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Blended flavours to baste the senses from the kitchens of  nosphaer

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This was an idea that I had and was horrendously longing to make, in light of other things. Needless to say, a savory caramel or toffee sauce is not the absolutely most common accompaniment to chicken, or often meats altogether.

This delicious sauce and tender, flavorful chicken method is a meeting of rich with lean, salty with sweet, and the familiar with the odd. I love it, and undoubtedly plan to make it again.

Side Note - The apparent side I have the chicken served with is a Grecian pseudo-slaw, made of black olives, cucumbers, sweet onion, julienned carrots, and artichoke hearts. Bind with a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, oregano, and pepper. It's yummy, but nothing impressive.

Ingredients

1 large, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
2-3 tbsp. Oil (Avocado, Canola, or Soybean [vegetable] are recommended)
1/3 C. Granulated Sugar (You might not necessarily use all of the third-cup)
1/2 tbsp. Minced Garlic (~1 clove)
Boiling Water, used as needed
4 Tbsp. Butter

Procedures

Preheat an oven to 375° F

Optionally, pound or cut the chicken breast to thin it down. Pictured here, I used a fillet knife to cut the breast into two fairly evenly sized fillets of chicken; this is important to the cooking process but can be sidestepped by a longer bake time, later.

Heat a stainless steel, glass, or other scratch-safe skillet to medium-high heat, adding the oil to it, to bring it to the same heat. (~400°F) place the chicken fillets down in the hot oil, with the presentation side down first, as the first sauté gets the best color.

(Don't worry; yes, that's enough oil. It may even be too much; sautéing is cooking that happens with very little fat and very much heat. It'll be fine.)

Keep agitating the pan at this point to keep the chicken from sticking; if it sticks, the heat was not quite high enough. However, this is okay; simply push the chicken up off the bottom gently with tongs or a spatula, before it has stuck for more than a few seconds, and the chicken will endure no damage.

After both sides are cooked to a golden-brown tone, pull them out of the pan and into a small oven-safe pan. A baking sheet or tray would be alright here, but a little stove-pan will hold the juices best. Leave the chicken in the oven for just around 5 minutes, or until it has set and is cooked. If unsure, resort to temperature tests; the last thing you want to do is cut to check coloring inside.

Meanwhile, turn the heat to medium-low deglaze the fond (residue left by the sautéed chicken) with a tablespoon of boiling water, preferably using a whisk. Add in the sugar, and stir rapidly until the sugar just starts to brown into a caramel color. Add in another tablespoon of boiling water and stir rapidly. Add in the butter and begin shaking the pan, sliding it to agitate, until the butter is melted in. Begin stirring it rapidly, and watching the thickness. At this point, the sauce should not brown any further, but it may well thicken; thicken the sauce to the desired point. This is the best point to add in spices or herbs to the sauce.

(Failure to constantly agitate or stir, while the butter is in the pan will cause the sauce to "break." The separation of solids and fat and water within the butter itself makes a sauce go from creamy and rich in appearance to suddenly oily and slick, with the flavor even changing as a result, so watch the sauce carefully.)

As soon as the sauce is done and chicken is ready, place the chicken in the pan, presentation side down, to glaze the fillet and finally perfect the piece. Plate the meat thereafter and top it with the sauce in any desired way, artistically or just conveniently.

Serve this rather richly sauced chicken with some steamed vegetables or the Grecian slaw, or any freshening, light accompaniment.

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Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may effect your health and well-being