Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts

August 21, 2008


I found the ski house cookbook at the library, and it has tons of recipes that look awesome! This one was fantastic, so I’m excited to try more. These are all comfort-food recipes, great for any time of year.


Chicken
2 whole bone-in chicken breasts (about 4 lbs.)
1 T chopped fresh rosemary or 1 t dried
1 t grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T unsalted butter

Sauce
1 medium shallot, minced, or 2 T minced onion
1/3 c dry white wine
2/3 c low-sodium chicken broth
2 T unsalted butter, cold
1 T chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Loosen the skin from the chicken breasts. Combine the rosemary, lemon zest, and garlic and rub the mixture under the skin. Season the breasts all over with salt and pepper.

Place a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil and butter. When hot, place the chicken, breast side down, in the pan. Cook without moving for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Transfer the chicken to a platter to rest while you prepare the sauce. Place the hot pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and any accumulated juices from the platter where the chicken is resting and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced slightly. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the parsley, if desired.

Cut the chicken breasts in half and pour the pan sauce over them before serving.

*Do not be tempted to grab the 400 degree skillet handle with your bare hand out of habit. Like I did. Even though dinner was almost done, it’s hard to finish up when you have to put five fingers on ice. For the rest of the night. I only got one little blister, but my hand sure hurt.

*I ended up substituting a lot of ingredients (didn’t have lemon zest, fresh herbs, shallots, or white wine), but it was still really good. I was also super lazy, so I used garlic powder instead of the clove, and chicken bouillon instead of low-sodium broth. Just imagine if I had actually used the right stuff.

*I made some creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and the pan sauce made them pretty amazing.


By Becky

Becky is a mom to 4 kiddos and wife to an awesome guy. She's a food fanatic and loves creating and improving recipes. Bread is her weakness and delicious food is her passion!