Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Peach Salsa
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Peach Salsa
2 peaches or nectarines, peeled and cut into small dice (about 1 cup)½ large cucumber (5 to 6 ounces), seeded, and cut into small dice (about ⅔ cup)1 medium plum tomato, seeded and cut into small dice (about ¼ cup)2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded and minced4 teaspoons fresh lime juice from 1 limeTable salt 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon, (or additional lime juice)Chicket Cutlets
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 oilInstructions
- Mix first 6 ingredients for Peach Salsa in a medium bowl (can cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours). Shortly before serving, season the salsa with 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste and set aside at room temperature.
- 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 side 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 possible, and continue with recipe.
- Pour off any remaining chicken fat, set skillet over high heat; add stock and boil until it reduces to 1/3 cup, scraping up browned bits from pan bottom. Add any accumulated chicken juices and reduce sauce to previous consistency; stir in citrus juice. Moisten chicken with pan reduction. Spoon salsa alongside chicken and serve immediately.
Time
50 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Peach Salsa
2 peaches or nectarines, peeled and cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
½ large cucumber (5 to 6 ounces), seeded, and cut into small dice (about ⅔ cup)
1 medium plum tomato, seeded and cut into small dice (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice from 1 lime
Table salt
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon, (or additional lime juice)
Chicket Cutlets
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
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Peach Salsa
2 peaches or nectarines, peeled and cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
½ large cucumber (5 to 6 ounces), seeded, and cut into small dice (about ⅔ cup)
1 medium plum tomato, seeded and cut into small dice (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice from 1 lime
Table salt
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon, (or additional lime juice)
Chicket Cutlets
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
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Peach Salsa
2 peaches or nectarines, peeled and cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
½ large cucumber (5 to 6 ounces), seeded, and cut into small dice (about ⅔ cup)
1 medium plum tomato, seeded and cut into small dice (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice from 1 lime
Table salt
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon, (or additional lime juice)
Chicket Cutlets
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
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
- Mix first 6 ingredients for Peach Salsa in a medium bowl (can cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours). Shortly before serving, season the salsa with 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste and set aside at room temperature.
- 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 side 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 possible, and continue with recipe.
- Pour off any remaining chicken fat, set skillet over high heat; add stock and boil until it reduces to 1/3 cup, scraping up browned bits from pan bottom. Add any accumulated chicken juices and reduce sauce to previous consistency; stir in citrus juice. Moisten chicken with pan reduction. Spoon salsa alongside chicken and serve immediately.
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