Chicken Angelo — A Sunday Dinner for the Last Quiet Week

Mid-November. Thanksgiving week is a week away. The marriage is five weeks away. The household has the small steady stretching-quality that the pre-holiday-pre-event weeks produce when there is a lot to look forward to and not much to do about it yet. Mama and Kathy have been on the small back-and-forth phone calls across the past week comparing notes on the apartment-Christmas-Eve-after-the-wedding-dinner menu. The two of them have decided who is making what without consulting me, which is the kind of mother-handoff that mothers do when they have stopped worrying about each other.

Sunday I made chicken Angelo because the dish has been on my list since I had seen it on the menu of a small Italian-American restaurant in Tulsa Dustin and I had eaten at in September. Chicken Angelo is an Italian-American restaurant classic from the 1970s — boneless chicken in a white wine, mushroom, and prosciutto sauce, served over angel hair pasta. The dish has fallen out of fashion in newer Italian-American restaurants but lives in the Tulsa places that have been open since the 80s.

The procedure: thinly pounded boneless chicken breasts dredged in seasoned flour. Pan-seared in olive oil and butter for three minutes a side, removed. Sliced mushrooms and diced prosciutto in the same pan, sweated five minutes. Deglaze with a half-cup of white wine and reduce. Whisk in chicken broth and a small splash of heavy cream. Return the chicken. Finish with fresh parsley. Serve over angel hair. The dish is the kind of restaurant classic that nobody makes at home anymore. Dustin had three chicken pieces. I had two. The pan sauce was the kind of pan sauce I would have ordered at the restaurant if it had been available.

Chicken Angelo

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices prosciutto or thin-sliced ham
• 1 cup baby spinach, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear for 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer chicken to a plate; leave the drippings in the pan.
3. Build the topping. Layer each chicken breast with one slice of prosciutto, a small handful of baby spinach, and a portion of the sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top of each breast.
4. Make the pan sauce. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add chicken broth and heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the butter and let the sauce simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Finish in the oven. Nestle the topped chicken breasts back into the skillet with the sauce. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F) and the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
6. Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan sauce over each piece and garnish with fresh basil or parsley. Serve over pasta, rice, or alongside a good salad.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 48g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg