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Your Guide to Better Chicken Breasts
Recipe
55 min

Cold-Start Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Cherry and Rosemary Pan Sauce

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Cold-Start Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Cherry and Rosemary Pan Sauce
Author: Steve Dunn

Recipe By Steve Dunn

Published on August 27, 2026

Don't stop at perfectly seared chicken—use the flavorful fond to build a jewel-toned pan sauce with cherries and rosemary.

Time

55 min

Yield

Serves 4

Why This Recipe Works

With just a few modifications to our tried-and-true “cold-sear” cooking method, we've added boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the list of proteins that cook up beautifully with the technique. Gently flattening the thick part of the breast with a meat pounder encouraged even cooking, while lightly brushing oil on both sides of the breast allowed for even browning without causing splattering. We put the oiled chicken in an unheated, dry skillet; set it over high heat; and flipped it regularly. Flipping the breasts frequently meant that the meat gently cooked from the outside in: The exterior slowly developed a deep, brown crust while the interior remained juicy. Removing the chicken from the pan when it reached 155 degrees and letting it rest for 10 minutes to climb to a 165-degree serving temperature allowed time for whipping up a tasty pan sauce.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Cherry and Rosemary Pan Sauce

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallot
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
5 ounces frozen sweet cherries, thawed and halved (½ cup)
2 teaspoons water
½ teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image

    For the Chicken

  1. Gently pound thicker end of each breast until ½ inch thick. Pat breasts dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of breasts with oil and evenly sprinkle each breast with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
    Recipe Tip
    For the best results, buy similar-size chicken breasts weighing up to 10 ounces. If using breasts that weigh 10 to 12 ounces, cook only three and increase the cooking time in step 3 to 9 to 12 minutes and slice the chicken for serving. We don't recommend using breasts larger than 12 ounces here as their exteriors will toughen before they cook through. This recipe was developed with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, use only 1½ teaspoons.
  2. Place breasts, skinned side down, in 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet, arranging narrow parts of breasts opposite wider parts. Place skillet over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Flip breasts and cook on second side for 2 minutes (there should be light browning).
  3. Flip breasts; reduce heat to medium; and continue to cook, flipping breasts every 2 minutes, until exterior is well browned and thickest part of breast registers 155 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer breasts, skinned side up, to platter; tent with foil; and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

    4. For the Pan Sauce

  4. Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently, until shallot is softened and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add wine, vinegar, and sugar and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by half and shallots are tender, about 5 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    A Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir would work well here. If desired, fresh thyme can be substituted for the rosemary.
  5. Stir in cherries and any accumulated chicken juices and cook for 2 minutes. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over chicken and serve.

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Using Wet or Dry Brines with Chicken Breasts

Cold-Start Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Cherry and Rosemary Pan Sauce

Recipe By Steve Dunn

Published on August 27, 2026

Time

55 min

Yield

Serves 4

Cold-Start Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Cherry and Rosemary Pan Sauce

Ingredients

For the Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed2 tablespoons vegetable oil2 teaspoons kosher salt

Cherry and Rosemary Pan Sauce

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil2 tablespoons minced shallot½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary1 cup dry red wine2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons sugar5 ounces frozen sweet cherries, thawed and halved (½ cup)2 teaspoons water½ teaspoon cornstarch2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

Instructions

    For the Chicken

  1. Gently pound thicker end of each breast until ½ inch thick. Pat breasts dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of breasts with oil and evenly sprinkle each breast with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
    Recipe Tip
    For the best results, buy similar-size chicken breasts weighing up to 10 ounces. If using breasts that weigh 10 to 12 ounces, cook only three and increase the cooking time in step 3 to 9 to 12 minutes and slice the chicken for serving. We don't recommend using breasts larger than 12 ounces here as their exteriors will toughen before they cook through. This recipe was developed with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, use only 1½ teaspoons.
  2. Place breasts, skinned side down, in 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet, arranging narrow parts of breasts opposite wider parts. Place skillet over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Flip breasts and cook on second side for 2 minutes (there should be light browning).
  3. Flip breasts; reduce heat to medium; and continue to cook, flipping breasts every 2 minutes, until exterior is well browned and thickest part of breast registers 155 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer breasts, skinned side up, to platter; tent with foil; and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

    4. For the Pan Sauce

  4. Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently, until shallot is softened and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add wine, vinegar, and sugar and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by half and shallots are tender, about 5 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    A Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir would work well here. If desired, fresh thyme can be substituted for the rosemary.
  5. Stir in cherries and any accumulated chicken juices and cook for 2 minutes. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over chicken and serve.
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