Chicken Breasts with Lemon

This lemon chicken is the kind of recipe that has earned French bistros their reputation: simple pan-seared chicken breasts with a bright, quickly-built pan sauce that takes shallots, garlic, fresh thyme, lemon, and broth and turns them into something that tastes considerably more elegant than 30 minutes of weeknight cooking suggests.

The technique of pouring off the cooking oil before building the sauce is the move that separates pro cooks from amateurs. That oil has done its job (it browned the chicken and developed fond on the pan bottom), but leaving it in turns the finished sauce greasy and dull. Pour it off, keep the chicken in the pan, and build the sauce on the fond underneath.

Dredging the chicken in seasoned flour serves two purposes. It gives the chicken a golden crust, and the flour residue thickens the pan sauce naturally without needing cornstarch or roux. The little browned bits scraped off the pan bottom (the fond) are pure concentrated flavor.

Fresh thyme on the stem is preferable here, but the recipe smartly hedges with a teaspoon of dried as well. Both work together because dried thyme contributes earthy depth while fresh adds bright top notes. The whole sprigs come out before serving but the dried thyme dissolves into the sauce.

Chef Tips

• Pound the chicken to an even thickness, about half an inch, before flouring. Even thickness means even cooking and no risk of dry edges.
• The pan should be heavy and properly hot before adding the chicken. A flimsy thin pan won’t develop the fond you need for sauce.
• Use real butter, not margarine. The mounting (monté au beurre) at the end gives the sauce its silky finish, and margarine just doesn’t perform.
• Serve over rice, buttered noodles, or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of capers and a splash of dry white wine for chicken piccata.
• Substitute rosemary or sage for the thyme for different herbal character.
• Stir in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard at the end for sharper bite.