Learning to make pan sauce will take your cooking from blasé to restaurant quality with very little effort and minimal ingredients. This is not a recipe, but a TECHNIQUE that you can put to use anytime you sauté protein (chicken, steak, fish, pork). After removing the protein from the skillet, begin building your pan sauce from the browned bits (aka fond) left behind in the pan. You can vary the alliums (onion, shallot, garlic), the herbs, and the liquids (wine, beer, cider, stock), but the ratios and technique remain the same.
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS Ingredients
- 4 (5-ounce/140 g) boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (can use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or even thighs, but they will take longer to reach doneness and definitely require finishing in the oven. To avoid using the oven, use thin chicken cutlets.)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine
- 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 tabblespons cold butter
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, carefully add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Check the internal temperature of the chicken; if it is less than 160°F, transfer to a small, rimmed baking sheet and bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Reserve the skillet.
- Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat and cook the shallots until they are tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and use a spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and continue to cook until it has reduced when you draw your spatula across the pan, it leaves a track and you can see the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the butter and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the tarragon; taste and adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- To serve: Place the chicken breasts on dinner plates, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve immediately.
