Seared Chicken with Warm Berry Pan Sauce

From the garden

• 1½ cups blackberries, raspberries, honeyberries, lowbush blueberries, or any tart dark berry, rinsed
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

From the pantry

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp cold butter · for finishing the sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Pat the chicken very dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. If the breasts are thick, pound them to an even 3/4 inch so they cook evenly.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Sear the chicken 5–6 minutes per side without moving it, until deeply golden and cooked to 165°F at the thickest point. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
3. Lower the heat to medium, add the shallot and thyme sprigs to the drippings, and cook about 1 minute until softened and fragrant, scraping up the browned bits.
4. Add the berries, stock, balsamic, and honey. Simmer 4–5 minutes, pressing some of the berries with the spoon so they burst, until the sauce coats the back of the spoon.
5. Off the heat, pull out the thyme stems and swirl in the cold butter until the sauce turns glossy. Taste for salt, return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan, and spoon the sauce over to serve.