Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Oaxacan-Style Sauce With Cloves and Cinnamon
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small onion minced, about ½ cup2 - 3 jalapeño chiles (2 large or 3 small), seeded and minced2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (scant)½ cup chicken stock or low salt canned broth1 tablespoon cider vinegar ½ cup crushed pineapple (unsweetened), not drained⅓ cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced thin¼ cup currants or chopped raisins¼ cup crushed tomatoes 1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper on both sides of the cutlets. Measure flour onto a plate or pie tin. Working with one cutlet at a time, press both sides into the flour. Make sure tenderloin is tucked beneath and fused to main porton of breast. Pick up cutlet from tapered end; shake gently to remove excess flour.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed skillet measuring at least 9 inches across bottom. Swirl skillet over high heat until butter has melted. Continue to heat skillet until butter stops foaming and has just begun to color. Lay cutlets in skillet, tenderloin side down.
- Maintain medium high heat, so fat sizzles but does not smoke, and sauté cutlets until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets with tongs (a fork will pierce meat); cook on other size until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a plate, keep warm in oven set at lowest temperature posible, and continue with recipe.
- Without discarding fat, set skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapeños and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, cinnamon, and cloves and cook until garlic softens, about 30 seconds longer. Add stock and vinegar and bring mixture to a boil, scraping bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon to incorporate browned bits. Add pineapple, olives, currants, and tomatoes, increase heat to high and boil sauce, stirring until thick, about 3 minutes.
- Return cutlets to pan, spoon sauce over cutlets. Cover and let cutlets stand over very low heat to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings; transfer cutlets to a plate, spoon sauce over cutlets, and sprinkle with cilantro and optional pine nuts, serve immediately.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion minced, about ½ cup
2 - 3 jalapeño chiles (2 large or 3 small), seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves (scant)
½ cup chicken stock or low salt canned broth
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup crushed pineapple (unsweetened), not drained
⅓ cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced thin
¼ cup currants or chopped raisins
¼ cup crushed tomatoes
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion minced, about ½ cup
2 - 3 jalapeño chiles (2 large or 3 small), seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves (scant)
½ cup chicken stock or low salt canned broth
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup crushed pineapple (unsweetened), not drained
⅓ cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced thin
¼ cup currants or chopped raisins
¼ cup crushed tomatoes
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion minced, about ½ cup
2 - 3 jalapeño chiles (2 large or 3 small), seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves (scant)
½ cup chicken stock or low salt canned broth
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup crushed pineapple (unsweetened), not drained
⅓ cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced thin
¼ cup currants or chopped raisins
¼ cup crushed tomatoes
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our ideal sautéed chicken breast recipe would have to produce chicken with a nicely browned exterior and a tender, juicy interior. Although there are several keys to sautéing boneless chicken breasts correctly, one element was paramount for our sautéed chicken breast recipe: there must be enough heat. Other points we found to be significant were drying the meat thoroughly with paper towels after rinsing under cool water and lightly flouring the cutlets. Flouring serves two purposes: It creates a barrier between the fat in the pan and the moisture in the cutlet so that the fat "spits" less, and it helps to produce a consistently brown and crispy crust.
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper on both sides of the cutlets. Measure flour onto a plate or pie tin. Working with one cutlet at a time, press both sides into the flour. Make sure tenderloin is tucked beneath and fused to main porton of breast. Pick up cutlet from tapered end; shake gently to remove excess flour.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed skillet measuring at least 9 inches across bottom. Swirl skillet over high heat until butter has melted. Continue to heat skillet until butter stops foaming and has just begun to color. Lay cutlets in skillet, tenderloin side down.
- Maintain medium high heat, so fat sizzles but does not smoke, and sauté cutlets until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets with tongs (a fork will pierce meat); cook on other size until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a plate, keep warm in oven set at lowest temperature posible, and continue with recipe.
- Without discarding fat, set skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapeños and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, cinnamon, and cloves and cook until garlic softens, about 30 seconds longer. Add stock and vinegar and bring mixture to a boil, scraping bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon to incorporate browned bits. Add pineapple, olives, currants, and tomatoes, increase heat to high and boil sauce, stirring until thick, about 3 minutes.
- Return cutlets to pan, spoon sauce over cutlets. Cover and let cutlets stand over very low heat to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings; transfer cutlets to a plate, spoon sauce over cutlets, and sprinkle with cilantro and optional pine nuts, serve immediately.
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