Try this Pesto Chicken with Velvety Sauce recipe
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- parmesan cheese for garnish
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise. make sure the breasts are uniformly thin. pound thicker parts down with a mallet.
- sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- about 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging and thickening the sauce
- 2 tbsp pesto
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped (reserve a few leaves for garnishing)
- 2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes halved
- Carbohydrate 4.55373937916501 g
- Cholesterol 117.835000003043 mg
- Fat 37.0885500354827 g
- Fiber 0.0924250014704955 g
- Protein 30.625443752718 g
- Saturated Fat 14.0482570050549 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (283g)
- Sodium 251.21156264598 mg
- Sugar 4.46131437769451 g
- Trans Fat 2.1630550010178 g
- Calories 477 calories
Step-by-step
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shake off excess and set aside.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or a saute pan over high heat. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the chicken breast and saute for 2-3 minutes per side, until the chicken is nicely browned and juices run clear. Take the pan off the heat, remove the chicken and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Return the pan to heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter starts to sizzle, add two tablespoons of flour left over from dredging chicken and keep stirring until the flour is well incorporated and looks golden brown.
- Pour the chicken stock and lemon juice into the pan. Return the pan to the heat and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Add the pesto and stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
- Add the sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped basil, and continue sauteing over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until the tomatoes soften up a little.
- Put the chicken breasts back into the pan, spoon the sauce over the chicken breasts, and simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes to bring the chicken back to temperature.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with pasta, rice or steamed vegetables. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and basil leaves.
Why is the flour clumping into raw paste instead of thickening the pan drippings into a smooth emulsion? Achieving a glossy, velvety pan sauce requires strict temperature control and precise timing during the roux-making stage. Cooks frequently rush this process, resulting in a gritty texture and a heavy raw-flour taste that overpowers the aromatic basil and bright lemon juice. Professional kitchens rely on specific thermal cues and careful fat-to-flour ratios to prevent these common failures.
- Pound the chicken cutlets until they reach a uniform three-eighths inch thickness, because uneven meat will overcook on the thin edges before the center reaches a safe 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk the remaining two tablespoons of flour directly into the melted butter over medium heat, cooking the mixture for exactly sixty seconds until it smells nutty and turns pale gold.
- Scrape the bottom of the skillet vigorously with a wooden spatula while pouring in the chicken stock to dissolve the browned fond completely.
