Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
Next, add a large frying pan to a burner over high heat and let sit for 20 to 30 seconds before adding in the olive oil.
Once the oil begins to lightly smoke, add in the chicken breasts and immediately turn the heat down to medium-high. Note: If it is a hot burner, turn it down to medium.
Cook the chicken breasts between 3 ½ to 4 minutes. Flip it over and add it to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes at 375°.
Remove from the oven and rest on a cutting board for 2 to 4 minutes. It’s OK if it’s a few minutes longer.
Next, add the pan back to the cooktop over medium heat. Add in the shallots and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Deglaze with optional white wine and cook until it is almost completely absorbed.
Pour the chicken stock and cook on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Feel free to cut the amount of chicken stock down to 1 cup instead of 2.
Finish with butter, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking.How to Reheat: To reheat it, place it back in a pan with some of the pan sauce, cover it, and cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 350°.How to Store: It will hold in the refrigerator with it covered up for up to 4 days. It will also freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Pull it out as you need it and let it thaw in the refrigerator before using it.I like to use either cast iron or stainless-steel pans since they are environmentally friendly and don’t give off any funky chemicals.It’s important to buy chicken breasts between 7 and 9 ounces in weight. Large 1-pound chicken breasts are not normal, and you should use caution when using them.Remember that just because food is removed from the heat, it does not stop cooking.Always add 1 to 2 minutes into your total cooking time to account for carry-over cooking.If the oil is so hot that it is rolling smoke, it’s burning and needs to be discarded.There should be no raw pink chicken in the middle of the breast.