Sautéed Chicken Cutlets with Mustard-Cider Sauce

Ainekset

CHICKEN

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed and breasts trimmed

Table salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

MUSTARD-CIDER SAUCE

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)

1¼ cups apple cider

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons whole grain mustard

2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Table salt and ground black pepper

Ohjeet

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Halve the chicken horizontally, then cover the chicken halves with plastic wrap and use a meat pounder to pound the cutlets to an even ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place four cutlets in the skillet and cook without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the cutlets and continue to cook until the second sides are opaque, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to a large heatproof plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the now-empty skillet and repeat to cook the remaining cutlets. Cover the plate loosely with foil and transfer it to the oven to keep warm while making the sauce.

2. FOR THE SAUCE: Off the heat, add the oil and shallot to the hot skillet. Using residual heat, cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 30 seconds. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and add the cider and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Simmer until reduced to ½ cup, 6 to 7 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the mustard and parsley; whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with the cutlets.

Muistiinpanot

To make slicing the chicken easier, freeze it for 15 minutes.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Sautéed superthin cutlets are satisfying midweek fare, except when they are tough and dry. We wanted juicy, ultrathin sautéed chicken cutlets, paired with a sauce that complements, rather than overpowers, the meat.

For evenly sized cutlets, we took a two-step approach. We halved the chicken breasts horizontally before pounding them to an even thickness under plastic wrap. Halving and pounding the breasts ensured that they cooked at the same rate, and turned out moist, tender, and juicy. To further ensure that the cutlets were juicy, we browned them on only one side. And for the sauce, we kept the flavors simple, relying on the sweet, tangy combination of apple cider and cider vinegar complemented with the kick of whole-grain mustard.