Sautéed Boneless Chicken Breasts with Brown Bay Butter

Chicken:
- 4 boned chicken breasts (approximately ½ pound each), skin on, split in half to make 8 half-breast cutlets
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh savory
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups Chicken Stock or 4 cups high-quality canned low-sodium chicken broth, reduced to 2 cups
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon high-quality sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
This is an extremely easy dish to prepare, with a flavor far out of proportion to the effort involved.
- Toss the chicken breasts in a large bowl with the shallots, savory, thyme, lemon zest, and 4 tablespoons vegetable oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Since the cutlets will cook so quickly, it’s a good idea to make the sauce first. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan and let it cook until there’s only ½ cup left.
- While the stock is reducing, melt the butter with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter just turns brown, 4 to 5 minutes; take care that it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
- Combine the bay butter and reduced stock in a blender and blend until they’re completely mixed. Transfer to a small saucepan and add the vinegar and capers and season with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F.
- Remove the chicken cutlets from the marinade; do not scrape off the marinade. Set the bowl aside. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. If you have the good fortune to have two large sauté pans, heat a second one with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. If you’re using only one pan, you’ll have to cook the cutlets in two batches. When the oil is hot, add 4 cutlets to each pan, skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the cutlets and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until cooked through. If some of the cutlets are smaller or thinner and cook faster, remove them from the pan and put them on a platter in the oven. If you’re relying on a digital thermometer, it should read 160°F when inserted into the center of the meat when it’s done. Remove the chicken, scrape any leftover shallots out of the marinade bowl into the pan, and cook until caramelized. Sprinkle over the chicken breasts.
- Serve immediately, with the warm bay butter.