I know it is not the kind of food people might be thinking about in the run up to Christmas but, as I am not a fan of the traditional turkey and ham dinner that is so beloved in Ireland, I am strongly considering having this for my Christmas Day main meal. Chances are I will be alone on the day thanks to the new Omicron variant currently running rampant around the world so Chicken Saltimbocca is an easy meal to make for one and will easily scale up to feed 4 or even 6 people. I wouldn’t recommend it if you are obliged to feed a multitude, best stick with a bird the size of a small child.
All the ingredients are easily sourced in your local supermarket despite the current global supply chain issues.
Which reminds me, I have yet to find tomato juice for my festive Bloody Mary, which is a bit worrying!
I’ll write this recipe for two, it can easily be halved or doubled or even tripled if you have a big enough pan and a talent for juggling.
As the friends I was staying with had a good variety of edibles growing in their garden, I had access to fresh herbs all summer which was wonderful. I know buying packets of fresh herbs is expensive and often wasteful but I suspect for this dish the investment is justified. I haven’t tried to make it with dried sage but it would probably be ok if you had no other option.
And so to the sauce, this sauce is so good I tend to make more than necessary by just adding a little more of everything that I mention below! If there is a lot of oil left in the pan pour some of it off so there is around 1 tablespoon left, add the finely chopped shallot or onion and fry for a couple of minutes until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, this will help thicken the sauce. Whisk in the wine and the chicken stock, making sure to scrape up any of the delicious flavourful bits that may have stuck to the pan while frying the chicken. Bring it up to a simmer and cook for four or five minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened to your liking.
N.B. In between writing this recipe and posting it I found Tomato Juice for my Christmas Bloody Mary. Hurrah. In a large tumbler I put a lot of ice and a generous amount of vodka and top it up with tomato juice. A good glug of Worcestershire sauce and daring dash of Tabasco are next in. Top it off with a grind of fresh black pepper and stir with a stick of celery. I tend to munch the celery stick as I drink it, so it's practically a salad!
Merry Christmas