Sear-roasted Chicken Breasts with Calvados Cream Sauce Recipe

1. Main Dishes

Ingredients

Brine:
2 quarts water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon black peppercorn, coarsely smashed
8 6-ounce boneless chicken half breasts, skin on

3 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Sauce:
5 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves, torn in half
1/2 cup Calvados
1/2 cup hard cider, such as Ace
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
3 sprigs of thyme
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Methods/Steps

Preheat Oven to 400ºF.

Brine Chicken: Mix water, sugar, salt, bay leaf, garlic and black peppercorns. Immerse chicken in brine and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from brine and pat dry.

Sear Chicken: In a heavy sauté pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin side down and sear on one side; transfer to a sheet pan skin side up.

Make Sauce: Using same pan from chicken, reduce heat to medium and add shallots and bay leaves. Sauté until shallots are translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from burner and add Calvados. Return pan to gas burner and carefully tip pan towards the flame while stepping back, to let the Calvados ignite. When the flame is gone add cider and bring to a boil. Reduce cider mixture by half and add stock, thyme, cream, salt and white pepper. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Set aside until ready to serve.

Roast Chicken: Roast chicken until a knife inserted in the center encounters no resistance or an instant-read thermometer reads 150ºF, about 7-10 minutes. Pour juices that have accumulated in the pan into the sauce and reheat.

Serve: Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Recipe created by Parties That Cook®

Serves/Makes

Serves 8