Chicken Francese

About six months ago, I got an email from one of our readers who wanted to know if I had any fried yucca recipes similar to one he had eaten in a Florida restaurant while on vacation. I sent him one that I thought would be close enough to what he described to me in his email.

That made me think about how a simple recipe or dish can be so perfect that we have to have it again. In fact, it reminded me of a dish my husband loved from a restaurant near his office back in New Jersey when we first met. This restaurant made the best Chicken Francese. We have lived in Arizona fifteen years, and he still talks about that Chicken Francese.

After that email from a reader, my husband and I decided to make it a personal project to find a recipe that produces the same perfect Chicken Francese. Some of our efforts came close but weren’t quite right, while others were too lemony.

Then we found this one. It appears that Chef Tyler Florence is a Chicken Francese lover, too. He even produced an online video showing how to make this scrumptious and tasty chicken dish.

If you are running out of ideas for cooking chicken breast for dinner or for a special occasion, I think you will love this. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin slices
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Using a flat meat mallet, pound out chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thick. Put flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Coat the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking the excess and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is hot, add the cutlets and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.Add the lemon slices into the hot pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly.

Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will help thicken the sauce. Stir to dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cooked chicken back to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Chicken Francese