PanFriedChickenDishes

Chicken in a Skillet
We solve the problem of dry, chalky, run-of-the-mill chicken.
A skillet can turn out hundreds of chicken dinners. For most Americans, chicken breasts are the holy grail of weeknight cooking. (We think thighs are more flavorful, but that's another story.) We like to cook split breasts (with the bones and skin still attached) as well as boneless, skinless cutlets. Adding a quick pan sauce enhances the split breasts, and a coating turns cutlets into something special.

Although these chicken dinners are quick to prepare, they can go terribly wrong. Part of the problem is the chicken itself--the breast meat has very little fat and will become dry and chalky if overcooked. The other major source of trouble is improper cooking methods. If you try to brown skin-on chicken breasts in a nonstick skillet, they won't produce the lovely browned bits that later must flavor the sauce. Likewise, if you use bad technique, it's easy to turn out breaded chicken cutlets that are greasy, soggy, and/or poorly browned. Because Americans eat so much chicken, we decided to tackle these issues with some creativity. The inspired recipes that follow are foolproof and intriguing--a combination that is sure to please, night after night after night.
Almond-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Wilted Spinach-Orange Salad
Serves 4
It should take about 10 seconds to process the almonds into fine crumbs--don't overprocess or the nuts will become oily. If you like, serve with couscous.

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
11⁄4 teaspoons grated zest from 1 orange, zested orange cut into 4 wedges
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup sliced almonds, processed into fine crumbs in the food processor
1⁄2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (5 to 6 ounces each), trimmed and dried thoroughly with paper towels
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 medium oranges, peel and pith removed, and then quartered through the ends and sliced crosswise into 1⁄4-inch-thick pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

1. Lightly beat the eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper together in a shallow dish. Mix the almonds and panko in a separate shallow dish. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip the chicken into the egg mixture using tongs, turning to coat well and allowing excess to drip off. Drop the chicken into the nut mixture and press the nuts into the chicken with your fingers. Transfer the breaded chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the chicken in the skillet gently and cook until golden brown and crisp on the first side, about 21⁄2 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken; reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the meat feels firm when pressed gently, the second side is deep golden brown and crisp, and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and place the plate in the oven. Discard the oil in the skillet and, using tongs and paper towels, wipe the skillet clean.

3. Place the spinach in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the cleaned skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the orange slices and cook until lightly browned around the edges, 11⁄2 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallot, remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon zest, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper and allow residual heat to soften the shallot, 30 seconds. Pour the warm dressing with the oranges over the spinach and toss gently to wilt. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve it immediately with the salad and orange wedges.

Macadamia Nut-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Wilted Spinach-Pineapple Salad
Buy peeled and cored pineapple at the supermarket to save time. Round out the meal with white rice.

Follow the recipe for Almond-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Wilted Spinach-Orange Salad, omitting the mustard. Substitute lime zest and lime wedges for the orange zest and orange wedges and macadamia nuts for the almonds. Substitute 2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 3⁄4-inch dice for the orange slices in step 3, sautéing the pineapple for 2 minutes.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Wilted Spinach-Orange Salad

Serves 4
It should take about 10 seconds to process the almonds into fine crumbs--don't overprocess or the nuts will become oily. If you like, serve with couscous.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Garlic-Sherry Sauce
Peel 7 medium cloves garlic and cut crosswise into very thin slices (you should have about 3 tablespoons). Follow the recipe for Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce, substituting the sliced garlic for the shallots and cooking the garlic until light brown, about 11⁄2 minutes; also, substitute dry sherry for the vermouth and 2 sprigs fresh thyme for the sage. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice along with the salt and pepper.

Serves 4
We prefer to split whole chicken breasts ourselves because store-bought split chicken breasts are often sloppily butchered. However, if you prefer to purchase split chicken breasts, try to choose 10- to 12-ounce pieces with skin intact. If split breasts are of different sizes, check the smaller ones a few minutes early to see if they are cooking more quickly, and remove them from the skillet if they are done ahead.

Chicken
1 cup kosher salt (or 1⁄2 cup table salt)
2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, about 11⁄2 pounds each, split in half along breast bone and trimmed of rib sections
Ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sage-vermouth sauce
1 large shallot, minced (about 4 tablespoons)
3⁄4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1⁄2 cup dry vermouth
4 medium fresh sage leaves, each leaf torn in half
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
Salt and ground black pepper

1. For the chicken: Dissolve the salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large container or bowl; submerge the chicken in the brine and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 30 minutes. Rinse the chicken pieces under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with pepper.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; swirl the skillet to coat with the oil. Brown the chicken skin-side down until deep golden, about 5 minutes; turn the chicken and brown until golden on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Turn the chicken skin-side down and place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the juices run clear when the chicken is cut with a paring knife or the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter, and let it rest while making the sauce. (If you're not making the sauce, let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.)

4. For the sauce: Using a potholder to protect your hands from the hot skillet handle, pour off most of the fat from the skillet; add the shallot, then set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is softened, about 11⁄2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, vermouth, and sage; increase the heat to high and simmer rapidly, scraping the skillet bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3⁄4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour the accumulated chicken juices into the skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time; season to taste with salt and pepper and discard the sage. Spoon the sauce around the chicken breasts and serve immediately.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce
Serves 4

We prefer to split whole chicken breasts ourselves because store-bought split chicken breasts are often sloppily butchered. However, if you prefer to purchase split chicken breasts, try to choose 10- to 12-ounce pieces with skin intact. If split breasts are of different sizes, check the smaller ones a few minutes early to see if they are cooking more quickly, and remove them from the skillet if they are done ahead.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sweet-Tart Red Wine Sauce
This sauce is a variation on the Italian sweet-sour flavor combination called agrodolce.

Follow the recipe for Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce, substituting 1⁄4 cup each red wine and red wine vinegar for the vermouth and 1 bay leaf for the sage leaves. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper to the skillet with the chicken broth.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce

2. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.