Chicken Valdostana, also known as pollo alla Valdostana, is a classic northern Italian dish that combines pan-seared chicken cutlets, prosciutto, and fontina cheese in a simple white wine sauce with mushrooms. It’s easy enough for weeknights but impressive enough for dinner guests.
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A long-time favorite
The first time I made chicken Valdostana was over 20 years ago, and I fell in love at first bite. The combination of the prosciutto and fontina cheese is a favorite of mine and one I use in other recipes, such as my chicken Sorrentino. The mushrooms add a layer of earthy complexity, and the white wine sauce is magic!
While this northern Italian chicken dish can sometimes be found in restaurants, it’s more elusive than such as chicken parm, which is why it’s a great one to make at home!
Chicken Valdostana is great with a side of sauteed broccoli rabe or Italian broccoli and some rice pilaf or crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. Valdostana uses thin chicken cutlets. If you buy full chicken breasts, you can fillet them yourself and save some money.
- Fontina. I recommend using Italian fontina cheese, though Danish will work too. If you cannot find fontina cheese, you can substitute it with mozzarella, gruyere, or provolone.
- Mushrooms. I am using cremini mushrooms here but any mushroom or combination of mushrooms will work. If you can easily source more exotic mushrooms such as shitake, oystrer, or trumpet mushrooms, those would be great too!
- Prosciutto. Feel free to use domestic prosciutto or Prosciutto di Parma, depending on your budget.
- Wine. Use a dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make Chicken Valdostana
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Pat the chicken cutlets very dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Dredge the cutlets in flour and shake gently to remove the excess, then place on a parchment paper-lined sheet.
- In a large pan over medium heat, sear the cutlets in olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter for 3 minutes per side.
- Once the chicken is almost cooked through, transfer to a plate and cover with tented foil. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan.
- In the same pan, saute the mushrooms over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until brown. Once they release their water, season with salt and pepper then transfer to a plate.
- Turn the pan heat to high and add the chicken stock and white wine. Use a wooden spoon to gently scrape the bottom of the pan and dislodge any brown bits. Once the sauce reduces by half, remove from the heat.
- Add the chicken to the pan and top each piece with 1 slice of prosciutto per cutlet, followed by the mushrooms, and the fontina cheese. Spoon a touch of sauce on top of each cutlet and place in the oven under the broiler to finish cooking.
- Watch carefully to prevent burning and once the cheese melts and slightly browns, remove from the oven. Whisk the cold butter into the pan, one cube at a time, then plate the chicken and pour the sauce on top. If you don’t have enough room in the pan to add the butter, simply transfer the chicken to a platter first, then whisk in the butter. Serve and enjoy!
Top tips
- The chicken. Be sure to heat the pan adequately before searing the chicken in order to get a good sear on it. Drying the chicken well before dredging will also help.
- Use homemade stock. Homemade chicken stock not only gives you total control over sodium levels in your Chicken Valdostana, but it also greatly improves the flavor of the dish.
- Scaling the recipe. If you’re making a lot of chicken, use a sheet pan for finishing instead. That’s the process I used in the video below. Sear the cutlets and arrange them on a lightly oiled sheet pan, and stack with the prosciutto, mushrooms, and cheese. Top each cutlet with the sauce and bake for the same amount of time. Any extra sauce can be kept warm and spooned over the top after baking.
More Italian chicken recipes
Here are a few more of my favorite restaurant-style Italian chicken dishes – these all call for cutlets just like the Valdostana.
- Chicken saltimbocca
- Chicken with prosciutto and creamy tomato sauce
- Chicken scampi
- Chicken with roasted red peppers and mozzarella
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Chicken Valdostana
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken cutlets about 1 1/2 pounds
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging only
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 4 slices prosciutto or enough to cover each cutlet
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
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Instructions
- Pat the chicken cutlets dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge the cutlets in flour and shake off excess. Place the cutlets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Heat a large oven safe pan to medium with the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the chicken to the pan along with 2 tablespoons of butter. Sear for 3 minutes per side, or until almost cooked through, then remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Work in batches, if needed, to not overcrowd the pan.
- In the same pan saute the mushrooms over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until brown. Once they release their water and start to brown, season with salt and pepper. Remove the mushrooms to a plate.
- Using the same pan, turn heat to high and add the chicken stock and white wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits. Once the sauce reduces by half remove the pan from the heat.
- Turn the broiler on and set the rack to the second highest level.
- Add the chicken to the pan and top each piece with 1 slice of prosciutto per cutlet. Next, place the mushrooms on top and finally evenly distribute the fontina cheese. Spoon a touch of the sauce on top of each cutlet and place pan in oven to finish cooking. Place the pan into the oven to broil.
- Once the cheese melts and begins to lightly brown, remove from the oven. Transfer the cooked chicken onto a platter. Whisk the cold butter into the pan sauce, one cube at a time then pour it on top of the chicken and around the platter. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken. 4 large chicken cutlets or 6-8 smaller cutlets can be used.
- Prosciutto. Use at least 1 slice of thin prosciutto per chicken cutlet to mostly cover the chicken. The prosciutto pieces can be cut to layer on smaller pieces of chicken.
- Cheese. Italian Fontina cheese is recommended, but Danish will work well too. If you can’t find Fontina, sub mozzarella, provolone or gruyere.
- Leftovers. Chicken Valdostana can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love your recipes Thank you
Hello Jim and Tara. I’m back again with another comment lol if I wanted to substitute marsala wine do you think it would make a big difference? Also someone was asking me what if we wanted to put some breading on the chicken do you think that would be a big deal breaker. Thanks guys
Hi David, you can use Marsala wine but it will change the flavor a bit, but not in a bad way. As far as breading, you can bread the cutlets if you really want to but we don’t think it’s necessary – the flour is enough.
I will definitely be making this. Your recipes are amazing! However, would it make a lot of difference if I used plain old sliced button mushrooms?
Hi Chris, this would be great with white button mushrooms for sure!
I loved it..my wife doesn’t like Prosciutto (imagine that) so I’ll make with just ham next time.
So delicious! I used provolone because that’s what I had. Have made this a few times and my family loves it’
Fantastic! Have made this twice. My family loves it!!
I made this delicious chicken dish with a few changes. After I cooked the chicken I sautéed the mushrooms. But instead of removing the mushrooms I added the wine and chicken broth. I used a baking dish for the chicken, poured the mushroom sauce over it. After that I added the prosciutto, added some roasted red peppers and topped with the cheese. My husband and son (he’s a chef) really enjoyed it. I think next time I may even throw in some artichoke hearts.
This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thanks Jim
Hi Susan, we’re so happy you and your family enjoyed this one and really appreciate your comment!
I mean chicken!!! Dam phone
Looks good except I just pour cockerel in saute pan arrange meat and cheese on top lid on let it melt; no oven!
Hello Jim. Fantastic recipe as all of them are. Really appreciate you making these available to the average cook. I too am on Long Island, I would watch my Italian mother make all the recipes but when I was young I had a little interest over the five minute mark wish I had stayed and watched longer. In any event love you love your family I love the New York centricity. One question on the chicken Vol. Can you make this ahead of time? Thanks
Hi Dave, thanks for the comment and it’s great to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! Yes, you can make this ahead of time and then reheat in the oven when it’s time to serve.
Absolutely amazing huge hit with the family. Definitely making this again. Every recipe I’ve tried from you so far has been a hit. Thank u
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad to hear this one was a hit as well as the others you’ve tried. Thank you for the great comment and rating!
Delicious!!, I had to use shiitake mushrooms as a substitute. This dish is a winner, Thank You, love your site
Hi Cathy, thanks for the comment and so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
JIm,
Do you use Fontina Val D’Aosta ? Besides that one and a younger Fontal also from Italy, all others I find are domestic Fontina. What do you advise? Thank you.
Hi Den, I use either Danish or Italian fontina depending on which one is available. I don’t recall seeing domestic in the store. Use whichever you have access to.
Delicious recipe! I didn’t have oyster mushrooms, but I made it with a mix of fresh shiitake and small cremini, sliced thin. They worked well.
Many of your dishes are similar to what I ate growing up in an Italian-American home. Your instructions are clear and the results are always delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Hi Phyllis, I’m so happy you enjoyed the valdostana and really appreciate the comment! Thank you!
like your recipes and use them regularly. but WHY are you bending over all the time now.?
In my older videos, I had to bend down due to my camera setup. In my more recent videos (at least the past year to year and a half) I have a different setup and don’t need to bend anymore. If you’re seeing bending, you’re watching an older video. I am assuming you’re watching the chicken valdostana video since that’s the post you’re commenting on – that video was released on 1/1/2021 and is nearly two years old.
I knew from reading the ingredients, then watching your video that this was going to be a delicious recipe. We just finished dinner and this was a big hit.
Served mine with roasted Yukon potatoes and yellow grape tomatoes, and steamed broccoli florets. Squisito! Thanks again, Chef Jim, for another easy, tasty recipe the whole family enjoyed.
Hi Anne, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the Valdostana. It’s definitely one of our favorites. Thank you for the comment!
I made this after eating at a restaurant the week before. I can’t say I was disappointed. It tastes the exact same and just as delicious as the restaurants.
Hi Vanessa, thanks for the comment and I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank so much, we were so bored of chicken til we found you!
Hi Dawn, haha thank you! I’m happy I was able to help with the chicken recipes!
Ive tried several of your recipes and they always turn out fantastic ,this one is no exception. Thanks for making me look like I know what to do in the kitchen
Hi DJ. Glad this one was another hit. I appreciate the support!
I was going to make this this week. I can’t figure out where all of the carbs come from. Can you explain please? Thanks.
Hi SK. I just reran the nutrition info. It turns out the carbs were way too high. Now they are only 8.8 grams per serving. Hope that helps.
I too saw the carb was way to high. Glad you reran the recipe. Being on the keto diet iwasnt going to make this . But i will know. In your future videos. Why not mention that particular recipe is Keto friendly
A fantastic traditional recipe. Have used it before and am visiting again to remind me what to buy.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving the review!