A few weeks back, I had a really proud mom moment when we were eating dinner and my not-yet-three-year-old said, “Mom, is this a sundried tomato?” Add to that him telling me he ate all his prosciutto a few weeks later without my reminding him what it was called, and I was pretty much beaming. This kid eats, recognizes, and loves things that I probably didn’t even get to have until I was in my twenties. Lucky, lucky dude. He’s also in a phase where he calls things his “favorites” and the night we had this he asked what was for dinner. I told him we were having crispy chicken with cheese and ham. He said, “But I want one of my favorites!” and I told him, “I know you’re going to like this dinner because it has a lot of things you like.” Sure enough, he asked for more chicken twice and by the end of the meal, he declared it a new favorite.
Of course it wasn’t just Zachary who enjoyed this dinner—we all did. I adored this meal for so many reasons. You really can’t go wrong with crispy, panko-coated chicken, even if it’s just served on its own. Topped with creamy cheese and salty prosciuitto, this meal feels indulgent, but the fresh and peppery arugula on top keeps this from feeling too heavy and is the perfect counterpart to the rest of the components. Plus, it’s incredibly quick and simple to make, but feels special and is totally company-worthy.
The original recipe actually calls for a triple creme cheese or brie but :::shielding self::: I’ve just never been a huge brie fan. I know, I know, I’m crazy. I can eat it but it’s just never been one of my favorite cheeses. Instead, I went with something that melts well and is still pretty creamy—fontina. It paired really well with the prosciutto and I’ll likely use it again next time, though I’m sure that several cheeses will work in its place if you are so inclined.
Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Arugula
Adapted from Bobby Flay via A Taste of Home Cooking
Arugula Salad
1.5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. baby arugula
Chicken
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 (4-5 oz.) chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4″ thickness
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. fontina cheese, thinly sliced
8 thin slices prosciutto
To make the arugula salad: Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste together in a large bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking, to emulsify. Add the arugula and toss to coat.
To make the chicken: Place the flour, eggs, and panko in 3 separate shallow bowls. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on each side, and then dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip into the egg , letting excess drip off, and then dredge both sides into the panko mixture, being sure to coat the chicken completely.
Heat a large nonstick skillet (or two) with the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add the chicken. Cook until golden brown on one side and then flip and cook until done, about 5-6 minutes total. During the last minute, place the fontina on top of the chicken so it begins to melt.
Plate the chicken and top each piece with 2 slices of prosciutto and 1/4 of the arugula salad.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks fabulous! That’s great Z eats so many things. Lucky kid, indeed!
Z is a smart kid – this is one of our favs, too, although I can’t believe you don’t like Brie. I need to make this again soon, thanks for the reminder. Gorgeous, gorgeous photos!
This looks delicious! I found your blog a few months ago…all your recipes look so good. I actually made your Strawberry cake w/ cream cheese frosting for my 3 year old daughters birthday last month :)
Oh, man, what a lucky kid. And with such good taste! I remember being introduced to artichokes at the ripe old age of 20. It was a revelation. I kept wishing I had been introduced to them earlier so I could have had that much more time to enjoy them! I am a fan of any breaded chicken recipe and this one looks perfect. Love the arugula and prosciutto!
We love proscutto and fontina!!! What a great dish… Will give it a try!!
As soon as I saw this I remembered I have a big bag of arugula in the fridge and no plans for it. Guess what just got added to my menu!
You are definitely raising a cute little foodie!!! I love it.
This is very similar to a meal my mom always used to make for us and even this vegetarian can admit that prosciutto on crispy panko chicken is a good thing!
Fontina is one of my favourite melting cheeses although I do love brie in a sandwich or something like that. It needs accompaniment. It was so cute to hear about your son as well and his favourite dishes:D
Elly, I swear to god you could really turn me into a meat eater! Also, I know understand that Chicago is very much a meat eating city. Also, please send all your brie my way.
This looks and sounds completely awesome, and I love Zachary! He is too cute.
I made this last night and it was delicious. Unfortunately we have an electric range so the chicken took much longer to cook through but besides that it all went Great. Compliments from my husband but our 3 year old wouldn’t try it. She said she might try it next time and I’m sure I will make it again. I also really enjoyed the simple dressing for the arugula. I recently made a simple dressing from Ina Garten and I think yours was much better. Good call on the red wine vinegar.
Glad you liked it, Erica. 3 year olds can be finicky can’t they? I like when they say they will do something next time. My 3 year old was recently stalling a lot at bedtime and then told me “he would listen on Saturday.” lol.
Added to my “New Food” list of things to try. This is similar to some other chicken dishes I make, but just different enough to give it a try. I wonder if you could put it prosciutto side down for a few minutes to crisp it up for a little bit crispy texture. Might be something I try when I make it.
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