Chicken with Garlic Sauce
Serves 4
Printable Version
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the flour, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan set on medium-high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken breasts to the pan, skin-side-down, and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking dish, skin-side-up, and cook for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven.
While the chicken is baking, add the remaining olive oil to the saute pan used for browning the chicken and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and onion and cook until the onion softens and the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the wine into the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Boil the wine until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and boil until reduced by half, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter-flour mixture, stirring until it has melted completely. Return the pan to the heat and boil for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To serve, place the chicken breasts on serving plates, top with the sauce and a sprinkle of the chopped parsley.
Cook's Tip:
Chicken Breasts - Boneless chicken breasts with the skin on are normally not available at your grocery. You'll have to purchase bone-in chicken breasts and bone them at home, or ask your butcher to do it. I like leaving the skin on because it gives the breast a nice golden finish, as well as ensuring a more moist finished product. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used, but the finished product may be drier. Be careful not to overcook them. If you use breasts with the bone-in, the cooking time will be longer.
Thickening Sauces - The butter-flour paste used in this recipe, known as beurre manie, is an ideal last minute thickener for sauces. For each cup of sauce, mix 1 tablespoon each of flour and soft butter to a smooth paste with a spoon or rubber spatula. This mixture can be made ahead and refrigereated until needed.
To make the sauce, remove the pan of hot liquid to be thickened from the heat and stir in the butter-flour paste until completely melted. Return the pan to the heat and boil briefly, until thickened.
Wine Suggestion - Cabernet Franc
