Baked Prosciutto and Basil Wrapped Chicken Fingers

Summer is nearly here, and my herb garden is in full bloom. Sage, parsley, rosemary and my absolute favorite – basil. To me, there is no greater smell than fresh basil. I make bruschetta (note – do bruschetta blog) on a weekly basis during the summer, but I’m always looking for great new recipes for basil since it’s such a versatile ingredient.

I came across this on The Hungry Mouse the other day. It sounded so great, I didn’t even change anything. I was glad I didn’t. I made these for lunch for me and hubs over the weekend, and they were delish. He was just delighted that I was cooking with prosciutto, one of his favorite things. We had a good bit leftover, and he informed me the next day they are even tasty cold. We plan to make these the next time we have company as they can easily be prepped before people arrive and put in the oven when needed.

A note on prosciutto: for anyone who isn’t familiar, it can be rather expensive. The Hungry Mouse goes into much more detail, but most stores carry a high-end imported brand (beaucoup bucks) and a domestic (less expensive). Save yourself some dough, and go with the domestic. Since you are baking it, there won’t be much difference in the taste. And when I say less expensive, I’m talking at least half the price. I believe the prosciutto we got at Wegman’s was $12.99 per pound. The high-end imported? $28.99 per pound.

Another note: maybe don’t go to Wegman’s on a holiday weekend and ask for 2 pounds of prosciutto while the deli is jam-packed. It’s sliced super thin and each slice is separated with a plastic sheet. That deli worker was such a saint. Whole process took about 20 minutes. Whoopsie…

Maybe I need to bring that guy some prosciutto and basil wrapped chicken fingers? Hey – look what I just made!

Baked Prosciutto and Basil Wrapped Chicken Fingers

Source: The Hungry Mouse

Ingredients:

Chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips)

Prosciutto

Basil leaves

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

You will note I didn’t list quantities. That’s because for this, you can make as few or as many as you want. For every chicken tender, you will need 2 or 3 basil leaves and one slice of prosciutto. I made 14, which filled my cookie sheet.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Begin by placing basil leaves atop each chicken tender.

Wrap the prosciutto slice around the chicken tender. It’s OK if some of the basil peaks through. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Drizzle each lightly with oil and top with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper as desired.

Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!