It’s that time of year when the sage in my garden is out. of. control. Seriously, it produces enough sage for every person in Chicago to have some for this dish PLUS a bundle for smudging. And realistically, other than stuffing, there aren’t that many recipes that call for more than a leaf of fresh sage. This is one of the recipes I have collected for just this time of year. The bonus is that it gets on the table in 30 minutes. You could make this with boneless skinless breasts instead but why? The bones provide depth of flavor and keep everything from drying out. And bone-in saves you money. Money you could spend on more sage plants.
Adapted from Tuscan Food and Folklore by Jeni Wright
Ingredients
Olive oil and butter, in any proportion, 4 tablespoons all together.
4 skinned chicken breasts, bone-in, lightly salted 30 minutes in advance if you can
6 oz dry white wine (pink works fine, as do bubbles)
6-8 fresh chopped sage leaves (you could use dried but it won’t be as good)
¼ teaspoons dried thyme leaves
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Process
Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until foaming. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes total, turning over once, until the chicken is golden brown on both sides.
Pour the wine over the chicken, sprinkle with the chopped sage and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Get some of the sage into the liquid and not just stuck to the top of the chicken pieces. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes, spooning the sauce over the chicken periodically and flipping the pieces over once halfway through cooking. If you are using boneless chicken, cut this cooking time in half and spoon the sauce every 2-3 minutes unless you want to be eating sagey leather.
Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Turn the heat to high on the pan juices. Add the white wine vinegar and stir/shake until juices are reduced by about half and it feels a little more like a sauce than juices. Spoon this over the chicken. Done! Great with couscous (so fast!), spinach (even faster!), smashed potatoes, broccoli, any grain, or any substantial veg. I haven’t done it with squash but it is likely to be delish.