Chicken Breasts with Feta Cheese Sauce

These pan-seared chicken breasts get dressed up with a tangy feta cheese sauce that’s surprisingly light. The trick is using evaporated skim milk as the base instead of heavy cream. It has the same silky body and richness but a fraction of the fat, and it thickens into a proper sauce with just a small roux of margarine and flour.

Seven minutes per side over medium heat is the sweet spot for boneless, skinless breasts. Don’t crank the heat higher thinking you’ll speed things up. High heat dries out the surface before the center cooks through, and you end up with rubbery chicken under a gorgeous sauce. Not worth it.

The sauce comes together in about four minutes while the chicken rests. Cook the roux for a full minute before adding the milk so you lose that raw flour taste. Stir constantly as the milk goes in; evaporated milk thickens faster than regular, so lumps form quickly if you stop whisking. The feta goes in last, off-heat or on very low, and melts into a salty, tangy cream that coats the back of a spoon.

Kitchen Tips

• Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels before cooking. Surface moisture creates steam and prevents the golden sear you’re after.
• If your breasts are thick, pound them to an even ¾-inch thickness. Even cooking means no dry edges with a raw center.
• Use good-quality feta. The crumbly, briny stuff from the deli counter melts better and has more character than the pre-crumbled bags.

Variations

• Sun-dried tomato feta: Stir chopped sun-dried tomatoes into the finished sauce for a Mediterranean twist with pops of sweet, concentrated tomato.
• Lemon herb: Add a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh dill to the sauce right before serving for a brighter, springtime feel.