This is probably the most tender and delicious chicken breast I have ever cooked. It’s so easy too! Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Cream Cheese is my new favorite weeknight meal!
Creating tasty low-carb recipes with chicken breast has become something of an obsession of mine.
Chicken breast is one of the healthiest, leanest, and least expensive types of protein, so it’s almost always included in the meal plans I create for myself and my clients. That’s why it makes me sad when I hear some people say that chicken breast is “boring”, just because they haven’t tried any of the great ways of cooking a super juicy and flavorful chicken breast.
Just plain chicken breast doesn’t taste of very much, so it’s important to add a lot of flavors (and a little salt) to the recipe. That’s why prosciutto wrapped chicken breast is such a classic. The prosciutto wrapping adds all the salt you need, a ton of flavor, and it helps keep the cream cheese and basil is contact with the chicken while you bake it.
The cream cheese really doesn’t taste of anything after you bake it, but it’s still the star of the show. It seeps into the chicken breast and makes it incredibly juicy. It’s also what binds the herbs with the chicken and brings out their flavor.
If you like creating new recipes from scratch, any combination of chicken breast with cream cheese is a great place to start!
I used basil for this recipe, but you could also use thyme, sage, or any herb with a fairly strong flavor. Basil is just such a classic and it has the most wonderful aroma. Just the smell of fresh basil always makes me happy!
Speaking of basil, if this is the most tender chicken breast I have ever made, my Stuffed Chicken Breast with Basil and Sundried Tomatoes is only a VERY small step behind, so I highly recommend trying that a well. You can never have too many healthy and delicious chicken recipes, right?
How to make Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Cream Cheese
The process is really quite simple. You only need four ingredients and 30 minutes. How much easier can it get?
Start by placing the prosciutto slices on a piece of aluminum foil so the edges overlap slightly. Then spread the cream cheese evenly onto the prosciutto and put the fresh basil leaves on top.
PRO TIP: Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start using it to let it warm up a little. That will make it much easier to work with.
Next, gently wrap the prosciutto and cream cheese around the chicken breast and grind a little pepper on top.
Finally, bake the Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Cream Cheese in the oven for 25-30 minutes (depending on how large the chicken breast is) at 380 F (190 C).
Done! Easy, healthy, and delicious!
Give this healthy low-carb recipe a try and let me know if you love it as much as I do. And if you are like me and can never get enough healthy chicken recipes, please check out my Mustard Baked Chicken Tenders and Smothered Creamy Chicken Skillet as well.
I have also collected a roundup of the best Healthy Diabetic Chicken Recipes with more ideas for low-carb chicken recipes!
When you’ve tried this Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Cream Cheese, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1.4 oz. finely sliced prosciutto (Parma ham)
- 1.3 oz. cream cheese (low-fat)
- 5-10 fresh basil leaves (depending on size)
- Pepper
Instructions
- Place the prosciutto slices on a piece of aluminum foil so the edges overlap slightly.
- Spread the cream cheese evenly onto the prosciutto. PRO TIP: Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start using it to let it warm up a little. That will make it much easier to work with.
- Place the fresh basil leaves on top so they cover the cream cheese.
- Gently, wrap the prosciutto, cream cheese, and basil leaves around the chicken breast and grind a little pepper on top (or a lot of pepper if you are like me and love pepper).
- Bake the Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Cream Cheese in the oven for 25-30 minutes (depending on how large the chicken breast is) at 380 F (190 C).
- Let the chicken rest for a minute outside the over before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition Info Per Serving
What can be used in place of prosciutto? Kinda wrong that a Passover recipe would include any kind of ham/pork (unclean animal) ingredients. That’s disappointing. 😕 But I’d be willing to try it with another clean & kosher meat.
This recipe is not suggested for a holiday, it’s just a chicken recipe. If you want to stick to poultry you could wrap it with turkey bacon.
I’ve never heard of prosciutto before so I looked it up. So now I just need to know if your recipe requires cooked or uncooked. I’m thinking uncooked? Thank you.
Prosciutto is dry-cured ham, so it’s ready to eat, but technically not cooked
How big is the chicken breast? Am I placing 5 leaves on the one chicken breast?
A standard chicken breast is 4-6 oz. and I placed all 5 leaves on it. If they’re very large you can do less or you can cut them up
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! Even my 10 YO loved it. I have never worked with prosciutto before so I didn’t realize how delicate it is. Next time I will keep it in the fridge until I am ready to use it, as I think it would be a bit firmer and easier to work with that way. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Absolutely Delish!!!!!
do you wrap the food in the foil once done preparing then cook or just leave it unwrapped then cooked
Just leave it unwrapped and then cook
Can you use light cream cheese?
Yes, that should be equivalent to low-fat cream cheese
Delicious! First time making this. Made it as the recipe outlined, but used
2 prosciutto slices per chicken piece.
Will definitely make again.
– from a Diabetes Type 2 home cook!
I’m trying this tonight. I don’t have cream cheese so I’m going to try spreadable goat cheese and I don’t have fresh basil so I’m using dry. Do you think it will work?
That depends on how much you like the taste of goat cheese :-). I think the recipe will work but it will taste a lot of goat cheese.
Can you make this in a skillet ?
I am actually not sure. What makes this chicken so juicy is that the cream cheese slowly seeps into the chicken while it bakes. I don’t know if the direct heat of the skillet will just make the cheese melt right away and make a mess instead. If you try it, please let me know if it works 🙂
Can you wrap the chicken earlier in the day or night before and let it refrigerate?
I would think so, but you’d have to put it in a airtight container or ziplock to prevent it from drying out
This was phenomenal! The preparation was so quick and easy, and the resulting meal was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it, even my picky eaters! I have saved this recipe for future use, as I’m sure I’ll be making this very often.
So glad to hear that! Thank you
Used jalapeños instead of basil for my girlfriend and she loved it. The chicken came out a lot saltier than I expected with the prosciutto. Overall it was a good way to liven up chicken breast.
Do you brine the chicken breast before wrapping it with the prosciutto and cream cheese?
Sometimes, but not always. The cream cheese makes the chicken very tender, even if you don’t brine it.
Will be trying this for tomorrow I think it will be a very tasteful meal
Nice! VERY NICE!
Made this for diabetic couple and my family. This is now one of our family favorites! Love this recipe and the “healthy stuffed chicken” recipe! Kudos. Thank you. Do you have a cook book?
I’m thrilled you’re loving it! We don’t have a cookbook but you can find all our recipes in the recipe index. We are considering pulling all of the recipes together in an ebook at some point.
Looks like you’ve given me a nice and simple New Year’s Eve main dish. Thanks for sharing!
Hi. Do you bake this covered or uncovered? Thanks!
Hi Julie, I baked it uncovered. The direct heat makes the prosciutto a little crisp which I like.
Ok, great. Thanks!
You forgot to mention the most important thing to cook this recipe. What is the degree temperature for the oven?
Hi Leah, If you look at point 5 in the instructions, it says the temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celcius.