Chicken Francais in a Port Wine Sauce

This afternoon Lorraine texted me: Can you cook dinner?

Spot a Chicken Francais recipe. I don’t have any fresh lemons nor capers, but it sparks an idea — which is what I needed. Go into the cellar, get a bottle of Chocolate-Orange Port I made a couple years ago.

Chicken Francais in a Port Wine Sauce

4 boneless chicken breasts, split horizontally
Herbes de Provence
seasoned salt
cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup port wine
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Season the chicken with Herbes de Provence and seasoned salt. Roll in cornstarch to coat.

Heat the butter and oil in a large deep fry pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and sputters, add half the chicken. Saute on each side for 2 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add a bit more oil to the pan if necessary, and add the remaining chicken and cook same as the first batch.

Reduce heat to low, add the first batch of chicken back to the pan, and cover. Let cook until the chicken is barely cooked through — do not overcook, it makes the chicken tough. Remove the chicken and keep warm.

Increase heat to medium high and add the red wine, scraping the pan to deglaze it. When the wine is reduce by 3/4 add the port, stirring well. Correct seasonings if necessary.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until wine is reduced by half. Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt, stirring and crushing any globs until the sauce is smooth. Add the chicken back in and stir to coat.

Cooking Notes

I used a homemade Chocolate-Orange port, plus whatever red I had available. I used Herbes de Provence because I have a large bag of it. Any herb mixture will work.

Serve with whatever red wine you cooked with. If there isn’t any left, open another bottle.

Don’t have another bottle??? You are a barbarian and should not be allowed on the internet or in public.