Name: Fennel and Mustard Pan Sauce
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 medium shallot (about 3 tablespoons); 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine; 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves; 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Why This Recipe Works

For a chicken breast recipe with flavorful, moist, and tender meat, we gently parcooked boneless, skinless breasts in the oven, then seared them on the stovetop. Salting the chicken breasts helped keep them moist, as did cooking them covered in the oven. To get a crisp, even crust for our chicken breast recipe, and to keep the meat moist and tender, we turned to a Chinese technique called velveting, dipping the partially cooked chicken in a protective coating of oil and cornstarch.

Instructions

Add shallot and fennel seeds to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until shallot is softened and browned around edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add broth and vermouth, 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 mustard, tarragon, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken and serve immediately.