criss-cross fashion with a sharp knife- not to go too deep. Season with a little pepper. The prosciutto is salty so you don’t need salt here. Sprinkle the thyme and zest over the breasts then sprinkle with the parmesan. Lay 2 or three slices of the prosciutto over the cheese- the cheese will help it to adhere.

As chicken breasts are not always even in thickness you want to cover with plastic wrap and pound with a meat pounder or as Jamie would say “give them a few really good bashes with the bottom of the pan until they are about 1/2 inch thick.”

Put a frying pan on medium heat and spread a little olive oil on the bottom. When the pan is hot add the chicken prosciutto side down. Sprinkle a little sea salt on the naked side and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Return to the prosciutto side for an extra 30 seconds or s0- to make sure the prosciutto is crispy.

To serve- i tried cutting them into thick slices but the prosciuto just tore up and it didn’t look very pretty. So, i would suggest just serving them whole with some lemon wedges to squeeze over the cooked chicken.               back to home