Chicken with Herbed Pan Sauce

Don't you hate it when you plan something only to have those plans thwarted? In an effort to keep grocery shopping and eating out costs down, I try to plan meals for about 7-10 days in advance. I don't necessarily plan things day by day, but just shop for all the ingredients I need at one time (save for fresh produce which I tend to buy every 4 or 5 days). I had planned on making a big batch of pesto and using it once this week for chicken pasta with pesto cream sauce and another night for pesto potatoes. Of course neither Jewel nor Trader Joe's had fresh basil. So, those ideas were out.

What I did see at Trader Joe's was a package of fresh mixed herbs dubbed "poultry rub." The herbs were marjoram, sage, rosemary and thyme. I decided to go ahead and pick some up and decide later what to do with it. I've never seen this before, but it's such a good deal when cooking for two because I always have problems using up fresh herbs before they go bad. This way, you get small doses of different herbs.

I decided to make a really easy, quick dish: chicken with some herbed pan sauce. Some people are always stunned when you tell them you cook dinner, from scratch, most nights. I think a lot of people have the misconception that when something is from scratch, it has to take at least an hour to make, and it has to be a pain to prep after a long day of work. But, 99% of the time, my weeknight meals take 30-45 minutes tops, and that includes cook time.

Chicken with pan sauce is one of those really easy meals that you can modify 100 times over but it's always simple and flavorful. It comes together, cook time and all, in way under 30 minutes (and this is a real-deal 30 minutes, not Rachael Ray's 30 minutes which are only true if you have a sous chef and an oven that preheats in 45 seconds).

Chicken and pan sauce

Chicken with Herbed Pan Sauce
Serves 2

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 chicken breast halves, pounded to about 1/3" thick
1 small shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram, thyme, rosemary & sage (or whatever herbs you want!)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 Tbsp. butter (optional but well...it's butter :)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then cook in the oil, about 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove the chicken and keep warm.

Add the shallots to the pan and saute until tender. Add the garlic and herbs and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Pour in the white wine and cook it down by half. Add the chicken broth and do the same. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add the butter in to melt. Serve sauce over chicken.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (5 oz. chicken and half the pan sauce): Calories: 293 / Fat: 14.5g /  Carbs: 0.3g / Protein: 33g