chicken breastS

at the top of the list of essential weeknight recipes— skinless, boneless chicken breasts. here are three ways to prepare them, plus flavor ideas.

Chicken with Pan Sauce

start to finish 35 minutes

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 oz. each)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup finely chopped shallot or onion
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
¼ cup cold butter, cut up

1. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, flatten chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap to ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

2. In a 12-inch skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet. Cook chicken 5 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once. Transfer chicken to a platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Remove skillet from heat.

3. Add wine, broth, and shallot to the hot skillet. Return skillet to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup. Reduce heat to medium-low.

4. Stir in cream. Add butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, stirring until butter melts after each addition. Sauce should be slightly thickened. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve over chicken.

Makes 4 servings (1 piece each).

each serving 287 cal., 20 g fat (10 g sat. fat), 96 mg chol., 458 mg sodium, 3 g carb., 0 g fiber, 1 g sugars, 19 g pro.

ADD FLAVOR We added sautéed mushrooms and garlic to this version of the pan sauce. Check out additional delicious sauce ideas (opposite).

dinner swap

For another meal, omit the pan sauce. Serve cooked chicken slices over salad greens with desired dressing (Sauces) or in a sandwich with your choice of sauce (Sauces).

chicken breast size check

Chicken breast halves are big—some are 12 to 16 oz. Whenever you can, use breast halves in the 6- to 8-oz. range. You can cut thicker 12- to 16-oz. chicken breast halves horizontally into thinner portion-appropriate pieces. As you cut, press down lightly on top of breast half. (Do not cut in half crosswise; the pieces will be too thick.) Use a kitchen scale to check the weight of the pieces so cooking times are accurate.

Sauce change-ups

Spice up the flavor of your pan sauce with these ideas or come up with your own.

Cilantro-Chipotle Pan Sauce

Stir 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro and ½ tsp. finely chopped chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce into the finished sauce.

Bacon-Leek Pan Sauce

Add ½ cup sliced leek to skillet with shallot. Top with 3 slices crumbled crisp-cooked bacon.

Tomato-Parmesan Pan Sauce

Add ½ cup quartered grape tomatoes to skillet with shallot. Stir 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese into the finished sauce.

Lemon-Thyme Pan Sauce

Stir 2 tsp. lemon juice and 2 tsp. snipped fresh thyme into the finished sauce. Top with lemon slices.

roasting

Roasting is an easy way to cook a large batch. Start with skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each; tip, left). Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange chicken in a shallow baking pan. Brush with olive oil; sprinkle with desired spice blend or rub. Roast, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until done (165°F).

poaching

Poaching chicken is a quick way to get cooked chicken for recipes where you won’t miss the browning. To poach, bring 1½ to 2 cups chicken broth or water to boiling. Add skinless, boneless chicken breasts and, if desired, fresh herb sprigs. Add water if needed to cover meat. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done (165°F). Transfer to a cutting board; let stand until cool enough to chop or shred.