This post is part of fellow book blogger, Beth Fish Reads‘, weekly meme (a “community” blog post, for all those non-bloggers out there) called Weekend Cooking.

When I lived in NYC, I often took cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump’s) on 23rd Street. They have an overwhelmingly large selection of recreational cooking classes – on every kind of food and cooking technique you can imagine and many that you’ve probably never thought of! I shared a yummy scallops recipe from these cooking classes in a previous Weekend Cooking post, but this week it’s good ole’ chicken!

Pan Seared Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce came from a 2 day workshop on pan sauces. It’s definitely the class that I use the most at home and we really learned a cooking method (pan searing meat and then using those juices to make an easy sauce in the same pan) as opposed to a recipe. Once you learn the method, you can get creative with your sauce combinations. This method is also the only way I’ve been able to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts (healthy and cheap!) without drying them out.

Pan Seared Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Courtesy of Institute of Culinary Education
My comments are in bold.

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (the “aromatics”)
1 tablespoon of finely chopped jalapeño or chipotle pepper (the “aromatics”)
1 teaspoon tomato paste (the “sweetener”)
1/4 cup white wine or beer (the “deglazer”)
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped (I roast the peppers directly on the gas burner of my stove)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Heat a saucepan over medium high heat. The pan should be big enough to comfortably hold the two chicken breasts without them overlapping or touching (i.e. don’t crowd the pan!). Add the canola oil to the pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place them in the pan.
2. Cook the chicken breasts about 3-4 minutes per side, allowing them to get golden brown before turning. Cooking time for the chicken will vary according to the thickness of the breasts.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a roasting pan with a rack. If the chicken breasts are not cooked through (they usually aren’t for me!), place them in a 350 degree oven while the sauce is prepared.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and jalapeño to the pan and stir for about a minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for another minute (be careful here…tomato paste burns very easily!).
5. Add the beer or wine to the pan. As the liquid is heated and begins to boil, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to help remove the fond (i.e. bits of stuff from your meat stuck to the bottom of your pan…it gives the sauce great flavor). Let the mixture simmer and reduce to almost dry.
6. Add the red pepper and olive oil, stir and remove from the heat. Puree the sauce with a blender until smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. Reheat the sauce briefly, if desired.
7. Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting (this allows the juices to redistribute into the meat instead of running out when you cut the chicken). Slice the chicken on a bias and serve on top of the sauce (because it looks prettier that way!).