Equipment
Ingredients
poultry and seasoning
- 600 g boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
- 1½ g fine sea salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
tangy pan sauce
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic, minced
- 60 ml dry white wine
- 45 ml balsamic vinegar
- 60 g tomato puree
- 80 ml low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 g dried oregano
- 10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 254 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbohydrates
- 7 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 256 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 668 mg
- Calcium
- 31 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 53 mg
- Phosphorus
- 344 mg
- Zinc
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 28 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 6 mg
- Water
- 163 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place each chicken breast on a clean cutting board and use a chef's knife to slice horizontally through the center to create four thin, even cutlets of uniform thickness. Wash your hands, cutting board, and knife thoroughly with warm, soapy water after handling raw poultry.
Pat both sides of all chicken cutlets completely dry using clean paper towels.
Sprinkle the fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper evenly across both sides of the chicken cutlets.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat at 190°C (375°F) and add 10 ml of the olive oil, swirling the pan to spread it evenly.
Lay the chicken cutlets flat in the hot skillet using tongs and sear without moving for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a deep golden-brown crust develops.
Transfer the seared cutlets onto a clean plate using tongs, keeping the rendered pan drippings inside the skillet.
Reduce the skillet heat to medium at 160°C (320°F), pour in the remaining 5 ml of olive oil, and stir in the minced shallot and garlic with a wooden spoon for 1 minute until fragrant and translucent.
Pour the dry white wine into the skillet, vigorously scraping up the browned fond from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and simmer for 2 minutes until reduced by half.
Pour the balsamic vinegar, tomato puree, low-sodium chicken broth, and dried oregano into the skillet, stirring continuously with the wooden spoon to combine, then simmer for 3 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy.
Return the seared chicken cutlets and any juices collected on the plate to the skillet, turning with tongs to coat in sauce, and simmer for 2 minutes until an instant-read digital meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads at least 74°C (165°F).
Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle the chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley across the chicken, and spoon the tangy pan glaze over each portion before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Slicing breasts horizontally into thin paillards cuts cooking time by two-thirds and prevents the exterior from drying out while the center finishes.
- Balsamic vinegar provides both deep acidity and natural caramelized sugars, eliminating the need for added refined sweeteners or heavy fats to create a rich glaze.
- Deglazing with crisp dry wine dissolves the flavorful fond attached to the pan floor, infusing the tomato base with savory umami while maintaining a low-sodium profile.
- Always rely on a calibrated digital meat thermometer rather than cutting into the meat, which would release internal juices and compromise tenderness.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight glass or plastic container at or below 4°C (40°F) within two hours of preparation.
Freezer: 2 months — Store in a freezer-safe sealed container or heavy-duty freezer bag submerged in pan sauce to prevent freezer burn.
Reheating: Reheat chicken and sauce in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with 15 to 30 ml of water or low-sodium broth until the meat thermometer verifies an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
The pan sauce tastes overly sharp, sour, or acidic
Cause: The balsamic vinegar or wine was boiled down too intensely, over-concentrating the natural acetic acid
Fix: Whisk in 30 ml of low-sodium chicken broth or water and 2 g of honey or brown sugar to restore balance
Prevention: Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat rather than a violent rolling boil, and maintain the specified cook times
Chicken cutlets are dry or fibrous
Cause: The cutlets were cooked past the safe internal threshold of 74°C (165°F)
Fix: Cannot be fixed internally; spoon generous amounts of warm pan glaze over cutlets to provide surface moisture
Prevention: Check cutlets with an instant-read thermometer as soon as they are returned to the sauce and pull from the heat promptly at 74°C (165°F)
Garlic turned dark brown and sauce tastes bitter
Cause: Pan heat remained too high after searing the poultry when adding minced aromatics
Fix: Cannot be fixed once burned; wipe skillet clean and restart from the sauté step with fresh oil, shallot, and garlic
Prevention: Ensure skillet heat is reduced to medium and observe the garlic closely, adding liquids after no more than 60 seconds
Cultural Context
This recipe draws direct inspiration from the agrodolce (sweet-and-sour) tradition found throughout northern and central Italian cuisine. While traditional balsamic braises often involve long simmering times for bone-in fowl, contemporary Italian home cooks employ fast pan reductions to merge the pungent sweet complexity of Modena vinegar with ripe passata for lean, quick weeknight suppers.
