Roasted Breast of Chicken with Pinot Noir Sauce

This chicken is really great – especially if you like wine.  I substituted dried spices for fresh – which I do most of the time.  I usually waste the fresh stuff, which I hate to do, and you still get the flavor with dried.  When substituting I usually cut it in half for dried.

 

Roasted Breast of Chicken with Pinot Noir Sauce, from Cooking Light – October 2010

Ingredients

2 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh dried rosemary
8 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots green onions
2 cups pinot noir – or your favorite red wine
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon sugar Splenda
3 tablespoons chilled butter Smart Balance, cut into small pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Sprinkle thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and rosemary evenly over chicken. Dredge chicken in flour; shake off excess flour. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 chicken breast halves to pan; cook 2 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining chicken. Arrange chicken in a single layer on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160°. Remove from oven. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

3. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add green onions to saucepan; sauté 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until wine is reduced to 1 cup. Add broth; cook 16 minutes or until broth mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Splenda. Gradually add butter, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Serve sauce with chicken.

Yields: 8 servings

Nutrition per serving: 292.3 calories, 7.2 g fat, 1.7 g saturated fat, 98.6mg cholesterol, 293.2mg sodium, 4.9g carbohydrates, 0.2 g fiber, 39.9g protein