French Chicken with Herbs
This is a simple, delicious chicken recipe and a family favorite for over 20 years. The sauce is optional, but goes great with egg noodles.
This is a simple, delicious chicken recipe and a family favorite for over 20 years. The sauce is optional, but goes great with egg noodles.
- Carbohydrate 3.912264 g
- Cholesterol 112.4275 mg
- Fat 33.52803 g
- Fiber 0.193449993133545 g
- Protein 7.6881428 g
- Saturated Fat 19.290473 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (114g)
- Sodium 199.2437 mg
- Sugar 3.71881400686646 g
- Trans Fat 2.232879 g
- Calories 357 calories
Step-by-step
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste on one side. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium high heat and add the chicken, seasoned side down. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the other side.Cook for 3 minutes and turn, cook for another 3 minutes.
- Turn the chicken pieces again, and sprinkle the garlic in among the pieces. Crush the thyme between your fingers and sprinkle over the chicken. Add the bay leaf so that it is in contact with the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cook covered for 12-18 minutes, turning occasionally. You may want to remove the cover for the last 5 minutes or so if there seems to be too much liquid in the pan.
- Remove the chicken pieces to a serving dish and cover to keep warm. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Remove the garlic to serve on the side. Turn the heat up to medium and add the wine, stirring to dissolve any residue from the chicken.
- As the wine boils, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the shallots. Swirl together and cook until the wine is reduced by half.
- Add the whipping cream and stir to heat through, seasoning with salt and pepper as you like.
Fat Selection And Skillet Mechanics
Replacing butter with neutral oil alters the searing dynamics entirely because milk solids in butter brown quickly at medium-high heat. Heavy-gauge stainless steel or cast iron pans retain heat effectively, ensuring the chicken skin renders its fat without sticking. Sear pieces for exactly 3 minutes per side to develop a golden crust before introducing aromatics. Crushing dried thyme between your palms releases essential oils trapped in the cellular structure far better than sprinkling whole leaves directly into the pan.Aromatic Integration And Reduction
Fresh shallots provide a sharper, more pungent sulfur compound profile than standard yellow onions, influencing the final pan sauce significantly. Deglazing the skillet requires dry white wine with high acidity to dissolve the fond without scorching the garlic cloves. Boiling the wine until it reduces by half concentrates the natural sugars and acids before the heavy whipping cream goes in. Swirling the remaining tablespoon of cold butter into the hot liquid emulsifies the fat and liquid into a glossy, cohesive coating.Scaling And Equipment Constraints
Doubling this batch demands a wider surface area to prevent crowding, which traps steam and prevents the skin from crisping properly. Crowding forces the chicken to braise rather than sear, altering the final texture of the poultry. Single-burner setups handle four portions comfortably in a standard 12-inch skillet without dropping the pan temperature below the threshold needed for reduction.
