Sauteed Chicken Breast Cutlets in Sweet and Sour Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes and Cilantro
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 19, 2011
Time
35 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughlySalt and ground black pepper ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oilSauce
2 medium shallots, minced½ jalapeño chile, minced1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 6 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves Salt and ground black pepperBefore You Begin
To minimize the amount of time the cutlets wait in the oven, prepare the sauce ingredients before sautéing the chicken.
Instructions
- Generously season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper and dredge one at a time in flour placed in a shallow dish; shake gently to remove excess flour and set aside. Heat butter and vegetable oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat, swirling to melt butter. When foam subsides and butter begins to color, place cutlets in skillet, skinned side up. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté without moving until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets over and cook on other side until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Leaving fat in skillet, transfer cutlets to plate, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in 200-degree oven while preparing the sauce.
- Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, chile, and cumin; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sugar and cook until shallots begin to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and orange and lime juices; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.
for the chicken
for the sauce
Time
35 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce
2 medium shallots, minced
½ jalapeño chile, minced
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce
2 medium shallots, minced
½ jalapeño chile, minced
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce
2 medium shallots, minced
½ jalapeño chile, minced
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
Why This Recipe Works
Nothing dresses up a chicken breast recipe like a quick pan sauce. We found that the best way to create a flavorful sauce was to make use of the fond, those bits of meat and traces of juice that caramelize on the pan surface during cooking and are loaded with flavor. The easiest way to release that flavor into a sauce was to use a liquid to lift off and dissolve the fond in a process known as deglazing. We used wine, water, juice, brandy, stock, vinegar, or a combination thereof to create a variety of flavorful pan sauces, boiling down the liquid to reduce and thicken.
Before You Begin
To minimize the amount of time the cutlets wait in the oven, prepare the sauce ingredients before sautéing the chicken.
Instructions
- Generously season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper and dredge one at a time in flour placed in a shallow dish; shake gently to remove excess flour and set aside. Heat butter and vegetable oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat, swirling to melt butter. When foam subsides and butter begins to color, place cutlets in skillet, skinned side up. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté without moving until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets over and cook on other side until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Leaving fat in skillet, transfer cutlets to plate, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in 200-degree oven while preparing the sauce.
- Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Set skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, chile, and cumin; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sugar and cook until shallots begin to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and orange and lime juices; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.
for the chicken
for the sauce
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