Nici Wickes: Pan-fried Chicken with Madeira Port Sauce

This is a simple and easy meal using chicken breasts smothered in a rich and tasty Madeira sauce – the true taste of Portugal.
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts, skinless
4 Tablespoons flour
Salt & Pepper
Madeira Sauce

4 tablespoons chilled butter
1 brown onion, diced finely
½ red capsicum, diced finely
¼ cup Madeira
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
¾ c stock, chicken or vegetable

Prepare the chicken by removing the tenderloin (if there is one), then slice each breast through the middle lengthwise, starting at the thick end. You want to be left with two fillets, roughly the same thickness. Repeat with all.
Sprinkle the flour onto a board, or plate, and season with salt and pepper.
Now lightly coat each fillet and the tenderloins, in the flour.
Heat oil in a heavy based pan. Cook each fillet until golden on one side, then turn and continue cooking until each fillet is cooked through (3-4 minutes). Do this in batches if you need to, as opposed to crowding the pan.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Make the Madeira sauce by heating half the butter (2 Tablespoons) in the pan and adding the onion and diced red pepper. Cook until onions and peppers are softened. Add Madeira and bring to a simmer, scraping up browned bits, and cook for 2-3 minutes to let the alcohol “cook off”, before adding the herbs and stock. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more then add the chicken back into the pan, resting the fillets in the sauce, and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes to let the chicken soak up some of the sauce. Remove the chicken to the serving plate(s) and whisk remaining 2 tablespoons butter into sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and pour over chicken.
Serve with thick cut chips to soak it up.