“Please No More Dry Chicken” (Pan Roasted Chicken Recipe & Bourbon Mustard Sauce)
This is a recipe to save you from all those other dry chicken breast recipes you’ve felt compelled to eat when trying to lose weight.
Why I Like It
Too many weight loss diets make you eat too much friggin’ chicken. It quickly gets to the point where you’re just over it.
I’ve been at a place in my life (more than once) where, instead of eating another dry chicken breast, I’d rather eat the plate it’s sitting on.
It sucks because when it comes to low calorie, high protein food options, chicken breast is hard to beat.
This recipe saves the day.
Even if you’re no good at cooking chicken and you overdo it, the sauce helps make up for it.
Since you’re making it at home, you can control how much of the sauce you use. It’s not super high calorie, but you can go light on it if you’re trying to lose weight — it’ll still make it yummy.
I could literally drink this sauce. It’s that good.
But don’t take my word for it. Go give it a try yourself…
Ingredients
2 whole chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F. Pat chicken breasts dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an oven-safe medium stainless steel skillet over high heat until just starting to smoke. Carefully lay chicken breasts into hot skillet. Cook without moving until outside is deep golden brown and very crisp, about 6 minutes. Carefully flip chicken breasts and transfer skillet to the oven.
2. While the chicken roasts, add stock to a liquid measuring cup and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Set aside.
3. Cook chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breasts registers 150°F, about 7 to 12 minutes. (Using a thermometer is key in keeping breasts moist. Do not overcook!) Remove skillet from oven and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Set aside to rest while you make the pan sauce.
4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet and place over high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bourbon and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the mustard and the stock/gelatin mixture and cook on high heat until sauce is reduced by about two-thirds, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in butter, soy sauce, and lemon juice and cook at a hard boil until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Garnish with parsley into the pan sauce. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
PRO TIP: I’ve skipped the gelatin step when I was short on time and it turned out great.
Adapted from Serious Eats.
