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A quick, easy, and elegant chicken dish that comes together in one pan.
By
Caroline Russock
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Caroline Russock
Caroline Russock is a writer who splits her time between Philadelphia and the Caribbean covering food, travel, leisure, lifestyle, and culture. Her writing is featured in PhillyVoice, Eater, Eater Philly, Serious Eats, and The Tasting Table.
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Updated January 12, 2024
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Why It Works
- Pounding the cutlets ensures a uniform thickness and quicker cooking time.
- A simple pan sauce of wine, stock, and parsley stirred into olive oil and butter creates a dish that's suitable for both dinner parties and casual weeknight meals.
Quick weeknight chicken dinner is one of those recipe topics that never gets old. And a recipe that goes from chicken in the fridge to a satisfying dinner on the table in under 30 minutes? Well, even better. This is exactly why these chicken cutlets with quick pan sauce from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: The Basics are such a keeper.
It's nothing too fancy—just dredge chicken cutlets (or breasts or thighs), crisp them in butter and olive oil, move them to the oven to keep warm, and proceed with the best part of this recipe: the pan sauce. It's kind of amazing how a rich pan sauce can be made by simply scraping the fond, adding a bit of wine, and swirling in a pat of butter at the very end. It's only a matter of minutes, but it's the sauce that really makes the dish.
Finally, here are some ideas from Bittman regarding switching up this cutlet recipe:
- Any Cutlets With Quick Pan Sauce: Try turkey, pork, or veal cutlets or fish fillets here. Cooking times will vary by up to several minutes per side, but the clues for knowing when to turn them and how to recognize doneness remain the same.
- Chicken Cutlets With Balsamic Sauce: In Step 5, stir in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar just before adding the butter.
Reprinted with permission from How to Cook Everything: The Basics by Mark Bittman. Copyright © 2012. Published by Wiley. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.
May 2012
Recipe Details
Quick and Easy Chicken Cutlets With Pan Sauce
Serves4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsleyleaves, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1 lemon, quartered, for serving
Directions
Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C). Put the flour on a plate or in a shallow bowl next to the stove. If necessary, put each cutlet between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to uniform thickness; blot the chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, turn a piece of the chicken in the flour to coat it on all sides; shake off any excess. Add the floured chicken to the pan, then repeat with the next piece; work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan.
Cook, adjusting the heat as needed so that the fat is always bubbling but the chicken doesn’t burn. After 2 minutes, rotate the chicken so that the outside edges are moved toward the center and vice versa (don’t flip them; you want the same side in contact with the fat). When the bottom of each piece is brown, after 3 to 4 minutes, turn them over.
Cook on the second side, adjusting the heat as described in Step 3, until the chicken is firm to the touch but still a bit pink inside, another 3 to 4 minutes. To check for doneness, cut into a piece with a thin-bladed knife and take a peek. Transfer the chicken to an ovenproof platter and put it in the oven.
Add the wine to the skillet, keeping the heat at medium-high. Let it bubble away as you stir and scrape the bottom of the pan, until about half the wine has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the water and continue to stir until the liquid has thickened slightly and reduced to 1/4 cup, another 2 or 3 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet and swirl the pan around until the butter melts; turn off the heat.
Remove the chicken from the oven, and if any juices have accumulated on the platter, add them to the skillet along with the 1/4 cup parsley. Stir, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and serve with the lemon quarters.
Read More
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- Easy Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts With White Wine and Fines Herbes Pan Sauce Recipe
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 397 | Calories |
| 20g | Fat |
| 9g | Carbs |
| 41g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 397 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 20g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat 8g | 39% |
| Cholesterol 131mg | 44% |
| Sodium 748mg | 33% |
| Total Carbohydrate 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
| Total Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 41g | |
| Vitamin C 21mg | 104% |
| Calcium 36mg | 3% |
| Iron 2mg | 12% |
| Potassium 400mg | 9% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
