Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Oven-Dried Grapes

Looking like a professional demi-glace, this remarkable sauce is actually made from grapes.  Frozen olive oil is used to emulsify the sauce and give it body

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds red seedless grapes

4 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Directions:
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a ramekin and place in freezer for several hours until frozen. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Wash grapes and remove from stems. Set aside half of the grapes for later. Place remaining grapes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1-1/2 hours, shaking pan frequently until grapes are wrinkled and “oven-dried.” Set aside.

Place uncooked grapes in a blender and puree until very smooth. Strain through a coarse-mesh sieve, pressing down hard on the skins. You will have about 3/4 cup juice.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add chicken to hot oil and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side, until golden. Add grape juice and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until chicken is cooked through but still moist. Be careful not to overcook. The grape juices will darken into a mahogany-colored sauce. Transfer chicken to a platter. 

Add frozen olive oil to pan and cook sauce over high heat for 1 minute. Add oven-dried grapes and salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately. (Serves 4)