On my last post, I showed you how to make a simple pan sauce at home with a link to my more detailed description and cooking tips for making delicious pan sauces. Today I want to show you how you can prepare three completely different pan sauces for the same chicken dish. It’s easy and a great example of the importance of learning a technique versus following a recipe. When you learn the cooking technique and you can come up with you own creative sauces. This is a real culinary school lesson for home cooks.

To Prepare the Chicken

• Your choice of boneless white or dark meat chicken, thicker pieces pounded to about 1/2 inch thick.
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, or a mixture of oil and softened butter.

Procedure

Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat until hot, about 3-5 minutes, depending on your stove.

Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces on both sides.

Add the oil, and then the butter, if using. Heat until the oil shimmers.

Place the chicken pieces in the pan, “prettiest” side down, leaving at least ½ inch between pieces. Let cook, adjusting the heat to achieve a fairly robust sizzle, for about 3-4 minute. Resist the temptation to poke at or move the chicken. Just let it cook.

Watch the meat as it cooks, and you will be able to see a ring of white travel up from the edges of the chicken as it sautés. Once the ring of cooked chicken appears to have cooked about half-way, turn the chicken with tongs. If it is “stuck,” don’t force it. The meat will release naturally once it has browned.

Wait another 30 seconds or so and try again. Make sure to keep adjusting the heat. You don’t want a lot of popping, just a robust sizzle and hiss.

Turn the meat and cook until the internal temperature is 160 F. Cooking the second side will take slightly less time, but do check the temperature with an instant read thermometer. It is the only truly reliable, safe way to make sure the meat is cooked to a safe internal temperature.

Remove from the heat and keep warm. Now it is time to build the pan sauce.

For Italian-Style Pan Sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Small spoonful of tomato paste, about 2 teaspoons
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ cup chicken stock (low sodium or homemade)
• ½ cup Chianti or other Italian red wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• tablespoon minced fresh basil and/or oregano
• Small splash of extra virgin olive oil, about 2 teaspoons

Over medium-high heat, in the pan you used to cook the chicken, sauté minced garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Stir for just a few seconds.

Add the stock and wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond. Reduce liquid by about half.

Taste, and add a little salt and/or pepper if necessary. Reducing the sauce intensifies the saltiness, so don’t add any until you finish the reduction.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the herbs and extra virgin olive oil.

For French-Style Pan Sauce

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ½ cup thinly sliced mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• ½ cup chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon, thyme or marjoram
• Small pat of butter

Over medium-high heat, in the pan you used to cook the chicken, add the oil and sauté the mushrooms until they give up their liquid and then it evaporates.

Add the shallot and sauté until fragrant.

Add the Herbes de Provence and mustard and stir for a few seconds.

Pour in the stock and wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond. Reduce liquid by about half.

Taste, and add a little salt and/or pepper if necessary. Reducing the sauce intensifies the saltiness, so don’t add any until you finish the reduction.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the herbs and butter.

For Asian-Style Pan Sauce

• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced spring onions, white part only
• 1 clove minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon five spice powder
• ½ teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¾ cup chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• Soy sauce and white pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced spring onion, light green part
• 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts

Over medium-high heat, in the pan you used to cook the chicken, sauté onion, minced garlic, pepper flake and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the five spice, fish sauce, peanut butter and brown sugar. Stir for just a few seconds.
Add the stock and vinegar, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond.
Reduce liquid by about half.

Taste, and add a soy sauce and white pepper. Reducing the sauce intensifies the saltiness, so don’t add any until you finish the reduction.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the spring onions, sesame oil and crushed peanuts.