Chicken with Lemon Sauce

August 29, 2008

Unlike the bay-scented baked potatoes, which have a great name but end up underwhelming in the taste department, “chicken with lemon sauce” combines a soporific (big word!) name with outstanding flavor. It’s odd, even the ingredients in this recipe seem pretty unexciting, but the dish really tastes great.

For this recipe you’ll need a half stick (4 tbsp.) of butter (or 4 tbsp. of olive oil), two leeks, a half cup of dry white wine (I used the cheap cooking white wine from the grocery store), a half cup of chicken stock or water, a half teaspoon of minced fresh thyme or a little bit less of dried thyme, two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (the fresh part is actually pretty important in this dish), salt, and pepper.

Begin by preparing your mise en place. Dice your leeks, chop your chicken into 1″ pieces, and make sure you have all the other ingredients. When you’re ready, put a large skillet over medium heat and melt half your butter (two tablespoons) in it. Add the diced leeks and let them soften for about five minutes.

When the leeks are soft, pour in the wine, stock/water, and your thyme. Let your mixture rise to a boil and let it go for a couple minutes.

When your liquid is boiling, add the chopped chicken, turn down the heat to medium-low, and cover your skillet. Let this simmer for around six minutes, or until the chicken is pretty much cooked through.

Now, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon (annoying, I know) and put it somewhere to stay warm. Turn the heat up to high and let the liquid boil away until there is only about 3/4 of a cup remaining. How can you estimate how much liquid is in a pan? I have no idea, but it should boil for somewhere between five and ten minutes.

When your liquid has reduced, turn the heat back to medium-low and toss in your lemon juice. Then, a little bit at a time, add the remainder of your butter (two tablespoons), stirring it in with each addition.

Mmmmmm….butter. Yeah, it’s good. When all the butter has been incorporated, add salt and pepper to taste, then put your chicken back in the skillet. Stir it around, make sure the chicken is hot, then serve.

Tips

• This dish tastes much better than the recipe and ingredients make it sound. It is just full of lemony-buttery goodness, with a little sweetness of the leeks.
• If you use olive oil instead of butter, make sure you stir it in really well in the final step.
• I have only tasted it using butter, but I don’t think it would be quite as good with the olive oil.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of butter (half a stick, can be replaced with olive oil)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1″ pieces
• 2 leeks, diced and washed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or a little bit less dried
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in it, then add the diced leeks. Cook them until they are soft, around 5 minutes.
2. Add the white wine, stock or water, and thyme. Let it boil for two minutes.
3. Add the chicken, turn the heat to medium-low, and cover the skillet. Let it simmer for around 6 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.
4. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a place where it will stay warm. Turn the heat up to high and let the liquid boil down to about 3/4 of a cup, around 5-10 minutes.
5. When the liquid has been reduced, turn the heat to medium-low. Add the lemon juice, then stir in the remaining butter a little bit at a time.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper then add your chicken back to the skillet. Let it warm up, then serve.

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