Chicken with Pan Sauce and Grape Gastrique

Pan-seared chicken breast with an aromatic, herbal white wine sauce and a warming grape gastrique, made tart with maple vinegar.

A gastrique is like a glaze; bright, sweet, and full of acid. Here, the sweetness of cotton candy grapes is balanced by caramel, maple vinegar, and star anise.

A pan sauce is an emulsion of pan drippings, chicken broth, and an acid. Pan-searing the chicken develops the most chicken flavor in the sauce, and is complemented by fresh rosemary, garlic, shallots, and white wine. I used rosé, but any white wine works. Rosé is a white wine with the addition of skin on grapes, like Merlot, that create a rosy hue. Simmering the chicken breast in the wine helps to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked but remains tender.

Grasping the Grape Gastrique:

Caramelizing sugar brings more complex flavor and tempers the sweetness of the additional sugar. Adding grapes stops the cooking process, snd the shock of heat helps the skins peel off, making for easier mashing. A splash of maple and balsamic vinegar temper the sweetness of the red grapes, and adds a savory depth to the grapes and caramel that make up the flavor. The star anise pod brings a warm, licorice aroma that complements the grapes. A brief steep, straining, and reducing result in a glossy, thick glaze full of fruit flavor and a sharp acid kick.

Patting the chicken dry with paper towels

helps surface browning and developing fond, the stuck on brown bits that hold all of the flavor of the pan sauce. Burn these, and your sauce is ruined. Salting the meat immediately before cooking helps to ensure minimal moisture that is brought to the surface of the meat.

Once the chicken is almost done browning, add shallots and garlic. A quick toast in oil until golden brings out the most flavor, and a wine deglaze halts the cooking to ensure they won’t burn. Simmering the chicken in wine and chicken broth maximizes the flavor and keeps the chicken tender. Some fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary complement the chicken well, and gelatin adds body and helps to stabilize the emulsion of the sauce.

The recipe:

Gastrique:

• 1/3rd cup of white sugar

• 2 oz balsamic vinegar

• 2 oz maple vinegar

• 1 whole star anise pod

• pinch of salt

• 1 1/2 cups red grapes, here I used cotton candy grapes

• 2 oz water

Chicken and Pan Sauce:

• 1/2 cup white wine (optional, use water or chicken broth in place of, with the juice of a lemon)

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1 package unflavored gelatin powder, 2 1/4 tsp powdered

• Salt

• pepper

• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 sprigs rosemary, fresh, minced

• 2 sprigs thyme, fresh, stripped

• Dash of soy sauce, OR fish sauce, or other umami ingredient (optional)

• dried mushroom powder (optional)

• 2 tbsp butter

Add sugar to a small sauce pan with just enough water to moisten, on medium-high heat. Cook, occasionally swirling, until amber-colored. Add grapes and both vinegars, and 2 oz of water to sauce pan, and bring to a simmer. Add the star anise pod, and cook at a very low simmer until slightly thickened. Strain, forcing as much liquid out of the grape solids as possible, and reheat until a thick syrup is formed. Season to taste with more vinegar or sugar, and a tiny pinch of salt. Reserve to the side.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to a large saucepan or skillet, and heat over medium heat right up to the smoke point. Sear the chicken breast on both sides until well browned. Add the shallots and garlic, cooking and stirring for 30 seconds. Deglaze with wine and add chicken broth, fresh herbs, mushroom powder, gelatin powder, and soy sauce, and simmer until mostly reduced. Reserve chicken, and after a 10 minute rest, slice thinly, across the grain of muscle and at a diagonal angle. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and finish with butter, whisking until emulsified. If necessary, add cream, or a cornstarch slurry to thicken and emulsify the sauce.

To plate, dress thinly sliced chicken breast with pan sauce and the glaze, serving all while hot.