Chicken Prosciutto Piadina
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Quick handheld warm sandwich with chicken, prosciutto, provolone, fresh spinach, and tangy pickled cauliflower. Uses olive oil to brown chicken quickly. Spinach wilted just right to avoid sogginess. Greek pita swapped for piadina bread for slightly different texture. Pickles add acidic crunch. Cheese melts gently. Salt and pepper bring life to simple ingredients. A quick pan press seals flavors. Easy weeknight fix — adaptable to leftover cooked chicken or turkey slices. Avoid soggy bread by pressing spinach firmly after cooking. Simple, fresh, sharp, and rich all in one take-away style package.
Prep:
12 min
Cook:
19 min
Total:
31 min
Servings:
1 serving
#Italian inspired
#handheld sandwich
#quick meal
#weeknight fix
#spinach prep
#pan-toasted sandwich
Stuffing flatbreads with savory ingredients, that’s a quick fix I swear by. Chicken - crisp on outside, tender inside. Prosciutto adds salty depth, easily swapped with parma ham. I learned the hard way spinach moisture kills bread crispness — you gotta squeeze it dry or ruin the whole thing. Pickled cauliflower? Wild card, sharp through the richness. Olive oil for searing, not flavorless sprays. Heat tells you all. No waiting around for timers; hear the sizzle, see the golden sear. Folding piadina over is no sandwich — it’s a hug. Cheese to glue it together but don’t overload. Toasting after layering, it’s the magic step for melding flavors and textures into handheld comfort. No fuss. Just careful heat and sharp tongue on seasoning.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken cutlets
- 15 ml olive oil
- 450 ml fresh baby spinach
- 1 piadina bread or substitute flatbread
- 2 slices prosciutto
- 2 slices mild provolone cheese
- small handful pickled cauliflower florets
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper
About the ingredients
Chicken cutlets thick? Pound them thinner for faster, even cooking. Olive oil — extra virgin for flavor, but neutral oils work fine if you want subtlety. Baby spinach is usual but arugula could add peppery punch. Swap piadina for any thin flatbread or even naan if pressed. Provolone can be mozzarella or mild fontina for melting fat. Pickled cauliflower can be replaced with quick-pickled radishes or cucumber for acidic crunch. Prosciutto is salty, replace with thin bacon strips if needed but adjust salt accordingly. Salt and fresh black pepper are basics; flaky salt makes a difference here. Always taste before folding.
Method
- Heat oil in skillet over high flame until shimmering and just smoking. Lay chicken cutlets flat. Listen for impatient sizzle — that’s flavor locking in. Cook 3 to 4 minutes each side until golden brown with faint charring marks. Salt and pepper aggressively while hot. Remove from pan and set aside on plate while pan still hot.
- Turn heat to medium. Toss spinach in pan. Just wilt — 20 seconds max or leaves turn dull and slimy. Remove spinach into clean sieve or cloth bag and press firmly to expel water. Damp spinach ruins bread—never skip this step. Set aside with chicken.
- Slice chicken into bite-sized strips lengthwise. Prep your flatbread or piadina on a board. On one half, layer prosciutto, cheese slices, chopped chicken strips, spinach, and pickled cauliflower bouquets. The cheese keeps everything sticky once warmed.
- Fold flatbread over. Return pan to medium heat. Place sandwich carefully. Press gently with spatula to ensure full contact with pan surface. Warm 3 to 4 minutes until cheese softens and bread crisps slightly. Flip once. Watch edges brown but don’t burn. Cheese melt is slow visual cue.
- Remove and rest for a minute. Cut in half to serve. Crunch from pickled cauliflower cuts the richness from chicken and cheese. The salt from prosciutto complements without overpowering. Always test chicken doneness before assembly—too thick requires longer sear or quick butterfly cut.
Cooking tips
High heat browning is crucial — that crust on chicken means flavor, not squeaky white blandness. Don’t cram pan or chicken will steam, not sear. Squeeze water from spinach using fine mesh sieve or clean tea towel or risk soggy sandwich. Layering order matters: cheese first creates layer that melts glue. Prosciutto before cheese keeps salty juices from making bread wet. Watch pan heat carefully during toast phase. Too high burns bread but burns flavor. Press sandwich gently with spatula or pan weight to ensure even toasting without flattening ingredients. Rest a minute before cutting prevents juices from dribbling down your fingers. If cheese refuses to melt, cover pan with a lid briefly to trap heat and steam a bit.
Chef's notes
- 💡 High heat oil sizzle crucial before chicken hits pan. If no sizzle, no sear. Wait till oil shimmers and just smokes. Chicken needs fast browning, not slow cooking. Pat dry chicken first, moisture kills crust. Salt pepper aggressively while hot, helps flavor lock.
- 💡 Spinach wilt fast—20 seconds max or it turns slimy and dull. Drain using sieve or tea towel then press firmly. Water in leaves = soggy bread. Squeeze like hate to lose those greens but must dry. Never skip this or sandwich turns floppy and sad.
- 💡 Layer prosciutto before cheese. Prosciutto salty and juicy, lays barrier so bread doesn’t wet out. Cheese first is glue but prosciutto keeps bread crisp. Pickled cauliflower last to add crunch acid punch, something fresh against creamy cheese and rich chicken.
- 💡 Press sandwich gently with spatula or weighted pan. Too much means crushed fillings, too light no crisp. Watch edges brown carefully. Flip once only, slow cheese melt shows when it’s warming through. If cheese resists, cover pan quick for steam trap; melts faster without burn risk.
- 💡 Rest sandwich at least a minute before cutting, lets juices settle. Cutting right off heat leaves dribble mess. If chicken thick, pound it thinner to cook evenly. Flatbread swap fine; naan adds density, pita lighter chew. Pickled veg alternatives—radishes or cucumber, all acidic crunch for balance.
Common questions
How to avoid soggy bread?
Spinach moisture kills crisp. Wilt fast on med heat, then press firm in sieve or towel. Dry spinach means no floppy bread. Water in leaves turns sandwich limp, skip pressing at own risk.
Can I use other meats?
Prosciutto can change. Bacon strips work but salt-level shifts, cut back salt. Parma ham similar salty notes. Use pre-cooked turkey slices and adjust seasoning carefully; drier meat might need oil splash when sealing sandwich.
Chicken too thick, how cook?
Butterfly or pound thin. Thick means outside chars but inside raw, no good. Sear high till golden, flip once. If thick, finish in oven or cover pan low heat longer. Rushed chicken tastes bland without crust.
How to store leftovers?
Wrap cold sandwich loosely in foil or airtight. Reheat in skillet on low heat, press again for crisp. Microwave ruins texture but may do in pinch. Fresh sandwich best eaten hot for crispness and flavor punch.
