Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Aromatic Brown Butter and Hazelnuts

Fifty Shades of Chicken, p. 94

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each), patted dry with paper towels

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

¾ teaspoon finely grated orange zest (from 1 small orange)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped, toasted hazelnuts or almonds

Citrus zest is always an attention-grabber, in my book.

Using a mortar and pestle, or the flat side of a knife, crush the coriander seeds and put them into a bowl.

Using the side of a rolling pin, gently pound the breasts until they submit, flattening them ¼ inch thick.

I don't own a rolling pin, so I made do with an old olive oil bottle. 

 Put the chicken into the bowl with the coriander and add the salt, orange zest, pepper, and nutmeg and toss to coat. Let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, or better, up to 6 hours.

Well, sorry, but some of us didn't have the foresight to read through the recipe six hours before dinner.

Melt 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter in a very large skillet over medium-high heat and let it simmer until it turns golden brown and starts to smell nutty. Add the chicken in batches and cook until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. 

I'm assuming "batches" out of a total of two chicken breasts means one at a time?

Golden delicious.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Pampered chicken.

Melt the remaining ½ tablespoon butter in the pan and add the nuts. Let them heat up and crisp until very fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. 

I used almonds, because I had some laying around. You gotta keep stirring the nuts, whichever kind you use, because otherwise they stick to the pan and burn.

Serve on top of the breasts.

Yeah. Um. Stick to the pan and burn.

My Rating: 3/5 "Fairly straightforward and plain for all the fancy ingredients and high-fallutin' name. It has a nice smoky flavor, though, and stays decently moist. Plus, I set off the fire alarm trying to cook it, which always makes for an exciting evening."