Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts
with Sage-Vermouth Sauce Chicken Sage-Vermouth Sauce 1. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold tap water in large container or bowl;
submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 30
minutes. Rinse chicken pieces under running water and pat dry with paper towels.
Season chicken with pepper.
2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat
until beginning to smoke; swirl skillet to coat with oil. Brown chicken
skin-side down until deep golden, about 5 minutes; turn chicken pieces and brown
until golden on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Turn chicken skin-side down
and place skillet in oven. Roast until juices run clear when chicken is cut with
paring knife, or thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant-read
thermometer, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter, and let rest while
making sauce. (If not making sauce, let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.)
4. Using potholder to protect hands from hot skillet handle, pour off most of
fat from skillet; add shallot, then set skillet over medium-high heat and cook,
stirring frequently, until shallot is softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add chicken
broth, vermouth, and sage; increase heat to high and simmer rapidly, scraping
skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until slightly
thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour accumulated
chicken juices into skillet, reduce heat to medium, and whisk in butter 1 piece
at a time; season to taste with salt and pepper and discard sage. Spoon sauce
around chicken breasts and serve immediately.
Serves 4
We prefer to split whole chicken
breasts ourselves because store-bought split chicken breasts are often sloppily
butchered. However, if you prefer to purchase split chicken breasts, try to
choose 10- to 12-ounce pieces with skin intact. If split breasts are of
different sizes, check the smaller ones a few minutes early to see if they are
cooking more quickly, and remove them from the skillet if they are done ahead.
1 cup kosher salt (or 1/2 cup table salt)
2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds each
Ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large shallot, minced (about 4 tablespoons)
3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry vermouth
4 medium fresh sage leaves, each leaf torn in half
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts
with Garlic-Sherry Sauce
Peel 7 medium garlic cloves and
cut crosswise into very thin slices (you should have about 3 tablespoons).
Follow recipe for Pan-Roasted
Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce, substituting sliced garlic for
shallots and cooking garlic until light brown, about 1 1/2 minutes; also
substitute dry sherry for vermouth and 2 sprigs fresh thyme for sage. Add 1/2
teaspoon lemon juice along with salt and pepper.