Terryl Gavre is the owner of two San Diego restaurants, and says this is her favorite chicken recipe to make for friends who come for dinner in her home. She loves intensely savory dishes, and you can tell from reading the list of ingredients that this sauce will pack a flavorful punch! Terryl suggests that unless you have an allergy, don’t omit the anchovies. They melt into the sauce, no one will know they’re there, and “they make the difference between a delicious dish and an outrageous one.”
Suggested sides are smashed potatoes or a nest of angel hair pasta, doused with this aromatic sauce and grated Parmesan. As I like to do my cooking ahead of time when I have company, I put the completed recipe with its sauce in a baking dish, and refrigerated it until dinner time. Then baked it at 350 until hot and bubbling; about 25 minutes. So easy and delicious with the pasta.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut thin
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. butter, divided
2 large anchovy fillets
3 heaping Tbs. capers, drained
8 whole garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp. dried chili flakes
1 cup chicken stock
1 heaping Tbs. grainy mustard
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Season and lightly flour chicken breasts. Heat olive oil and 1 Tbs. butter in a large non-stick skillet until hot. Add the chicken breasts. Cook until done, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add anchovies, capers, garlic, and chili flakes to pan. Smash up the anchovies in the hot oil until they dissolve. Allow to cook until the garlic is starting to get some color, and then deglaze the pan with the chicken stock. Allow the sauce to cook another minute or until bubbly and starting to reduce. Whisk in the mustard and remaining butter and keep sauce moving until it starts to thicken. Taste and season with salt and more lemon juice to taste.
Return chicken to the pan with the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes, just enough to reheat through and to absorb some of the garlicky goodness of the sauce. Serves 4.
Note: My breast were fairly thick, so cooked a bit longer until almost done. The cooking finished in the oven when I reheated everything at dinner time.
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