Proscuitto-Wrapped Chicken with Green Beans

THE CHALLENGE

Putting a crisp layer on boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

THE CONVENTION

Frying or shake-and-bake-ing.

THE QUICKIE

Wrapping each breast in a thin, protective slice of prosciutto.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are incredibly versatile, but we find that in many dishes the challenge lies in supplementing them with what they inherently lack: a metaphoric skin (like a batter or a crust) to add a little crunch and keep the meat from drying out. Instead of dredging them through a batter, in this recipe we simply cloak the breasts in strips of prosciutto, which helps the meat stay juicy and creates a crisp crust. You can experiment with the salty, dry-cured ham by wrapping prosciutto around other types of food at home: Cantaloupe slices can’t have all the fun, right?

HOW THIS QUICKIE WORKS

• Prosciutto wrapped around the breasts keeps the chicken moist by keeping the sage-olive butter in contact with the meat
• The pork fat in the prosciutto also creates a luscious exterior skin on the chicken
• A side of garlicky green beans takes zero extra cooking time, as they’re tossed into the skillet (while the chicken is baking) to steam for the last 8 minutes

HOW THIS QUICKIE COOKS UP

Be careful when handling the wrapped chicken during cooking as the prosciutto is delicate and can rip. If necessary, remove the lid toward the end of cooking the green beans to allow any excess water to cook off, but only after the beans have been properly steamed.