Cheesy Chicken Prosciutto is a delicious and simple recipe perfect for those busy weeknights. This easy chicken recipe consists of pan seared chicken, prosciutto ham, provolone cheese, and fresh basil. From start to finish, this Sheet Pan Prosciutto Chicken is made in under 30 minutes and is sure to please!
Cheesy Chicken Prosciutto Recipe
Who’s ready to be transported straight to Italy?
This cheesy chick prosciutto recipe is like a European vacation for your tastebuds! with each bite, you’ll discover more and more amazing flavors. Chicken topped with soft delicate prosciutto, sweet, yet savory bail, and deliciously rich cheese, makes for the perfect recipe combo.
No need to spend buckets on a fancy Italian dinner when you can make one just as good at home! Trust me, your family will think this came straight from the kitchen of your favorite restaurant spot. It’s just that good!
What is Prosciutto?
I’m sure you’ve seen this term thrown around at all the fun new restaurants. It seems like you can’t go anywhere anymore without seeing at least one charcuterie board appetizer with lots of Italian meat names strung across the description.
Now I might not be able to help identify all of those obscure meat options, but I can at least provide clarity on the specifics of prosciutto. It translates to “ham” in Italian and is aged during a dry-curing process. Prosciutto is typically served uncooked (don’t worry, it’s completely safe to eat) and is great to eat on its own, or as a topping to a wide variety of foods, like chicken.
What Does Prosciutto Taste Like?
Prosciutto should not be confused with that of regular ham, bacon or, or pancetta. Bacon and pancetta are both made from pork bellies, which give a much different flavor. Prosciutto has a smooth texture with paired with a salty and lovely purely pork taste.
Where Can I Find Prosciutto?
Prosciutto is not one of those meats you need a specialty meat store for, you can easily find it as most traditional supermarkets. You can find it in the deli department if you want it fresh sliced. Or find some pre-packaged near the lunch meat in the refrigerated aisle.
How To Make Cheesy Prosciutto Chicken
Dinners don’t get much easier than this prosciutto chicken recipe! With these simple instructions, you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. It’s perfect from those busy nights when dinner needs to be quick and easy.
Just set your oven to broil and season each chicken breast half on both sides. Next, add olive oil and butter to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken in batches and brown on each side until fully cooked.
Transfer cooked chicken to a large ungreased baking sheet and top each breast half with prosciutto, basil, and cheese. Lastly, broil the chicken until the cheese is melted to your liking. Remove from the oven and enjoy!
How To Cut a Chicken Breast
We all know handling chicken can be tricky. With the risk of food contamination and proper methods, there’s a lot to take into consideration.
So, if you’re a little unsure of how to cut your chicken breast, be sure to check out this great tutorial on How to Cut Chicken Breasts. It’s truly a life saver when you’re new to cooking.
Make it A Sheet Pan Cheesy Chicken Meal
Short on time and oven space? Make this prosciutto chicken recipe as a quick and simple sheet pan meal! To make this into a sheet pan dinner recipe you just need to change a few things. Instead of putting the chicken in the skillet then broiling, you’ll follow these steps.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Arrange the chicken breasts on one half of a sheet pan, and top with the instructed ingredients
- Arrange desired sides, such as potato squares, and broccoli on the other half of the pan
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring the potatoes and broccoli halfway through.
Perfect Prosciutto Chicken Pairings
If you have a little extra time and choose not to make this as a complete chicken sheet pan dinner, then you’ll definitely want to check out some of these amazing side dishes!
Creamy Traditional Mashed Potatoes
When it comes to this cheesy chicken recipe, you can’t go wrong with what to serve with it! If you have your own pairing ideas, be sure to leave your suggestions in the comments.
Some Tips For An Easy Prosciutto Chicken Baking Experience
- Get equal sized chicken breasts: To make sure all the chicken cooks evenly, you’ll want to make sure they are all about the same size.
- Pound the chicken: if you have extremely thick chicken breasts, be sure to pound then a little with a meat pounder. This will thin out the meat and avoid a longer cooking time. To pound the meat, place it in a ziptop bag removing as much air as possible. Then give the meat a few good whacks until its anywhere fro, 1/4-3/4 in thick.
- Move your oven rack: When broiling you only use the top heat element of the oven, so to get the most effective and quick broil you should move your rack to the highest adjustment.
- Select the perfect cheese: The cheese really makes this whole meal come together, so be sure to pick the right cheese. I suggest good provolone or mozzarella, but if those aren’t for you, feel free to experiment with your favorite cheese!
Be sure to check out even more Cheesy Dinner Recipes!
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
Proscuitto and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
Make This Cheesy Chicken Recipe Part of Your Routine
Add this recipe to your weeknight dinner list, and you won’t regret it! It will surely become part of your regular rotation from the moment you take your first bite.
Cheesy Prosciutto Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 slices prosciutto sliced in half
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 8 slices provolone cheese or mozzarella
Instructions
- Set oven to Broil.
- Sprinkle each chicken breast half with pepper on both sides. Press down to adhere.
- Add olive oil and butter to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat.
- Once butter is melted and oil/butter are glistening/crackling, add the chicken in batches and brown on each side for 3-4 minutes or until fully cooked (internal temperature should be 165F)
- Transfer cooked chicken to a large ungreased baking sheet (or two if you need the space).
- Top each breast half with ½ slice prosiutto, then two leaves basil, then slice of cheese.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted to your liking.
- Enjoy!
Julie Blanner says
Yum! This is a great weeknight dinner
Becky Hardin says
Thanks Julie!
Eden says
Loved this recipe and it was really easy to make. Thanks for sharing this!
Becky Hardin says
Thanks Eden, makes me happy to hear 🙂
Billy says
So simple and so delicious, love it Becky!
Becky Hardin says
Thanks Billy!
Toni says
It was a really huge hit!! Everyone loved it!
Becky Hardin says
Hooray!
lauren kelly says
This is always a family favorite! Great recipe!
Becky Hardin says
Thanks Lauren! So glad you love it.