Chicken saltimbocca can be prepared with fresh sage or, if preferred, fresh basil. Sage leaves add a nice smoky flavor to the quick and elegant dish. Prosciutto makes a colorful wrap for the chicken entree. Chris Thelen/Staff

Fresh sage makes chicken saltimbocca a treat

The food world can become enamored with certain tastes, sometimes ignoring less trendy ingredients. When it comes to fresh herbs, chefs have spent the past two decades turning basil into pesto sauce, and multiplying the uses of cilantro, while neglecting a less-trendy herb, fresh sage.

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You can find previous Quick Cooking recipes through the online archive at augustachronicle.com/karin.

Aside from adding dried sage to our holiday dressing, I haven't experimented with fresh sage for quite some time. Dining on a delicious chicken saltimbocca in an Italian restaurant in England reminded me of the smoky complexity a bit of fresh sage can add to a dish. Upon my return, I also spent hours perusing Southern chef and food historian Damon Lee Fowler's newest book, Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Kitchen, which includes multiple recipes flavored with fresh sage.

It seems that the Italians and traditional Southern cooks have one up on me, so I set out to develop a recipe similar to the dish I was served in England that highlights the herb. In England, the dish was sauted in a pan, but I've turned the dish into a quick and easy baked chicken entree.

While the dish is a snap to prepare, it is elegant enough for entertaining. You may recall a similar chicken preparation in my Tuscan chicken panini last May. The chicken in this hefty grilled sandwich was center-stage material, so I improvised to come up with this delicious chicken entree.

The ingredients in this dish are available at most supermarkets. Ask your deli counter to thinly slice the prosciutto for you, and also to place each slice between sheets of paper since the slices tend to stick together.

Gruyere cheese is available in the specialty cheese case in most supermarket deli sections, but deli-sliced gouda or fontina cheese, or sliced mozzarella or provolone can be substituted.

While I love the smoky flavor fresh sage leaves bring to the entree, feel free to substitute fresh basil for another flavor option.

Serve your chicken saltimbocca with a side of cooked pasta tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese or fettuccine Alfredo. Add a big green salad and enjoy this prosciutto-wrapped, sage-infused chicken entree.

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 leaves fresh sage
8 thin slices Gruyere cheese (about 1/4 pound)
8 thin slices prosciutto
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the chicken breast halves with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place three sage leaves on each chicken breast and top with two pieces of the cheese. Wrap two slices of prosciutto around each chicken breast and place in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until internal temperature is 175 when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 350 calories, 17 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 133 milligrams cholesterol, 46 grams protein, less than 1 gram carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 764 milligrams of sodium.

Nutrition analysis provided by Michelle Baglio, a licensed and registered dietitian of the Augusta District Dietetic Association. E-mail questions to augustadietitian@yahoo.com.

COMING MAY 5: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with chicken enchilada casserole. See Karin prepare the recipe at noon Tuesday on television station WJBF (Channel 6).

Write to Karin Calloway in care of The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903. Or send e-mail to karin.calloway@comcast.net. You can find previous Quick Cooking recipes through the online archive at augustachronicle.com/karin.

--From the Wednesday, April 28, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle