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Sauteed Chicken Breast Cutlets in Mustard and Cream Sauce with Endive and Caraway

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 19, 2011

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Sauteed Chicken Breast Cutlets in Mustard and Cream Sauce with Endive and Caraway

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 oil

Sauce

1 medium head endive, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices2 medium shallots, minced2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon caraway seeds ½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth½ cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Salt and ground black pepper

Before You Begin

To minimize the amount of time the cutlets wait in the oven, prepare the sauce ingredients before sautéing the chicken.

Instructions

    for the chicken

  1. 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.
  2. for the sauce

  3. Set skillet over medium heat. Add endive and shallots; sauté until softened and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cider vinegar and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Add caraway seeds, stock, and cream; increase heat to medium-high and boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in Dijon mustard; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.
Sauteed Chicken Breast Cutlets in Mustard and Cream Sauce with Endive and Caraway

Sauteed Chicken Breast Cutlets in Mustard and Cream Sauce with Endive and Caraway

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

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

1 medium head endive, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
2 medium shallots, minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
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

1 medium head endive, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
2 medium shallots, minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
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

1 medium head endive, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
2 medium shallots, minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
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

    for the chicken

  1. 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.
  2. for the sauce

  3. Set skillet over medium heat. Add endive and shallots; sauté until softened and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cider vinegar and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon. Add caraway seeds, stock, and cream; increase heat to medium-high and boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in Dijon mustard; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over cutlets; serve immediately.

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