America’s most versatile meat, hands down, is chicken. Getting even more specific, it’s the chicken breast.
Using the same cut – the chicken breast – one can produce an almost endless number of main courses. In this column, let’s see how many I can give you before my editor deletes whole paragraphs for the sake of space in the rest of the publication. Because I can go on and on and on…
For our purposes here, we’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and each will weigh in at an average of six ounces, which means that the whole breast has been cut in half – two portions, as it were.
Chicken Francaise: Pound the breasts to a uniform thickness of 1/4-inch between sheets of plastic wrap. Dredge in beaten egg and flour. Sauté in butter/olive oil mix. Make a pan sauce with additional butter, white wine and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Chicken Saltimbocca: Slice the breast horizontally, nearly in half to create a pocket. Sear each side in olive oil/butter mix. Let breasts cool. Stuff with a slice of Provolone cheese, a slice of prosciutto, and a fresh sage leaf. Finish cooking in a 350º oven, and make a pan sauce by deglazing with vermouth; add butter, chicken stock or broth, chopped sage leaves and reduce by half.
Chicken Piccata: Pound the chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness and dredge in flour. Sauté sliced green onions and minced garlic for about a minute. Remove from the pan. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the chicken breasts until they are nicely golden on each side. Return the sautéed green onions and garlic to the pan and add chicken broth, white wine, sherry and lemon juice. Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced by about half. Add capers.
Chicken Dijon: Pound chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thick. Heat butter and sauté chicken in a single layer until lightly browned. Lower the heat to and remove the chicken after browning and place on a plate to keep warm. Melt more butter in the same skillet. Add diced onion and cook until tender. Add white wine and Dijon mustard; simmer until reduced by one half. Add cream and simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the sauce, and return it to the pan and then add dried rosemary, thyme and tarragon.
Chicken Parmesan: Pound breasts to 1/4-inch thickness; dredge flour, beaten egg and a combination of seasoned breadcrumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Sauté until golden on each side. Remove from the pan; make a basic marinara style tomato sauce in the same pan. Place chicken in a glass baking dish; drape each with a slice of mozzarella cheese and top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan on top; bake in a 350º oven until cheese is melted.
Chicken Marbella: Sauté until browned and remove to keep warm. Add minced garlic to the pan. Off heat, add vermouth, chicken broth, dark brown sugar, halved prunes, chopped green olives, capers and oregano. Season sauce with salt and pepper taste. Whisk in flour to help thicken sauce. Add back browned chicken breasts to finish cooking.
Chicken Pomodoro a la Vodka: Season chicken with salt and pepper then dust with flour. Sauté in olive oil, transfer to a platter and pour off fat from pan. Deglaze pan with vodka away from flame and cook until vodka is nearly gone. Add chicken broth and lemon juice and return chicken to pan and cook each side for one minute. Transfer to a warm plate. Finish the sauce with chopped tomatoes and heavy cream. Heat through, and then pour over the chicken. Garnish with sliced green onions.
There you have a week’s worth of chicken with enough variation to make a difference. It’s not likely you’d serve chicken every night of the week. But these are good to have in your arsenal of recipes that will help you solve the age-old nightly question: “What’s for dinner?”
When you’re out of ideas, reach for the chicken breasts.