Prosciutto Chicken Involtini, plus Spinach & Ricotta

Chicken involtini stuffed with zucchini, spinach and ricotta and wrapped in prosciutto. An elegant and exceptionally good main dish suited to date night, weekends or special occasions.

These prosciutto chicken involtini are simple to make. There are a few steps involved but certainly nothing complicated. If you're making these for a special occasion they can be prepped in advance so all you need to do is throw them in a pan when you're ready to eat.

What Are Involtini?

Involtini are little bites of food with an outer layer wrapped around a filling. We love involtini, be it something simple as cheese wrapped in prosciutto or eggplant roll ups or these chicken involtini which are our favourite so far!

Basically, wrap something good around something else good and you have involtini, ha!

At the weekends we always like to cook something a little extra special than we do throughout the week, something a little bit more romantic to enjoy with a bottle of wine. These simple prosciutto chicken involtini are so suited to those occasions.

It's made with a simple mixture of spinach and ricotta with added parmesan cheese, onion, garlic and nutmeg and is rolled in a layer of grilled zucchini and prosciutto before being fried in a pan with a splash of red wine and garlic for an extra flavour punch. We usually serve these with creamy mashed potatoes and some sort of veg such as roasted fennel or green beans.

How To Make Prosciutto Chicken Involtini With Spinach & Ricotta – Step By Step

First, you need to slice the zucchini/courgette as thin as you can (don't worry if the strips aren't solid). Rub them in a little olive oil then place them on a hot griddle pan until soft and slightly charred on each side, set them aside to cool. (photo 1)

Saute finely chopped onion in a pan with a little olive oil until soft and translucent. Once soft add the spinach and chopped garlic and cook down until the spinach has wilted. Set aside to cool. (photos 2-4)

Once the spinach has cooled roughly chop it then add it to a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it all together. (photo 5)

To make the chicken involtini lay the thinly sliced chicken breasts on a clean work surface and add a layer of zucchini to cover the chicken as best you can (the whole surface doesn't need to be completely covered). Add a heaped tbsp of spinach and ricotta slightly above the middle and roll the chicken and zucchini over the filling. (photos 6-8)

Once you have your chicken involtini, lay them at the top of a large slice of prosciutto and roll it around the chicken. (photo 9 & 10)

Add a little olive oil to a large pan and brown the chicken/prosciutto on all sides. Once browned add the wine and garlic clove and cook the chicken involtini for 15 minutes. If the wine reduces too much add some water a few tablespoons at a time. (Photo 11)

More Stuffed Chicken Ideas

• Swap the ricotta for cream cheese and add extra parmesan for a stronger cheese flavour
• Swap the spinach for finely chopped cooked mushrooms and add some grated smoked cheese
• Try chopped mozzarella, sundried tomatoes and olives
• Homemade pesto and mozzarella
• Try half the amount of spinach and add some chopped jarred artichokes
• Chopped grilled asparagus and mozzarella

Ingredients

Makes 4 people

• 8 thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets ((1/4 inch thick))
• 2 zucchini/courgettes
• 8-10 large slices of prosciutto crudo
• 8.8 oz (250g) raw spinach
• 7 oz (200g) ricotta
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese (,grated)
• 1 small white onion
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (,finely grated)
• 1/2 cup (100ml) red wine
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper (,to season)

Method

1. First, you need to slice the zucchini/courgette as thin as you can (don't worry if the strips aren't perfect). Rub them in a little olive oil then place them on a hot griddle pan until soft and slightly charred on each side, set them aside to cool.

2. Finely chop the onion and add to a pan with a little olive oil, sauté until soft and translucent. Once soft add the spinach and 1 chopped garlic clove and cook down until the spinach has wilted. Set aside to cool.

3. Once the spinach has cooled roughly chop it then add it to a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it all together.

4. To make the chicken involtini lay the thinly sliced chicken breasts on a clean work surface. You may need to bash the chicken to a thickness of 1/4 inch. You can do this by placing the chicken in between baking parchment or cling film and beating it lightly with a rolling pin.

5. Add a layer of zucchini to cover the chicken as best you can (the whole surface doesn't need to be completely covered). Add a heaped tbsp of spinach and ricotta just slightly above the middle and roll the chicken and zucchini over the filling.

6. Once you have your chicken involtini, lay them at the top of a large slice of prosciutto and roll it around the chicken.

7. Add a little olive oil to a large pan and brown the chicken/prosciutto on all sides. Once browned add the wine and whole garlic clove and cook the chicken involtini for 15 minutes. If the wine reduces too much add some water a few tablespoons at a time.

8. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and a vegetable side such as roasted fennel, green beans or salad.

Kitchen notes

• Please note this recipe was tested and developed using metric measurements all imperial measurements are approximate.
• If you can't find thinly sliced chicken breasts or medallions you can use the same method above for bashing regular chicken breasts. 2 chicken breasts will be enough for 4 people. Cut each chicken breast in half before bashing them thin with a rolling pin, cut each half in 2 to create 8 thin slices.