What's on the Menu for Today?: PAN GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

Hi All! As usual, I hope this post finds you doing well. I've got a great recipe for you to try. Well, it's not really a "recipe" per se. Just something that I threw together for dinner tonight but I wanted to share it with you because it actually turned out pretty good. I work in a department where they have lots of luncheons and conferences, all of which are catered. Last week, we had a luncheon in which the entree was grilled chicken breast with a white wine sauce. Initially, I wasn't impressed when I saw the menu and I seriously contemplated heading out to Wendy's for a burger instead but I'm glad that I decided to stick around. I don't normally eat chicken breast because I've always found that part of the chicken to be boring, lifeless and dry. However, this particular chicken breast was very moist and tender and the addition of the white wine sauce added a whole other dimension to the meal. Since I didn't think the caterer would share his recipes with me, I decided to try to figure it out on my own. Needless to say, that meal was the inspiration for my dinner tonight.

I learned a new technique to help moisten and tenderize chicken breasts. For you seasoned cooks, this won't come as a surprise to you but for me, this was unchartered territory. A friend at work was telling me about the process of "Brining," which is basically marinating the meat in a saltwater mixture before cooking. The brining process adds flavor to the meat; tenderizes it and also helps the meat to maintain moisture. The following link will give you more information:

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa112000b.htm

Special Notes:
I took a boneless chicken breast, pounded it flat and then submerged it in a plastic bag filled with a brine mixture of 1 qt of water, 1/8 cup of salt, 1/8 cup of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of Thyme. You should brine your meat for at least 2 hrs and dry it with a paper towel before cooking. (In my case, since I knew that I would want to start cooking as soon as I got home, I put my chicken in the brine mixture before I left for work this morning.) As I was removing the chicken from the plastic bag, I noticed that the liquid was gone. It had been completely absorbed into the chicken and it smelled incredible. This was BEFORE I had even started cooking it. I pan grilled it in a stovetop grill pan with about a 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I think it took about 7 or 8 minutes on each side. I would suggest that you add your seasoning to the brine mixture so that the meat will absorb the flavors along with the liquid. Also, keep in mind that the salt in the brine will season the meat so no additional salt will be needed.

Final Thoughts:
Let me tell you.......this chicken was so moist and tender and juicy that I was able to cut it with my fork. The chicken by itself was awesome but the white wine sauce was the perfect accompaniment. I don't think I'll ever cook a chicken breast or steak again without brining it first. It definitely made a HUGE difference.

(Kudzi....Thank you so much for that wonderful tip:-)

White Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of heavy cream
4 tsp minced shallots (optional)
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of white wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt (to taste)

Instructions:

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
Add shallots and sauté for about a minute.
Add white wine and cream. Cook for about 12 minutes stirring frequently.