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Seared Chicken Breast with Brandy Cream Sauce

A seared chicken breast served with a brandy-infused cream sauce.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Chicken and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,888 recipes. Both carry acetic acid hexyl ester, which smells sweet, green. The science ↓

Seared Chicken Breast with Brandy Cream Sauce

Oven375°F
Time8–10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the chicken

  1. Brush chicken with olive oil on both sides.

  2. Season both sides liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

  3. Set aside.

  4. Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over high heat.

  5. Add chicken breasts and cook until well browned on both sides.

Roast the chicken

  1. Insert a probe thermometer into one of the chicken pieces. Place pan in the middle of a 375°F oven until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

  2. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Make the brandy cream sauce

  1. Place pan back on high heat.

  2. Turn off heat and deglaze pan with brandy.

  3. Carefully ignite and shake pan until flames die.

  4. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until liquid has reduced by ⅔.

  5. Whisk in cream and bring to a boil.

  6. Cook 8–10 minutes.

  7. Add chicken breasts and toss to coat.

  8. Serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

341Calories
32 gProtein
23 gFat
2 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Brandynot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Chicken + olivetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,888 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid hexyl ester (sweet, green).

  2. Pepper + olivetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,635 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).

  4. Chicken + peppertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,958 recipes

    Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).

  5. Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together21,449 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Provide the main protein, which firms and turns opaque as it cooks.
Brandy
Deglazes the browned bits and adds a rich, aromatic flavour to the sauce.
Heavy cream
Adds fat and body, thickening the reduced pan liquid into a smooth sauce.

The step that matters

Remove the chicken at 165°F. Chicken breast dries out quickly once it passes its safe temperature, so checking with a probe thermometer prevents overcooking while keeping the meat juicy.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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