Sautéed chicken cutlets with a quick pan sauce make an ideal weeknight meal, and with a few tweaks, we perfected the classic. Most recipes call for browning the chicken before building the sauce, but we found that the thin cutlets overcooked and became dry as they sat while the sauce simmered. Bucking tradition, we first make the sauce and then dredge and brown the chicken. Mushrooms, peppers, shallots, garlic, and capers make for a flavorful sauce, finished with butter for silky texture and parsley for freshness.

Source

Cook’s Country, April/May 2014

Equipment

  • 12-inch nonstick skillet
  • Meat mallet
  • Plastic wrap

Ingredients

  • 3 (6 to 8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin matchsticks
  • 1 shallot, sliced thin
  • ¼ cup capers, rinsed
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Preparation

Prep Chicken

  • Working with 1 breast at a time, starting on thick side, cut breasts in half horizontally.
  • Using meat mallet, gently pound each cutlet into even ½" thickness between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
  • Pat cutlets dry with paper towels.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Set aside.

Cook Vegetables

  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
  • Add mushrooms, bell pepper, shallot, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until liquid has evaporated and vegetables begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add capers and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add broth and wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.
  • Cook until slightly thickened and mixture is reduced to 2 cups (measured with vegetables), about 8 minutes.
  • Set aside.

Cook Chicken

  • Spread flour in shallow dish.
  • Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off excess, and transfer to plate.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
  • Add 3 cutlets and cook until golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
  • Transfer to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
  • Repeat with remaining 3 cutlets and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Finish

  • Discard any oil remaining in skillet.
  • Return sauce to now-empty skillet and bring to boil.
  • Once boiling, remove skillet from heat and whisk in butter.
  • Stir in any accumulated juices from platter.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Spoon sauce and vegetables over chicken.
  • Serve.