Pan Sauces for Chicken
Cook's Illustrated, 1999

The challenge: When confronted with a plain sautéed chicken breast, the first thing some of us yearn for is a sauce to jazz things up a little. With a little help from the chicken, a number of sauces can be made right in the sauté pan in about five minutes.

The solution: The concept of a pan sauce is simple. The juices that escape from the meat during cooking reduce, caramelize, and sometimes harden. These bits, which are basically caramelized proteins that chefs refer to as fond, provide a concentrated flavor on which to build the sauce.

To release these flavors into a sauce, a liquid is used to wash and dissolve these bits off the bottom of the pan. Known as deglazing, this process can be accomplished with many different liquids: wine, water, juice, brandy, stock, vinegar, or a combination thereof. The liquid is then boiled down and reduced to thicken the sauce., For a silky, rich-textured sauce, butter can be swirled in at the end.

SAUTEED CHICKEN BREAST CUTLETS
serves 4
To minimize the amount of time the cutlets wait in the oven, prepare
the sauce ingredients before sautéing the chicken.

Rinse and thoroughly dry 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (this should be about 1 1/2 pounds total). Generously season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper and dredge one at a time in 1/4 cup flour placed in a shallow dish; shake gently to remove excess flour and set aside. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons each butter and vegetable oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat, swirling to melt butter. When foam subsides and butter begins to color, place cutlets in skillet, skinned side up. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté without moving until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets over and cook on other side until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer cutlets to plate, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in 200-degree oven while preparing one of the following sauces.

LEMON SAUCE WITH PROSCIUTTO AND SAGE

2 medium garlic cloves, sliced thin
15 medium whole fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 slice prosciutto (1/4-inch thick, about 1 1/2 ounces), diced fine
Salt and ground black pepper

Follow recipe for Sautéed Chicken Breasts, leaving fat in skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sage leaves; sauté until garlic is fragrant and sage crisps, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Add chicken stock, increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Off heat, swirl in butter, and add prosciutto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND CILANTRO

2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 jalapeño chile, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons juice from 2 oranges
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and ground black pepper

Follow recipe for Sautéed Chicken Breasts, discarding all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, chile, and cumin; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sugar and cook until shallots begin to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and orange and lime juices; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.

WHITE WINE SAUCE WITH GRAPES AND TARRAGON

2 medium shallots, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup seedless green grapes, each grape halved lengthwise
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
Salt and ground black pepper

Follow recipe for Sautéed Chicken Breasts, leaving fat in skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Add tarragon, wine, and grapes; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Cook until reduced and syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.

MUSTARD AND CREAM SAUCE WITH ENDIVE AND CARAWAY

1 medium head endive, cut diagonally into
1/4-inch slices
2 medium shallots, minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper

Follow recipe for Sautéed Chicken Breasts, leaving fat in skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add endive and shallots; sauté until softened and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cider vinegar and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Add caraway seeds, stock, and cream; increase heat to medium-high and boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in Dijon mustard; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.

From Cook's Illustrated: "WHEN IS IT DONE? I sautéed some two dozen six-ounce cutlets (dredged in flour) following the procedure described in this article. In all cases, they were perfect when cooked four minutes on the first side and three to four minutes on the second. It takes a bit of practice to determine if that eighth minute is required, but there are some indications: The thickest part of the breast should feel firm rather than squashy when pressed with a finger. Also look for the emergence of clotted juices in the crack between tenderloin and the top meat."

"Until you learn to judge doneness by appearance, you may cut into one breast to check, but you will be sacrificing both good looks and a bit of juice. You can also use an instant read thermometer, insert horizontally or diagonally into the thick part of the breast; the meat is done at 150 degrees, and overdone at 160 degrees. You have about a minute before the temperature goes from minimum to maximum."