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Dazzle them with deglazing

By J.M. HIRSCH, Associated Press
Published January 31, 2007

Anything that simultaneously makes food taste better and your pans easier to clean has got to be a winner.

That's why it's easy to love any skillet recipe that calls for deglazing, a term that refers to adding liquid to a pan near the end of cooking in order to loosen up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom.

The idea is to add just enough liquid to essentially clean the skillet of these flavorful bits, turning them into a sauce to serve with the meal. Hence, the popularity of using wine or broth for deglazing.

Pan sauces also are wonderfully speedy, making them a great way to add tons of flavor to weeknight meals.

For this recipe, quick-cooking chicken breasts are seasoned, then dredged through flour before hitting the skillet. Either buy the breasts thinly sliced, or get traditional breasts and slice them yourself.

Once the chicken breasts are done (about 6 to 7 minutes), they go into a warm oven while you make the sauce.

The chicken is topped with a spicy tomato sauce created by deglazing the pan with chicken broth and vodka. If you'd rather not use the vodka (which leaves a mild, not alcoholic, flavor), an equal amount of broth is fine.

The heat in the sauce comes from diced pickled jalapenos, but this would be easy to vary. Garlic, fresh herbs, shallots or mushrooms would be easy substitutes.

At this point, the chicken can be served as is, topped with the sauce and some fresh cilantro. Or consider returning the chicken to the pan of sauce, topping everything with shredded cheese and popping it under the broiler for a minute.

ENTREE

Spicy Chicken Cutlets

4 thinly sliced chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup vodka

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno peppers

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

- Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a plate and dredge the chicken breasts through it, lightly coating both sides. Set aside.

- In a large skillet heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the breasts and cook 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked through.

- Transfer the chicken to an ovenproof plate and place in the oven to keep warm.

- Return the empty skillet to the burner. Increase heat to high and add the chicken broth and vodka to deglaze the pan. As the liquid bubbles, scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.

- Add half of the lime juice and the jalapenos and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

- In a small glass, mix the cornstarch with the water, then add to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in remaining lime juice.

-Arrange each chicken breast on a plate and top with pan sauce. Garnish with cilantro.

Makes 4 servings.

[Last modified January 30, 2007, 12:16:33]