Chef Gerry’s Elegant Chicken

This recipe was handed to me by a dear chef friend who insisted I make it! I did and wow! Here are six compelling reasons you should make it, too!

1. It’s delicious
2. It’s nutritious
3. It’s quick and easy to prepare
4. It requires limited ingredients
5. You will impress your guests
6. You will amaze yourself

Chef Gerry’s Elegant Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 (6 oz. each) boneless chicken breasts (use same-sized chicken of even thickness)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra leaves for garnish
• ⅓ cup of chicken broth
• ¼ cup Pinot Grigio (sub with chicken broth if no alcohol is preferred)
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra slices for garnish
• Flour for dusting
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 3 Tablespoons grapeseed oil

Directions:

In a large frying pan, over medium-high heat, heat grapeseed oil until simmering. Meanwhile, dredge the chicken breasts in flour that is seasoned with salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts in the heated pan. Sauté on both sides, about 5 minutes per side, until meat is just cooked through and lightly golden on the outside. Remove chicken breasts from pan. Place them on a plate and tent them with foil to keep them warm. Pour out most of the oil, leaving the brown bits in the pan. Add the wine while scraping up the brown bits. Bring to a boil until wine is reduced in half. Reduce heat slightly and add the basil and chicken broth. Simmer until reduced by one-third. Return chicken breasts to pan and reheat meat. Add the fresh lemon juice over the chicken. Place chicken on a serving platter and garnish with fresh basil leaves and lemon slices.  

Serving accompaniments: Serve over your favorite pasta along with a salad and crusty loaf of bread.

Note: When doubling the recipe, cook the chicken in batches to avoid overfilling the pan so that it cooks adequately.

Chef Gerry’s tips:

This recipe requires clean boneless chicken fillets, so it’s best to remove fat or anything undesirable ahead of cooking. Since thin chicken cooks quicker than thicker parts, you’ll want to buy similar-sized chicken pieces of even thickness. A butcher can sell you this. If that option is unavailable, simply even out the chicken pieces yourself to ensure it all cooks at the same rate. This may be done in several ways, including flattening the thicker parts with a meat mallet or partly slicing and unfolding the thicker parts open. Note that cooking times may vary depending upon the thickness of the chicken breasts. For doneness, use an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the breast meat. Internal temperature should read 165 degrees F when completely cooked.

More good stuff to know!

Note that grapeseed oil is preferred by chefs due to its high smoke point. However, you may substitute the grapeseed oil with light olive oil if preferred. Per bon appétit, light olive oil is simply extra-virgin olive oil processed with heat to neutralize its flavor. “Unlike EVOO, this olive oil has a more neutral taste and lighter color as well as a higher smoke point of 465-470°, making it suitable for high-heat cooking.” Light olive oil is generally cheaper than extra virgin olive oil, so it can be used as the base of economically made vinaigrettes, too.