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Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Sherry, Red Pepper, and Toasted Garlic Pan Sauce

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 18, 2011

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Sherry, Red Pepper, and Toasted Garlic Pan Sauce

Ingredients

Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, trimmed of excess fat, halved horizontally, and pounded ¼-inch thick (see note above)Salt and ground black pepper 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)1 teaspoon all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon paprika ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth ½ cup dry sherry plus an additional 1 teaspoon¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and cut into ¼-inch dice½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter Salt and ground black pepper

Before You Begin

The chicken breasts will be easier to slice in half if you freeze them for 15 minutes. To slice in half, place one hand on top of the breast to secure it, hold a chef's knife parallel to the cutting board, and slice through the middle of the breast horizontally.

Instructions

    for the chicken

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to large ovensafe plate. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and repeat to cook remaining cutlets. Cover plate loosely with foil and transfer to oven to keep warm while making pan sauce.
  2. for the sauce

  3. Add oil to empty skillet used to cook chicken and return pan to low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Add flour and paprika; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add broth and 1/2 cup sherry; increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to 3/4 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in any accumulated chicken juices; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in peppers, thyme, butter, and remaining teaspoon sherry; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over cutlets and serve immediately.
Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Sherry, Red Pepper, and Toasted Garlic Pan Sauce

Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Sherry, Red Pepper, and Toasted Garlic Pan Sauce

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, trimmed of excess fat, halved horizontally, and pounded ¼-inch thick (see note above)
Salt and ground black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon paprika
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry sherry plus an additional 1 teaspoon
¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and cut into ¼-inch dice
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Salt and ground black pepper

Ingredients

Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, trimmed of excess fat, halved horizontally, and pounded ¼-inch thick (see note above)
Salt and ground black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon paprika
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry sherry plus an additional 1 teaspoon
¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and cut into ¼-inch dice
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Salt and ground black pepper

Ingredients

Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed, trimmed of excess fat, halved horizontally, and pounded ¼-inch thick (see note above)
Salt and ground black pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon paprika
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry sherry plus an additional 1 teaspoon
¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and cut into ¼-inch dice
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Salt and ground black pepper

Why This Recipe Works

To create a low-fat version of classic French chicken pan sauces, we added a teaspoon of flour to the aromatics as a thickener, which allowed us to cut back on butter. For a final blast of flavor, we added an acidic ingredient to our chicken cutlet pan sauce recipe.

Before You Begin

The chicken breasts will be easier to slice in half if you freeze them for 15 minutes. To slice in half, place one hand on top of the breast to secure it, hold a chef's knife parallel to the cutting board, and slice through the middle of the breast horizontally.

Instructions

    for the chicken

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to large ovensafe plate. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and repeat to cook remaining cutlets. Cover plate loosely with foil and transfer to oven to keep warm while making pan sauce.
  2. for the sauce

  3. Add oil to empty skillet used to cook chicken and return pan to low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Add flour and paprika; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add broth and 1/2 cup sherry; increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to 3/4 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in any accumulated chicken juices; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in peppers, thyme, butter, and remaining teaspoon sherry; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over cutlets and serve immediately.

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