Name: Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Tomato, Thyme and White Wine Vinegar
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat and prepared according to illustrations below; vegetable oil; Salt and ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons); 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar; 6 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; Salt and ground black pepper

Why This Recipe Works

Finding that most sautéed chicken cutlet recipes produced dry, bland, tough chicken coated with a dull sauce, we were determined to produce a chicken cutlet recipe that would guarantee juicy, flavorful results. For even cooking, we halved the breasts horizontally before pounding for consistent size. Then we pounded the breasts between layers of plastic wrap sprinkled with oil, giving the chicken a veneer that shielded it as it cooked, ensuring a moist result. Our full-flavored chicken cutlet sauce recipes were inspired by French classics.

Before You Begin

The cutlets will be easier to slice in half if you freeze them for about 15 minutes.

Instructions

for the chicken

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking; place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to large heatproof plate. Add 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and repeat to cook remaining cutlets. Cover plate loosely with foil and transfer to oven to keep warm while making sauce.

for the sauce

Off heat, add 2 teaspoons oil, shallot, and tomato paste to hot skillet; using residual heat, cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 30 seconds. Set skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken broth, vinegar, light brown sugar, and thyme; bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 6 to 7 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; serve immediately with cutlets.