Classic Chicken Francese Food

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness; slice into cutlets 1-1/2 in. wide. Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl; in a separate shallow bowl, combine the next six ingredients. Dip chicken in egg, then in crumb mixture, patting to help coating adhere., In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Brown chicken in batches, adding oil as needed, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove; drain on paper towels., For lemon sauce, add water, lemon juice and bouillon to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until liquid is reduced by half, 8-10 minutes. Return chicken to pan; toss to coat. Cook until heated through, 4-6 minutes. Serve with lemon slices.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• Dust chicken with flour.
• In a flat container mix together eggs and enough parmesan cheese to create a thick batter (something like pancake batter).
• Dip breasts in batter and cook at medium to med-high heat in a little olive oil, brown a little on both sides.
• Remove all chicken to a platter- keep warm.
• In same skillet increase heat to a med-high and quickly brown the garlic (not too brown) then deglaze pan with wine and let"boil" a few minutes.
• Add broth, butter and let cook until butter has melted.
• Add parsley, quickly whisking together.
• Add lemon juice 1/4 at a time until desired taste.
• Thicken if desired.
• Ladle over chicken and pasta on individual plates, with a garnish of lemon wedges and parmesan cheese.

CLASSIC CHICKEN FRANCESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Lightly pound each sliced chicken breast with a mallet between plastic wrap or in a plastic zip bag until slightly flattened and tenderized and set aside.
• Whisk together ¾ cup flour with salt and pepper in a dish, pie pan or shallow bowl.
• Next, whisk together eggs with salt and pepper in a dish, pie pan, or shallow bowl and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or rondeau pot over medium heat. It will be ready to use when you add some flour, and it fries but does not burn.
• In batches dredge the chicken breast in the flour on both sides and pat off any excess.
• Next, add it to the egg wash and coat on both sides. Drain any excess.
• Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 ½ to 3 minutes per side or until browned and just cooked through. Repeat the process with the chicken and set aside on a plate. It's ok if you layer the cooked chicken, the breading will not fall off.
• Next, stir in the garlic and shallots in the rendered cooking oil over medium heat in the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked.
• Deglaze with white wine and cook until there's about a ½ cup of liquid left and then stir in the butter and ¼ cup of flour until completely mixed.
• Pour in chicken stock, or brodo, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix until combined and turn the heat to medium-high to activate the roux and thicken. It will only take 4-5 minutes, or less, for the sauce to thicken.
• Add back in the chicken and cook for 2-4 minutes to heat up, turning once to make sure they're coated.
• Serve with lemon wheels and parsley.

CHICKEN FRANCAISE

Steps:

• Mix a decent amount of salt and pepper with the flour to make a dredging mixture. You don't need any more than a cup of flour; you're just giving them a light dusting.
• Using a meat pounder, pound the chicken breasts flat so that they are about the size of your hand.
• Dredge the chicken breasts through the flour. When you pull them out, give them a few good slaps so that the extra flour falls off. You want a very light coating, this isn't supposed to be like batter.
• Crack the two eggs into a flat bowl, pierce the yolks with a fork, and scramble them slightly. Combine with about a quarter cup of water to make a light egg wash. It should be pale yellow in color.
• Run the chicken through the egg wash. Keep in mind this is a wash, not a bath. You don't want it soaking in egg, just enough to keep it wet and absorb the flour coating.
• Heat the quarter cup of olive oil in a large fry pan on medium-high heat, and when it is smoking hot, place the chicken into the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. You will know when it is ready to flip when the chicken has a nice, slightly browned color and a crisp texture. Remove the chicken from the pan.
• Cut your lemon in half. Using one half, make several paper thin slices of lemon. Save the other half.
• Turn the stove up to high heat, and drop the lemon slices into the frying pan. Wait for them to caramellize and take on a slightly gummy texture.
• Pour in the 1/2 cup of white wine. I recommend Yellowtail Pinto Grigio because it's not too expensive, you can drink it with the meal, and the sweetness of it counteracts the sour of the lemon. Let the sauce reduce for 30 seconds to one minute.
• Sprinkle in salt to taste, and then add in the cup of chicken broth. Allow it to reduce again.
• Take your butter, and dredge it in the flour. Break it up into chunks and drop it into the sauce, swirling it around and allowing the sauce to thicken.
• Once the sauce has thickened sufficiently, put the chicken breasts back into the pan. Coat them thoroughly with the sauce, and let them cook for about another minute or two to warm them back up.
• Transfer to a serving platter, putting a few slices of lemon on top of each chicken breast, and then drizzle the sauce over the whole concoction.
• Garnish with flat-leaf parsley, or whatever greenery you think would go good with the meal.