Pan Seared Chicken with Lemon-Shallot Sauce

Good morning to you all! And it is a good one. Not only is it actually, officially summer, but finally, I have a brand new recipe for boneless chicken breasts to share with you! And this one comes with the most delicious lemon-shallot sauce. What a triumph! It’s all about finding the joy in the small things, right?

Do you pan sear often (or am I getting too personal, lol!) If you’re not all that familiar with the term, pan-searing is basically cooking a protein (generally) at high heat in a heavyweight skillet so that it forms a nice browned crust. It makes food especially delicious but it can often be tricky to achieve the right level of doneness on the inside without over-searing the outside and essentially burning the whole thing. But with a few easy techniques and ingredients, you can ensure perfectly cooked chicken that is tender and juicy on the inside and has that great pan-seared crust that everybody loves. Here’s how:

You start by poking holes in the chicken and baking the pieces in a covered pan at a very low light so that they get 80% of the way cooked through before you do any pan-searing.

Then, after removing as much excess moisture as you can from them with some paper towels—

You brush each side with a cornstarch/flour/butter mixture that helps to lock in all those juices and create that gorgeous golden brown coating that we’re after when we pan sear.

YUM!

You could just serve the chicken as is, but I would strongly urge you to finish it all off with the lemon-shallot sauce. Not only does it catapult ordinary chicken breasts into a special meal, but it comes together quickly and easily in the same pan that you pan-seared the chicken in, making for an easy clean-up!

Mmm…every bite is tender and crispy with that wonderful little lemony zing. And with that, dinner is served. Happy Monday!

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Pan Seared Chicken with Lemon-Shallot Sauce

Prep Time for Chicken: About 1 hour (but a lot of this is hands-free) Prep Time for Sauce: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken

• About 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (if these are very thick, slice them in half lengthwise)

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 rounded tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1 rounded teaspoonful cornstarch

• Pinch of two of black pepper

For the sauce

• 1 large shallot, minced

• 1 teaspoon unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (you could add more if you like things very lemony)

• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

• Salt and pepper to taste

The Recipe

1. To make the chicken: Adjust rack to lower middle rung in the oven and preheat to 275ºF. Place the chicken in a large glass baking dish and use a fork to poke holes in each chicken breast in the thickest parts 5 or 6 times. Sprinkle the salt evenly over each one and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40 minutes, until chicken is mostly cooked through.

2. Line a couple of plates with paper towels and drain the chicken on the towels to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, flour, cornstarch and pepper. Light brush the tops of the chicken breasts with the mixture.

3. Heat the canola oil over medium-heat, until very hot and add the chicken breasts, coated side down and cook for about 4-5 minutes until nicely browned. While the chicken is cooking, brush the tops with the remaining butter mixture. Flip the breasts and lower the heat to medium. Cook for another 5 minutes or so to allow the bottom to brown as well. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Do not wash the skillet.

4. To make the sauce: Add the shallots to the same skillet and cook for a few minutes, until softened, stirring often. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Then slowly whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Let the mixture simmer well and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until thickened and reduced. Stir in any of the juices from the chicken on the plate, let simmer for another 30 seconds or so and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and butter. Taste and add salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately with additional lemon slices on the side.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Revolutionary Recipes. I simplified a lot of the techniques and cooked the chicken much longer than the original recipe suggested. Also, I cut the chives from the pan sauce—made it once that way but it was not all that attractive and chives don’t seem to add much here.