Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Browned Butter Sauce

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Browned Butter Sauce
  • Chicken Breast

    4 Chicken Breast (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

  • Salt

    1 1/4 tsp Salt divided

  • Pepper

    1/2 tsp Pepper

  • flour

    1/4 cup flour

  • Extra-virgin Olive Oil

    2 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil

  • Butter Unsalted

    6 tbsp Butter Unsalted cut into 6 pieces

  • Capers

    2 tbsp Capers rinsed

  • Lemon Juice

    2 tbsp Lemon Juice

  • Chives Fresh

    3 tbsp Chives Fresh minced, divided

Before you begin

This recipe calls for a stainless-steel skillet, which makes it easier to see the butter browning. If you can't tell the color of the butter through the foam in step 4, quickly spoon some onto a white plate. Once the lemon juice is added, much of the fond on the bottom of the skillet will incorporate into the butter and color it further.

Step 1

Sandwich chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap on cutting board. Using meat pounder, gently pound thickest part of each breast to ¾-inch thickness to match thin part of breast. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Step 2

Place flour in shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides, shake off excess, and transfer to plate. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken, smooth side down. Cover and cook until light golden brown on first side, about 8 minutes.

Step 3

Flip chicken and continue to cook, uncovered, until registering 160 degrees, about 4 minutes longer. Using metal spatula, loosen chicken if stuck to skillet and transfer to cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add capers and cook, swirling skillet and scraping skillet bottom occasionally with wooden spoon, until milk solids in butter are color of milk chocolate and have toasty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes (it's OK if skillet bottom is very browned and bits don't release when scraped).

Step 5

Immediately remove skillet from heat and stir in lemon juice, scraping up browned bits. Stir in 2 tablespoons chives and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

Step 6

Slice chicken and transfer to serving platter. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve.