The Briny Lemon: Pan-Seared Chicken with Cherry Preserves-Brandy Sauce

Here’s the thing: The apricot preserves, orange marmalade, peach preserves, strawberry jam, or cherry preserves you have in your fridge for spreading on toasted muffins are good for so much more. Such as a killer sauce for simple pan-seared chicken. Here, I used cherry preserves as the base and kicked up the sauce with a little oaky brandy.

Bottom line: It's complex flavor with easy preparation. Your guests don't need to know.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp finely chopped shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tbsp cherry preserves
2 tbsp brandy (or to taste)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and melt the butter. Add the shallot and garlic and cook 2 minutes.
Add the cherry preserves and brandy and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a light simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook slowly, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Shallot and Garlic

Cherry-Preserves Brandy Sauce

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, swirling to coat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 5-6 minutes.
Turn the breasts over and cook until golden on the other side and just cooked through, 5-6 minutes longer, depending on thickness. (Tip: Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly over the skillet to help retain moisture as the chicken finishes.) Add the sauce to the skillet and turn the chicken breasts a few times to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary.