Crispy Sage Chicken Breast with a Pan Gravy

You might remember when I posted how to truss and roast the perfect chicken — and if you could not wait and just ate the whole thing right out of the oven, well, I understand! If you read through the entire post you would have noticed I mentioned this:

Note: If you plan to make a gravy, drain juices into a saucepan, then add 1 cup of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of butter to the saucepan. I will detail the gravy and a recipe for the breast in another post later this week.

Before you start your gravy, remove the chicken breast and wrap the lower half in aluminum foil allowing the skin to be exposed. Place in a pan and into the center of a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. This will heat the breast and crisp the skin.

Well of course that week where I promised this post has come and gone but I am here to finish what I started! So let's step back, after you follow the roasting part, reserve any drippings from the chicken. Place this in a container and into the fridge. Later in the week when you are ready to make your gravy, remove from the fridge and immediately take off any fat that may have hardened on top — usually about a 1/4". Pour the remaining stock into a pan, heat and either add 1 cup of chicken stock or 1 cup of dry white wine wine and heat to simmer. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to continue to simmer until reduced by half.

Do not add salt if you followed the roasting method, as this stock should be salty enough, but of course some fresh ground pepper and then a taste to make sure seasoning is to your liking.

Remove the breast from the oven, slice and add to your serving plate.

Drizzle the pan gravy on top and serve immediately with in season vegetables. 

So there you have it — a crispy sage chicken breast with a pan gravy. Be honest, did the roast chicken even make it to this stage or are you rushing out to start over and begin roasting another yardbird?

E.A.T. local E.A.T well