March 2025
Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2024
I have used the cold-start method for steak and for pork chops. This straightforward technique is my go-to method for cooking steak. So when a recipe was published using this technique for chicken breasts I immediately want to try it.
The recipe is for chicken breast plus a mustard and caraway pan sauce. A boneless, skinless chicken breast was pounded to about ½-inch thick, brushed with vegetable oil, and sprinkled with kosher salt. It was placed in a cold nonstick skillet then cooked over high heat (8 on our stove) for 2 minutes. The breast was flipped and cooked for another 2 minutes. The heat was reduced to medium (4) and the meat was flipped every 2 minutes until the internal temperature read 155°. It was rested under a loose foil tent for 10 minutes. While the chicken rested the pan sauce was made. Chopped shallot was cooked on medium heat in olive oil until lightly golden. Chicken broth was added and simmered on medium-high heat to reduce it to about 2 tablespoons. Cream and chicken juices were stirred in and reduced slightly. Dijon mustard and ground (mortar and pestle) caraway seeds were stirred into the sauce. Total time to make this dish was about 45 minutes.
This is a good chicken dish. Cooking the chicken this way couldn't be much easier. The sauce, which was also easy to make, tasted good and it was a good accompaniment to what is a lean and rather bland protein. We shared one chicken breast and had enough sauce left over for another. It was quick enough for a weeknight meal. The web site also has a recipe for a cherry and rosemary pan sauce and I could see using barbecue sauce, too.
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