Thyme Chicken in a White Wine and Lemon Reduction

It sounds so fancy, doesn't it. I mean "white wine and lemon reduction". It's definitely the sort of thing that would catch my eye on the menu. It sounds refined, and it kind of is. It makes a good impression on a first date, that's for sure. It's the kind of simple recipe that will help you impress your friends, or the important person you invite over for dinner. Just remember to say the name.

So, it all starts with some boneless, skinless chicken cutlets. I get two from the grocery store and cut them in half. To do that, put one hand down on top of the cutlet and slice about half way down. It will be like butterflying the cutlet, but then cutting it all the way through.

Next up is some thyme. Thyme typically comes in bunches at the grocery store. Try to buy a bunch that looks very green. It's also not too difficult to grow English Thyme in a home garden, the seeds are pretty cheap too. If you grow LEMON THYME, that's really the best. In fact, let's be friends.

We need to get those thyme leaves off the stems. The trick is to hold the top of each stem and, using your thumb and forefinger, pull against the grain of the leaves. They'll come right off. Then, just give them a little chop to break down any woody pieces left over.

 

Thyme that is allowed to mature will have many off-chutes on one large stem. You may have to rip those off before using the method above. You can then do the same thing to the smaller stems.

Now it's time to bread the chicken.

I typically have a five station set-up for this. You need three bowls and a plate. In two bowls put in flow, salt and pepper. In one of those (the last one) add in a whole lot of thyme. The third bowl get the egg wash.

Now, step 1 is to drag a chicken cutlet through the bowl with just flour, salt and pepper.

 

Next, it's time for a nice bath in the egg wash, which is just an egg with a tablespoon of water.

Finally, dunk that cutlet right in to the final bowl, which has all the thyme in it. Seasoning each bowl with salt and pepper ensures that each cutlet is adequately (and evenly) seasoned. It's really important.

 

Great, now that's done. Sorry I didn't take a picture of all the breaded cutlets,  I was working with my camera phone, and the battery went low.

Some people may recommend patting the cutlets dry before you start dredging them. It's a good idea, I think it's supposed to make the crust crispier. I don't typically do it for chicken though. Beef usually gets a good pat down from me though.

Okay, so now heat some olive oil in a pan (just a 2 tablespoons) and put two chicken cutlets in (unless you can fit more... I couldn't).

Cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side, or until the flour on the bottom starts to brown. Then flip them and do another 4-5 minutes on the other side.

 

It looks really good. Look at all of those flecks of thyme embedded in the crust. That's going to be so good.

Now it's "reduction" time. Remove all of the cutlets to a plate lined with paper towels (not shown). Grab some butter and flour and throw them in the pan (more butter than flour). Cook it over medium heat for a minute or two until the flour just starts to brown.

You definitely want to keep it all moving. You need the flour to cook, not burn.

Now is the fun part. Take a quarter cup of either Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio and deglaze the pan.

Basically, pour it in to the hot pan, it will sizzle, and start stirring to try to get all of the chicken goodness up from the bottom of the pan.

Look at all of that steamy goodness. Sorry about the blurriness. It's my first try at an action shot. Really scrape up all of those bits from the bottom. It will color the sauce and make it taste like chicken.

Let the wine reduce over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add in chicken stock, juice from half of a lemon, salt, pepper and thyme. Let the sauce reduce until it is the desired consistency, which is a loose sauce that you can ladle.

 

GREAT! So, serve it up. Chicken cutlet first, then spoon the sauce over it. I served it with some mashed cauliflower and a spinach salad. The sauce was really good over the cauliflower also.

I mean, it just looks elegant. I told you, really impressive for guests, but not that hard.

I'm leaving the recipe below so that you can try it out on your next first date. Like I said, it really worked out for me.

Oh yeah! I want to take some requests for meals you would like to see cooked, without an oven. Leave some ideas in the comments!

Thyme Chicken in a White Wine and Lemon Reduction

2 boneless skinless chicken cutlets, cut in half lengthwise

2 tbsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped

2/3 cup flour

1 egg

1 tbsp water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/3 cup stock

1/2 - 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put half of the flour in each of two bowls. Season each bowl with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Season one bowl with the fresh thyme. Beat together the egg and water in a third bowl.

2. Dredge the chicken cutlets by placing them first in the bowl of flour without thyme, then the egg wash, then the bowl with thyme. At each step, make sure the cutlet is fully covered in the contents of the bowl.

3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Saute the cutlets over medium high heat, about 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cutlets.

4. Remove the cutlets after cooking, and add in the butter and a pinch of some of the seasoned flour. Cook over medium heat until the flour just browns.

5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then let reduce for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

6. Add in chicken stock, then season with thyme, salt and pepper and let reduce over medium heat until it is the desired thickness.

7. Serve with a starch by spooning the sauce over both the chicken and the starch.

Enjoy!