Saturday, August 8, 2009

There is no blue without yellow and without orange.

Chicken in Orange-Riesling Sauce

One large orange
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (2 pounds total)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 minced shallot
1/2 cup Riesling (or other fruity white wine) (four ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped

Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest and squeeze 1/4 cup (2 ounces) juice from the orange; set aside. Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap and lightly pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large frying pan over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides and opaque throughout, 6-8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the wine, majoram, and orange zest and juice. Cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the pan bottom, until the sauce is bubbly and slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan and heat through, about one minute. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to a platter, top with sauce, and serve.

Makes four servings.

*I literally lifted this one from a cookbook at Williams-Sonoma. I love iPhones, don't you? Otherwise, it was a boring cookbook...