Sauteed Chicken with Red Wine Vinegar Sauce

When my DH says this is a keeper, I listen up. He doesn't say those words all that often. He enjoys my cooking and does tell me all the time how much he appreciates this dish or that. But those particular words just don't come out of his mouth frequently. I heard them for this dish. He was intrigued enough by the appearance to ask me what was in it, how I cooked it. He keeps thinking that one of these days when he takes a several-day sailing trip on our boat, going out to Catalina, or one of the other islands within sailing distance of our shores, that he's going to cook a nice dinner for his crew. (I've probably mentioned it before, but I don't go on these jaunts because I get deathly seasick, or I'm so drugged up with Dramamine that I don't function much, or suffer from very blurred vision if I use the scopalamine patch. All in all, I just don't go. DH reminds me occasionally that he didn't marry me for my sailing abilities. That's for sure. He also didn't marry me for my dancing style, either, but that's another story.)

So anyway, he was curious about the chicken and nearly licked the plate. The recipe came from a restaurant out in our California desert - a French place called Cuistot. We've eaten there several times, and enjoyed the food. A reader wrote into the Los Angeles Times (December 12, 2007) asking them to get the recipe, which the chef provided. I believe the article said this is a common bistro kind of preparation. It's easy - from start to finish it took me about 45 minutes, with 25 of those minutes the chicken was in the oven. You heat the oven to a phenomenal 500 degrees F. Yikes. But it works. If you have a heavy-duty skillet that can withstand that kind of heat, go for it (that's what the recipe indicates). I wasn't sure enough to subject my Look brand nonstick skillet to that temp, so after browning the chicken pieces I popped them in an ovenproof pan. Then I deglazed the browning skillet and made the sauce while the chicken was baking. It sped up the dinner process since I was able to take the chicken directly from the oven to the plate and spooned sauce on it immediately with a bit of the drippings from the blazing hot pan.

This is the kind of dinner you could throw together quickly - providing you have shallots on hand and fresh tomatoes. Most home kitchens would have the garlic, butter, red wine, vinegar and chicken broth. I forgot to add the garnish in my haste to get the plates on the table.

Cook's Notes: I diverged just a little - I sliced the garlic (as usual, I didn't read the recipe real well when I started - sheepish grin here), but discarded it after baking, since it was for flavor, not eating anyway. I also used chicken thighs and breasts, because that's what I had on hand. Surely in my cache of vinegars I have cabernet vinegar, but in my haste I decided not to hunker down on the floor perusing for bottles behind bottles. And, I cooked the sauce longer than I should have - I kept reducing the liquid, but I'd already put in the tomatoes, so they weren't just flash fried and still fresh-looking. Tasted great, though. We had the leftovers for dinner last night. DH again mentioned this chicken was "wow" in his book. We both agreed, though, that more sauce is needed, so next time I'll double that part.

You see, I was late getting home - went to see Kite Runner at 3:55 and didn't get out of the movie until 6:15. And, oh my goodness, was that a movie! I'd read the book a year or two ago, right after it came out. The photography was excellent - even though it was filmed mostly in China. The bulk of the real story takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it certainly looked authentic. The story is heart-wrenching to say the very least about it. Highly recommended. And, of course, the book is better, but I thought the movie was exceptionally well done.

So, after a 30-minute drive home, it was late for dinner before I even started. Bang, clang, and I served it in a jiffy. And now this will go into the KEEPERS file. DH even asked that the next time this is on the menu, he'd like to make it. Now that makes this a real red-letter dinner! He's never said that. Ever.

Sautéed Chicken with Red Wine Vinegar Sauce
Recipe: Cuistot Restaurant, Palm Desert, California, via the Los Angeles Times
Servings: 4
4 pieces chicken breasts -- skin-on chicken breasts or whole legs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter -- divided
4 whole garlic cloves -- skin-on
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
3 tablespoons red wine
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
2 whole plum tomatoes -- peeled, seeded and diced

Chopped chives or parsley for garnish
1. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle each piece of chicken lightly on each side with one-eighth teaspoon salt and a grind or two of pepper.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large ovenproof skillet. Add the chicken, skin-side down, along with the garlic cloves. Sauté over medium-high heat, until the skin is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and repeat on the other side.
3. Place the pan, with the chicken skin-side up, in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through. The meat will be firm and the juices will run clear, and a thermometer inserted will read 165 degrees.
4. Remove the chicken from the skillet, cover and set aside in a warm place. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings from the pan, and return to the stove over medium heat. Add the shallots, cooking until they caramelize, about 2 minutes. Add the red wine and vinegar and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, a few minutes. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and stir to combine; adjust seasoning. Whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter, swirling to thicken the sauce.
5. Return the chicken to the sauce and heat 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through. Sprinkle with chives or parsley and serve immediately.
NOTES : Adapted from chef Bernard Dervieux of Cuistot in Palm Desert. The chef recommends Cabernet vinegar for the red wine vinegar in the recipe.
Per Serving (assuming you consume the chicken skin): 583 Calories; 33g Fat (52.7% calories from fat); 62g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 201mg Cholesterol; 443mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 9 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

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