Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Tarragon

By lindsayvk

A chicken breast-flattened, seasoned, sauteed, and served with a simple pan sauce-can be delicious and very easy to prepare. The curry brings a lot of flavor to the chicken, and the tarragon butter sauce blends beautifully with that flavor. The Summer Vegetable Gratin, Puree of Garlic Potatoes and Romano Beans with Mint are all excellent accompaniments.
The basic method works with other lean, tender cuts of meat as well, such as pork loin or veal.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp Yellow Curry powder or Madras curry powder
• 6 large (about 6oz each) or 12 small (about 3oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Canola oil
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp minced shallot
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp coarsely chopped tarragon, plus 1 Tbsp tarragon leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. Mix together the paprika and curry in a small bowl. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Lay 2 pieces of chicken on a large piece of plastic wrap, cover with a second piece of plastic wrap, and, using a meat pounder, pound to about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. (The chicken can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet.
4. Season the chicken on both sides with salt. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, without crowding, add the chicken to the pan, presentation (smooth) side down, and cook, adjusting heat if necessary, until the bottom is golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn to the second side and cook until golden, another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to the rack and keep warm in the oven. Add oil to the pan as needed as you cook the remaining chicken.
5. Pour any remaining oil from the pan and wipe out any burned bits. Melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallot to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 30 seconds, swirling the pan to coat the shallot with butter. Pour in the wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped tarragon, the remaining 2 Tbsp butter, and any jucies that have accumulated on the baking sheet and swirl to melt butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Arrange the chicken on a platter, pour the sauce over it, and garnish with the tarragon leaves.