Chicken Tenders with Champagne sauce!

This delicious dish can be prepared in about 30 minutes and can be made ahead and reheated! The champagne sauce is so flavorful and presentation so beautiful, makes this a perfect dish for a small dinner party,

The cream sauce is seriously out of this world, so tangy with a hint of champagne flavor that melts in your mouth....AMAZING!! Coupled with the browned up bits from searing the chicken, this sauce is EPIC!! I may try it next time with angel hair pasta!




Chicken Tenders with Champagne Sauce

2 lbs. chicken tenders can also use chicken breasts or thighs
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
3 T. olive oil
1 T butter
1 1/2 c. dry Champagne of good quality
6 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 c. chicken stock
1 1/2 heavy cream - can use half and half however the sauce will be thinner
1 tablespoon William-Sonoma Chicken demi glace (optional)
1 T Dijon mustard
1/3 c. snipped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500 F degrees. Sprinkle lemon juice over chicken. Salt and pepper tenders. Heat large skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add oil and butter. When butter is melted but not brown, add chicken tenders in batches, spacing them and saute until brown. Watch carefully to avoid burning, flip the tenders and brown the other side, remove to cookie sheet. This can be done to this point 2 hours ahead. 

Place chicken in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, remove and tent with foil if sauce is not ready yet.

Prepare sauce- In same skillet used to brown chicken and while pan is still hot, deglaze with the champagne. Reduce over high heat until only a small amount remains (about 4 tablespoons). Add shallots and garlic, saute 1 minute. Add chicken stock, and reduce until 6-7 tablespoons remain. 

Stir frequently to avoid burning the garlic and shallots. Reduce heat to medium, add cream and optional chicken demi glace. Simmer until it is thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Add Dijon mustard, half the chives, reserve the remaining chives for garnish) and salt and pepper to taste. You can turn the heat off at this point to serve later, reheat gently when ready to serve.

I served with Basmati rice. You can serve the chicken over the top of the rice or beside. Spoon sauce over the top of chicken and sprinkle with reserved chives. Serve remaining sauce on the side.