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Sauteed Chicken: It’s All in the Sizzle

August 06, 2009
By Ronnie Fein

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Summer meals should be simple, light, easy to prepare and quick to cook. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts fit the bill perfectly.

Like so many other ingredients, these lean, white meat chicken portions are terrific when grilled, but sautéing is a good alternative when you’re not in the mood to cook outdoors. Sautéing keeps the kitchen heat to a minimum and the food cooks within minutes. All you need is a good skillet and some interesting, fresh ingredients.

By a good skillet I mean a pan that holds heat well. The secret of juicy, but well-crisped sautéed foods is all in the sizzle. Your pan and the fat you use must be hot enough so that when you add the chicken you can immediately hear the crackle of meat hitting heat. For best results, look for a large, heavy pan made of cast iron or stainless steel that has an aluminum-clad inner core (sometimes called tri-ply).

Most nonstick pans don’t heat as well as uncoated ones, but they do let you cut down on the fat required in a recipe. That’s a plus, but don’t be fooled. Some fat is still required (my recipes use very little). Besides, you should hand wash nonstick cookware (to keep the surface intact) and that is a nuisance. Stainless steel cookware is dishwasher safe.

The reason for using a large pan is for heat retention. If you add four half chicken breasts to a small pan, the ingredients will be crowded and the heat will drop. There goes the sizzle. On the other hand, if the pan is too big, the fat will scorch in unused places. The trick is to use a pan that fits the food with some space between each item.

Sautéing chicken breasts is simple. First, buy breasts that are as evenly shaped as possible; if not, cover them with waxed or parchment paper and pound them gently using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pot. Second, be sure to dry the meat using paper towels; this will help brown the breasts properly. Next, heat a small amount of olive oil or vegetable oil in the pan over moderately high heat. When a haze starts to form over the fat, add the breasts. The searing will start immediately.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, then turn the heat to medium. Breasts that are about 1/2-inch thick should take about 6-8 minutes total cooking time. You can use a meat thermometer to check for doneness (it should read 160 degrees Fahrenheit) or cut into one of the breasts with a small utility knife (juices should run clear).

Simple sautéed chicken breasts are fine, as is. During the summer we frequently stuff them between bread slices (or inside rolls) to eat as a sandwich (with tomatoes, slices of avocado and mayonnaise). When not serving sandwiches I usually like to garnish the breasts with a simple sauce. The easiest is a pan sauce. Here’s how to make one: remove the chicken from the pan (keep the breasts warm in an oven set to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit) and deglaze the pan with some chicken stock, juice or wine; cook the pan fluids for a minute or so and pour them over the chicken.

But even pan sauces made with fresh vegetables or other ingredients needn’t be complicated. Chicken with Pine Nuts and Basil Scented Tomatoes and Chicken with Tomatoes, Corn and Herbs are two easy recipes that take advantage of good summer tomatoes and fresh herbs and they take just a few minutes to complete. Add a green vegetable and either polenta or pasta and dinner is complete. Chicken with Capers and Lemon, a tangy, tasty dish in any season, shows you how to make a really quick and easy pan sauce. This dish is wonderful with steamed rice or risotto and steamed or sautéed spinach.




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Ronnie Fein has been a freelance food and lifestyle writer since 1980. She currently writes regular features for the food and community sections of daily newspapers and has written articles for Newsday, Cook’s Illustrated, Consumer’s Digest, Connecticut magazine, and many other publications. She operates the Ronnie Fein School of Creative Cooking in Stamford, Connecticut and is the author of three cookbooks, the most recent is
Hip Kosher (DaCapo, 2008).



Chicken with Pine Nuts and Basil Scented Tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves, about 1/2-inch thick
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 fresh ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (or heat a warming drawer). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over moderately-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, sprinkle with pepper and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Lower the heat and cook until the breasts are cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and keep them warm. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add the pignoli nuts and cook for 1-2 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes and basil and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the tomatoes have softened. Serve the chicken breasts with the tomato sauce. Makes 4 servings

Note: if you do not wish to heat the oven, keep the chicken warm by putting the breasts on a plate and covering them with aluminum foil until ready to use).


Chicken with Tomatoes, Corn and Herbs

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves, about 1/2-inch thick
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small red onion, chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (or heat a warming drawer). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over moderately-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, sprinkle with pepper and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Lower the heat and cook until the breasts are cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and keep them warm. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add the red onion and cook for a minute. Add the corn, tomatoes, parsley and chives and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the corn is heated through and the tomatoes have softened. Spoon the vegetables onto four plates and top with the chicken breasts. Makes 4 servings.


Chicken With Capers and Lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves, about 1/2-inch thick
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or use 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
1-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (or heat a warming drawer). Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over moderately-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, sprinkle with pepper and thyme and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Lower the heat and cook until the breasts are cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and keep them warm. Add the stock and wine to the pan, raise the heat and boil the liquid for 3-4 minutes or until it has reduced in half. Add the lemon juice, capers and parsley. Heat through and pour the sauce over the chicken. Makes 4 servings


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Recent Comments

In the chicken recipes of Aug 6, is 140 F degrees correct in both recipes?

Joel Manus Bodzin posted on 08/07 at 06:32 AM.

Hi Joel

Thanks for pointing this out. The oven should be set to 140 degrees and the fully cooked chicken placed in the warm (140 degree) oven to keep warm while you prepare the sauce. I should have added, after “keep them warm”, ““in the warmed up oven.” So—it’s the oven at 140 degrees. Chicken should always be cooked to 160-5 degrees. Hope this clears things up.

Shabbat shalom
Ronnie

Ronnie posted on 08/07 at 11:08 AM.


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