Sauteed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter

We had some friends over this weekend and I wanted to make a special yet healthy dinner for them. I had some chicken breasts that I defrosted and wanted to use them for this meal. So I found this recipe in my binder --  which I tore out of the Cooking Light magazine -- that looked perfect. I love when I find a recipe that has everything, or almost everything, that I need for it already at home. The only ingredient I had to improvise with was the fresh sage. I couldn't find the fresh stuff at the grocery store so used the ground sage I had at home already. I am sure that it would taste even better with the fresh sage but this recipe was still delicious with the ground sage. I served it with a baked potato and a spinach salad. I also made two loaves of french bread for dipping into the sauce and salad. I unfortunately forgot to take pictures of the meal! I am so disappointed about this but since this recipe is a keeper, I will take a picture of it next time I make it. Enjoy!

Sauteed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter
Recipe by Cooking Light
Serves 4-6. Total prep and cooking time, 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 sage sprigs (I substituted 1 tablespoon of ground sage for the fresh sage)
1 tablespoon  minced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Directions: Place each breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Add butter and sage sprigs to pan; cook over medium heat until butter browns. Discard sage. Add shallots and thyme; cook for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; cook for 30 seconds. Serve with chicken. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.