TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Pollo alla ValdostanaValdostana Stuffed Chicken
A regional dish from Alpine Valle d'Aosta. Chicken breast is filled with prosciutto and Fontina, pan-fried in butter and coated with Madeira or Marsala sauce. Rich and elegant cooking born of mountain dairy farming.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Chicken breastButterfly to halve the thickness, or cut horizontally to make a pocket.4 pieces (200 g each)
- Fontina cheeseThinly slice or cut small; a cheese that melts well is essential.120 g
- Cured hamThinly sliced8 slices
- Butter60 g
- Madeira or dry Marsala wineFor the sauce; use dry wine.100 ml
- Chicken brothCommercial chicken consommé is acceptable.100 ml
- Fresh sage leaves4 leaves
Method
Stuff the chicken
- 1 Cut a horizontal pocket into each of 4 chicken breasts, taking care not to cut through.
- 2 Layer 120 g thinly sliced Fontina and 2 slices prosciutto inside the pockets, then close with toothpicks.
- 3 Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Caution
Do not cut so deeply that the breast is cut through.
Heat butter and sage
- 1 Put 60 g butter and 4 sage leaves in a frying pan over medium heat.
- 2 Add the chicken when the butter melts and begins foaming.
Ready when
Add the meat as soon as the butter foams.
Cook the chicken
- 1 Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side.
- 2 Remove once cooked.
Ready when
Cheese beginning to melt and escape indicates browning has developed. Remove once both sides are cooked.
Make the Madeira sauce
- 1 Pour 100 ml Madeira or Marsala into the same pan, raise the heat and boil off the alcohol for 30 seconds.
- 2 Add 100 ml chicken broth and reduce further to a thick, flowing sauce.
Ready when
Continue when the sauce is thick and flowing.
Sauce the chicken
- 1 Remove the toothpicks.
- 2 Plate the chicken and pour over the sauce.
About this dish
Valle d'Aosta is Italy's smallest region. Surrounded by Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso, this mountain area borders France and Switzerland. Cows grazing its pastures produce fine milk, from which Fontina was born. Known for melting exceptionally well, this cheese plays a special role in the region's cooking.
Pollo alla valdostana brings together Alpine dairy culture and mountain cuisine. Chicken breast encloses prosciutto and Fontina, is cooked in butter and finished with Madeira sauce. The combination is simple, but the moment Fontina melts and flows out signals the dish's completion.
Traditional Aosta Valley cooking developed around ingredients that kept well in rugged terrain: cheese, prosciutto and butter. Born of practical needs, the combination remains entirely at home in modern restaurants.
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