Sauteed Chicken with Pan Sauce, Three Ways
Three Ways
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 your 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 minutes. 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.
Ingredients
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
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
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
How To Prepare At Home
*For Italian Style Pan Sauce*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
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
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.
I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me...
I just love your News Letter and recipes
Oh, the Asian sauce looks divine! I loooove using peanut butter when cooking. I will have to try this one day soon. Would I need to substitute anything if I did not have fish sauce on hand or would it be OK without? Thanks!
Hi Sunny, thanks for visiting my cooking blog. Fish sauce is hard to substitute for but in a pinch, I would try soy sauce. – RG
The French style sauce was amazing! Great consistency and full of flavor!
Thanks Jana – RG
Very nice basic recipe to expand, using your imagination. I don’t mean basic means boring – just a launching pad for using ingredients at hand – hopefully from your own garden. I added my red Jimmy Nardello peppers to the Italian pan sauce. Result: a lovely red saucy chicken dish.
I like the cooking instructions that encourage experimentation and innovation!
Thanks!
You are very welcome CM. – RG
This came up on a Google search, and we were so pleased with the French sauce, as well as all the cooking tips! Wouldn’t change a thing! Next Monday we’re going to try the Asian sauce (we do Italian all the time!) My daughter is moving into her own place – I’m going to send her the link to your blog, because your instructions are wonderful!
Thank you Sue and thanks for letting me know. – RG