Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken and Basil

Cured meats, like cheeses, have a complexity of flavors that few other foods can rival. They offer savory notes paired with notes of saltiness, smoke, earthiness, sweetness, and rich fats. Often intended to stand on their own, the featuring of hams and sausages in traditional tapas for example, cured meats can also be incorporated successfully into more complex dishes. It is important to keep a few points when using cured meats though to maximize their potential. Finesse is key; it is easy to lose the subtler flavors in a muddled or crowded dish, and it is just as easy to have the saltiness or smokiness overpower flavors in other dishes. Also these meats are dense and rich; there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

I found this recipe to make good use of prosciutto, one of my favorite Italian cured meats. The prosciutto’s richness and flavors meld well with the chicken and cheese, creating a complex, but well balanced entrée.

You will need:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 or so large pieces of thin sliced prosciutto
2-3 fresh sprigs of basil, about 10 leaves or so
½ cup grated or crumbled parmesan cheese; I prefer a good, sharp cheese
2 cloves crushed garlic
Black pepper
Olive oil

• Rub the chicken in black pepper and little olive oil. Par-cook until nearly done in an oven on low, being careful not to dry out the chicken.
• Allow the chicken to rest until cool.
• Cut the chicken breasts like a butterfly fillet.
• Tear the basil into pieces and mix with cheese, black pepper, and a little oil.
• Stuff fillets with mix of basil and cheese.
• Wrap in proschetta and secure with a tooth pick if needed. The proschetta should kind of adhere to itself, helping to hold the fillet closed; this will work better if the proschetta is warmer so allow it to come to room temperature.
• Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry chicken until the proschetta browns and starts to crisp.