Airline Chicken Breast With Shallot-Mustard Sauce Recipe

Airline chicken doesn't exactly conjure up images of ultra-fine dining, even though modern airlines are all about first-class dining in the skies. While the origin of airline chicken is somewhat debated, the name does not, in fact, refer to where you eat it. More of a cut of chicken than an actual dish, airline chicken is just chicken breast with the skin and wing joint attached, both of which help keep the chicken flavorful and juicy. In some instances, the wing joint is frenched (meaning the flesh and skin are scraped away with a knife leaving the bone exposed), and sometimes not.

Airline chicken is one of those cuts that has gone in and out of fashion in the culinary world, which probably means that it's ripe for a comeback. Recipe developer Taylor Murray paired this cut of chicken with a classic mustard-shallot white wine pan sauce to enhance the dish and recall classic cooking techniques. "The method I chose to prepare this airline chicken is worth keeping in your back pocket. It's a traditional pan sauce that can be used in so many different ways if you swap out the type of herbs or protein." 

While most of the ingredients for this recipe are straightforward and simple, the main ingredient is going to be the most tricky. We're talking about the chicken breast itself. You have two options: Either ask your butcher to cut them for you, or do it yourself. There are tons of videos online showing you how to do the process but it basically involves cutting the breasts from a whole chicken while taking care to leave the wing attached. Cut off the lower two joints of the wing and leave the drumette.

Once you have your two breasts, you'll need some finely chopped shallot, mustard, white wine, butter, chicken broth, lemon, and a few sprigs of fresh parsley and thyme. Make sure you also have some vegetable oil and kosher salt and pepper.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and season with kosher salt and pepper. Grab your stainless steel skillet and heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil to medium high. The oil should be just barely smoking. Place the chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, which should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate or tray and set aside.

Pour out all but one tablespoon of the oil and bring the pan back to medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. This process should only take a minute or so.

As soon as the shallots are ready, pour in the wine. Scrape up any bits of chicken that caramelized on the bottom of the pan. "This process is known as deglazing," says Murray, "And it's vital for making the perfect pan sauce." 

When the wine has reduced to about 2 tablespoons (it should be syrupy and thickened slightly), scoop the mustard into the pan. Whisk until fully incorporated, then add the broth. Turn the heat up on the pan and return the liquid to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

"At a restaurant I worked at, this is the point where we would put the whole pan into a hot oven so the chicken could cook. The broth keeps the chicken from burning and drying out and putting it in the oven lets you have your hands and attention free for other things," says Murray. While heating up the oven just for a few minutes of bringing a chicken up to temperature isn't exactly efficient for the home cook, if you already have the oven hot for another dish then this method makes things easy.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it and set it aside once more. The liquid in the pan should have reduced to about 1/4 cup at this point, but if not keep simmering it without the chicken until it's there. Add in the cubes of butter and whisk constantly until fully incorporated. "In French, this process is called monter au beurre, or mounting with butter. It's a classic cooking technique that all chefs should know. The cubes of butter have to be cold so that they melt slowly into the sauce and emulsify. If the butter is too soft or, even worse, melted, you'll end up with a broken sauce," says Murray. 

By now, the sauce should be silky, thick, and glossy. Squeeze a bit of lemon over it and whisk in the fresh chopped herbs. Add the chicken into the sauce and turn to coat. It should cling to the chicken with some extra left over for spooning over the top.

The sauce does not keep well overnight due to the fragile nature of an emulsified sauce, so you should aim to serve this as soon as possible. Keep things traditional and serve it with a fancy side like fondant potatoes and sauteed asparagus or pair it with a salad and some simple roasted squash. Either way, this dish is sure to join your list of favorite ways to eat chicken.