Sauteed Chicken with Balsamic Sauce

If at first you don’t succeed . . .

You may remember that the recipe for Risotto with Balsamic Chicken and Peas was inspired by a delicious entrée I had in an Italian restaurant on our first anniversary. That risotto dish is delicious. Yet I have wanted to create a recipe that comes closer to that memorable meal.

First I tried marinating chicken breasts in a balsamic sauce and roasting it in the oven. It was too dry. Then I tried marinating the chicken as before, but this time follow that by coating them in bread crumbs and sautéing on the stove top. The bread crumbs got too black, the chicken breasts were not uniformly cooked through, and we could barely taste the balsamic sauce.

On the third try: success! The keys are to make the chicken breasts the same thickness so they sauté uniformly and instead of marinating the chicken in the balsamic sauce, cook the sauce.

Serves 4

Preheat oven to the lowest possible setting. (Our oven has a “warm” setting which is perfect.)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

Trim the fat from the chicken. Put a 1 ½ foot-long piece of plastic wrap on the counter and place one chicken breast on the plastic wrap, four to five inches from the edge. Fold the remaining plastic wrap over the chicken. Using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin, pound out the chicken till it is about ½ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Take one of the flattened chicken breasts and thoroughly coat with flour, being sure to shake off the excess. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken. Cook for 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Place the cooked chicken on an oven-safe platter and keep warm in the oven.

Drain the remaining oil and butter mixutre from the skillet and add the balsamic vinegar mixture. With a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Boil till the mixture is reduced to make a moderately thick sauce.

Remove the chicken from the oven, and drizzle sauce over the chicken.