Chicken with Sicilian Sweet and Sour Sauce

, from Issue #25. September, 2015
Photography by Vanessa Wu.
Chicken with Sicilian Sweet and Sour Sauce

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Chicken
4 single, boneless chicken breasts, skin on
1/2 cup well seasoned plain flour 
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter

Sicilian sweet and sour sauce
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons sultanas
2 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD

Chicken: Dust the chicken in seasoned flour and shake off excess.

​Heat a non-stick sauté pan with the olive oil, over a medium heat. Add the butter, which should sizzle and melt, but not burn, as soon as it hits the pan. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 4 minutes. Don't continuously move or lift it, as you want a nice golden crust to form. Turn and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. To test if the chicken is cooked through, pierce the thickest part with a skewer. The juices should run clear. Remove to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.

Spoon off any excess clear fat, leaving behind one tablespoon of fat as well as all the rich juices and sticky bits on the base of the pan. Use the same pan to then make the sauce. 

Sauce: Add the onion to the sauté pan, season and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, wine, stock, sultanas and capers and cook until reduced by half, scraping the base of the pan to release the sticky bits. Add the pine nuts and flat-leaf parsley, season and cook for 1 minute.

Slice the chicken on the diagonal and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon over the sauce. Serve with couscous and Crisp Lettuce, Orange and Feta Salad.