When cooking, I often find that the simplest preparations give the best results. A short list of ingredients makes it more likely that you’ll have everything on hand to prepare the dish and you won’t have flavours muddied by too many competing components.
Make this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you must, though remember much of the flavour in this dish is a result of the browned skin and flavour held by the bone. As for the last minute addition of butter: don’t skip it. The butter changes the viscosity of the sauce and takes it’s flavour to a level not possible without it.
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 bone-in chicken breasts with skin ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ cup dry white wine ½ cup chicken stock 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 pinch dried thyme 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper 2 teaspoons butterPreparation:
Preheat a heavy pan on medium heat, then add the oil.
Season both sides of the chicken breasts with the salt. Once the oil is very hot, put the chicken in the pan skin-side down. Cook with the lid just slightly ajar for six minutes.
Turn over the chicken breasts and turn the heat to low. Cook with the lid just slightly ajar for fifteen minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155F. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside to keep warm.
Turn the heat to high. Add the wine, stock, lemon juice, thyme and pepper. Scrape the pan to loosen any caramelized bits. Let the liquid boil until it’s reduced by approximately half.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the butter. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add salt if required.
Plate the chicken with the pan sauce poured over top.
I’ll need to try this. Using lots of fresh Thyme this spring; I’ll use it vs. dried and ground variety.
Even better! I used dried as it’s what I happened to have. Let me know how it turns out.