French Chicken Breasts

These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients; for a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.

Chicken breasts: The recipe uses two chicken breasts and cuts them in half horizontally to create 4 chicken breast fillets. I try to buy big chicken breasts to make this step easier.
Garlic: The recipe suggest 6 cloves of garlic but as with every Sprinkles and Sprouts recipe, measure garlic with your heart.
White wine: Any dry white wine you have will work here; I like a Soave or a Pinot Grigio. If you don't consume alcohol, replace it with extra broth.
Chicken broth: I use a low-sodium broth. You can use vegetable broth instead. 
Fresh herbs: The recipe calls for fresh parsley and fresh thyme. You can swap the thyme for dried, but I recommend getting fresh parsley, as dried doesn't have the same bright flavor.
Ground fennel: You can find this in larger grocery stores, but feel free to leave it out of you can't find any. 
Cherry tomatoes: These get halved and added to the sauce at the end so they are hot but still hold their shape. 

These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.

• The recipe works well with boneless chicken thighs. Cook them for 7 minutes a side. You can also substitute some pork chops for the chicken. Or some fillets of fish.
• You can replace the wine with masala or dry sherry.
• Feel free to use black olives if you prefer. Or use your favorite stuffed olives. If you use whole olives, remind your guest/family so they don't damage a tooth on the pit.
• Make this more substantial by adding some cooked baby potatoes to the sauce when adding tomatoes and olives. I suggest adding ½ a cup more broth as the potatoes will soak up the sauce.
• Add extra veg by stirring some steamed asparagus or green bean through the dish at the end. Or wilt some baby spinach into the sauce.

Start by patting the chicken breasts dry, so they don't slip about the chopping board. 

Keep the knife parallel to the chopping board and carefully cut through the middle of the chicken breast. Repeat with the second chicken breast. 

We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you, have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!

• Once you have coated the chicken seasoned flour, please don't get rid of it; we will use some later when thickening the sauce. Rest assured, it cooks thoroughly, making it perfectly safe for consumption.
• The chicken breast fillets are thinner than whole chicken breasts, so they will only need 3 minutes a side to get some color as they finish cooking in the sauce.
• When you remove the chicken from the skillet, place it on a plate and tent it with foil, this keeps it warm and helps keep it juicy. 
• Once you add the tomatoes and chicken to the pan, cook over low heat to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan. You want to avoid stirring too vigorously, or the tomatoes will break down into your sauce.

Sides: These French Chicken Breasts are perfect for serving with a buttery mashed potato. Try my Paris Mash. You can also serve it with a side of pasta. This garlic parsley pasta, or this lemon garlic pasta, would be great. Or serve a side salad and some crusty bread.

Wine: This recipe is so easy to pair wine with! Anything dry will work well with the classic French flavors. My favorite is a Soave or a buttery, oaky Chardonnay. It is also great with a glass of Beaujolais or Pinot Noir.