Sauteed Chicken With Tomato, Thyme & White Wine Vinegar

From Cook's Illustrated. Quick and easy to prepare. I like to top with chopped fresh Roma tomatoes.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
•  table salt
•  ground black pepper
•  vegetable oil

• Sauce

• 2  teaspoons  vegetable oil
• 1  medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 2  teaspoons tomato paste
• 1  cup low sodium chicken broth
• 3  tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 6  sprigs fresh thyme
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter
•  table salt
•  ground black pepper

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Slice each chicken breast in half to form thin cutlets (easier if frozen for 10-15 minutes).
3. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking; place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes.
5. Flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque, 15 to 20 seconds.
6. Transfer to large heatproof plate.
7. Add 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and repeat to cook remaining cutlets. Cover plate loosely with foil and transfer to oven to keep warm while making sauce.
8. Remove skillet from burner. Add 2 teaspoons oil, shallot, and tomato paste to hot skillet; using residual heat, cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 30 seconds.
9. Set skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken broth, vinegar, light brown sugar, and thyme; bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits.
10. Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 6 to 7 minutes.
11. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; serve immediately with cutlets.