It's been a bit since Chef Matteo has graced these pages and so without further ado... I give you. The Chef.
Or pan-seared chicken and rosemary with a white wine butter sauce (vin blanc au beurre).
Okay I put the French term after what it technically is because I don't want to sound too pretentious. If you want to sound fancy throw that out there but I usually don't. The owner of this blog yells "MATT YOU SOUND LIKE A FOODIE SNOB AND A DAMN FOOL." [I resent that I only call him a foodie snob. never a fool.]
Please, please do not let the name throw you that this is too difficult. If you can sear (cook in hot oil and remove just before burning) chicken in a pan and use a whisk, spoon, shovel or garden hoe you should be okay.
So here it is... Like all recipes I usually find them after I spend days at a time funneling through Pinterest posts trying to find something amazing, new, or something that I haven't done yet.
2 chicken breasts or 4 thighs - bone and skin really add to the flavor of this one
4 cloves garlic, minced or throw them through a garlic press
3/4 cup dry white wine - I always use Chardonnay because I have at least one bottle or box open at any moment in the house
½ cup chicken stock or broth
Rosemary - if you really want to class it up, use fresh - I have to be honest I usually use dried - shhhh it is our secret
2 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half
Half stick of butter cut into 4 - one tablespoon sections
First and foremost pour out your wine for the chicken, than fill an entire wine glass full of the same wine, sip and repeat during cooking. This is called wine math, kind of like bacon math - always and I mean always make more because you know damn well you will be eating/drinking some.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat your ovenproof pan (aluminum/cast iron) over medium high heat. Add a little oil and throw the chicken in skin side down. Cook for approx 8 minutes, flip and cook for 8 minutes in other side. Now comes mind-eff moment if you have people over that don't cook much - throw that pan into the oven (I have people literally stop what they are doing and say "hey dummy wtf?" To which I reply with another pour of wine).
At this moment let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes depending on the thickness or until it reaches an internal "safe" temp of 165 degrees. During this "wait" period, see that glass with the gold liquid beside the tongs? Yeah - put that to your mouth.
Before you read further STOP AND DO NOT READ AHEAD WITHOUT READING THIS (I can't make this more clear - you will thank me) After the chicken is cooked through remove the pan from the oven with a hot pad and LEAVE THE HOT PAD ON THE HANDLE (ever see Home Alone where Harry grabs the hot doorknob???? Yeah I have had "Cuisinart" burnt into my hand before) put the chicken on a plate and cover with foil.
In the pan add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Than add the wine (the one you measured out not the wine in your glass) to deglaze. Scrape the bottom with a whisk and stir until the wine has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half again.
Sip wine.
Take the pan off the heat and add the heavy cream or half and half - stir. Add the first tablespoon of butter and return to heat. Add the remaining tablespoons of butter, melting and stirring each one before the next is added.
Turn the heat off and add the chicken back to the pan and toss in the sauce.
Done and done - hopefully you need a wine refill by now.
And it was good. I know a food photographer I am not and so it does not do the food justice. But yum. Also? He made a vegetable but through no fault of his own it ended up upside down on the floor. Ahem. I had nothing to do with it.
No really. I didn't.
