Skillet chicken with pan sauce takes a weeknight dinner from simple to special

Next time you roast, saute, sear or pan-fry vegetables or proteins, check out the bottom of the pan. As long as it's not nonstick or otherwise coated, you should see browned bits, or a deeply burnished* crust coating the pan.

Don't think of that crust as a "dishwashing chore," as Martha Holmberg put it a few years ago in a detailed guide to the technique. Think of it as a secret path to flavor.

That brown stuff is just a layer, or stuck-on bits, of caramelized carbohydrates, protein and fats. You may have heard these called pan drippings. (They have other names in other languages.) Knowing how to turn them into the beginnings of a soup or stew or, as we'll do here, a sauce - whether a Thanksgiving gravy or tonight's 20-minute meal - is a technique every cook should know.

Daniel Holzman, the co-author, with Matt Rodbard, of the new book, "Food IQ: 100 Questions, Answers, and Recipes to Raise Your Cooking Smarts," and a chef-owner of restaurants in Los Angeles and New York, breaks down the process in a recipe for seared chicken breasts, and I think we should riff on that for dinner tonight.

(Buy it in hardcover at a 10% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at JUST $16.99! by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR.)

Here's how to make a pan sauce from pan-seared food:

• Make sure the food you want to sear is well-seasoned and dry. If it goes into the pan wet or damp, it's going to steam instead of sear.

• Get your pan very hot, add a little fat, and wait for a wisp of smoke to rise.

• Carefully lay the food in the pan, allowing it to fall away from you. If you're cooking chicken, lay it skin-side down.

• Then . . . wait. Don't wander into another room - this is no time for distractions! - but let your food brown. Resist the urge to move it around. Give it at least 2 or 3 minutes.

• Peek at the seared side - is it brown? Then it's time to flip. (If, when you go to flip it, it sticks, give it another minute or two.) If you're cooking meat, make sure you've cooked it all the way through. Use a thermometer if necessary.

• Sauce time: In some cases you'll remove the meat or vegetables from the pan, in others they stay there, and while everything is still very hot, you add liquid - water, stock, wine, vinegar, bean broth, soy sauce, juice, cream, brine - and maybe some complementary aromatics, such as spices, peppercorns or herbs.

• As the liquid hits the hot pan, it creates steam that, when combined with the friction from a spoon or spatula, will help you scrape up the browned bits. (If you're making a soup or stew, you're going to continue adding liquid and other ingredients, using the browned bits as a foundation of flavor.)

• Now, simmer the sauce for a few minutes so it reduces, thickens and its flavors become more concentrated.

In French cuisine, the reduced sauce is generally enriched with cream or butter, but there are many, many ways to flavor a pan sauce, as you'll see below.

One last tip before we start cooking: The pan is going to get very hot, and when you add liquid to a ripping hot pan, it's going to sputter. Fear not! "If you're not regularly setting off your fire alarm at home, you're not really cooking," Holzman advises, and I agree. (Though, you may want to have a splatter screen handy!)

*If your crust is very, very dark brown or black, it's not going to make a good sauce - it's burnt! Time to soak and scrub that pan and start over.

CHICKEN WITH PAN SAUCE AND WILTED SPINACH

MAKES: 2 servings

Active time: 20 minutes

Seared chicken breasts or thighs turn into an elegant meal thanks to a simple pan sauce. This recipe is all about the technique of building a sauce out of the fond, or bits of browned fat and protein that stick to the bottom of the pan after caramelizing food over high heat.

Here, skin-on chicken pieces are seared and cooked through in a hot skillet. They're then removed, and white wine is added, followed by stock and margarine. Simmered and reduced, this mixture combines with the fond to produce a flavorful sauce. It's endlessly variable: Substitute almost any well-seasoned protein or vegetable, and play around with different liquids: vinegar, brine, water, bean broth, soy sauce and other savory liquids, in the right proportions, will all make delicious sauces.

Storage Notes: Leftovers may be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

A few ways to play:

Don't want chicken tonight? >> A couple of portobello mushroom caps would work.

The white wine adds a touch of sweetness and acidity. >> Feel free to replace it with any kind of cider, sherry, marsala, or a couple of tablespoons of white wine or cider vinegar and water.

Instead of stock >> try the broth from cooked white beans, or use more wine. You could also combine water with a splash of soy sauce.

Feel free to add other aromatics, including garlic, ginger, tomato paste, harissa, whole peppercorns, olives, capers, anchovies, spice blends or fresh herbs.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (5-ounce) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or split breasts, patted dry
• Fine salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons unsalted margarine, cut into cubes
• 5 ounces (about 5 cups) baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt. (If you have time, season them up to 1 hour before cooking - or the night before, and refrigerate until ready to cook.)

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it just begins to smoke. Pat the chicken dry and gently lower each piece into the pan, skin side down, dropping it away from you so hot oil does not splash toward you.

Cook the chicken until the skin is deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and add the thyme to the pan. (If the skin sticks, the chicken isn't ready to flip; give it another 1 to 2 minutes and it will loosen on its own.)

Continue cooking until the chicken is firm and barely pink in the center, about 4 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 140 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a plate, season with pepper and let them rest in a warm place while you make the sauce.

Add the wine to the pan, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and boil the wine until it has almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the broth and boil until it has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the margarine, letting it gently melt into the sauce. The sauce is ready when it has thickened; it should coat the back of a spoon, and when you trace a trail with your fingertip across the back, the trail should hold its shape without dripping. Decrease the heat to medium, and pour the sauce into a small bowl and keep warm.

In the same skillet, wilt the spinach. Season it with a pinch of salt, and stir until it releases its moisture and turns silky and soft, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer the chicken to individual plates, and add a spoonful of spinach to each plate. Spoon the sauce over the top and serve.

Nutrition: Per serving (1 piece of chicken and 1/4 cup pan sauce), based on 2 servings: Calories: 532; Total Fat: 42 g; Saturated Fat: 16 g; Cholesterol: 122 mg; Sodium: 469 mg; Carbohydrates: 4 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 1 g; Protein: 27 g

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