We inherited a couple chicken breasts from a friend who was going out of town. He had bought them to cook up the other night but never did so we did what any good friends would do and took them off his hands.

Problem was, I was out of chicken ideas! I searched through my cookbooks and finally found something that sounded tasty yet fairly easy in Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. I altered it a bunch and came up with a very delicious dinner.

Spiced Chicken Breasts with White Wine Sauce

Inspired by Thomas Keller's Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Tarragon, Ad Hoc at Home

• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp Madras curry powder or Yellow curry power
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Canola oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp minced shallot
• 3 tbsp white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions:
Mix together the paprika and curry in a small bowl.  Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Lay the pieces of chicken on a large piece of plastic wrap, cover with a second piece of plastic wrap, and, using a meat pounder, pound to about 1/3 inch thick.

Preheat the oven to 200°F.  Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt.  Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Without crowding, add the chicken to the pan, presentation (smooth) side down, and cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the bottom is golden brown, 2 1/2 minutes.  Turn to the second side and cook until golden, another 2 1/2 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.

Remove the chicken and place on the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.

Pour any remaining oil from the pan and wipe off any burned bits.  Melt one tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for one minute, swirling the pan to coat the shallot with butter.  Pour in the wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until the wine has been reduced by half, about 1 minute.  Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped parsley and remaining tablespoon of butter, and any juices that have accumulated on the baking sheet and swirl to melt the butter.  Season to taste with salt.

Arrange the chicken pieces on plates or a platter and pour the sauce over it.

Serve immediately.


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