Thursday, September 23, 2010

Chicken Francese

I took a very small chicken from the freezer to make for dinner. The poor little thing was stuck there in the first place because I had such good intentions and a list of roast chicken recipes to try. So much for intentions, so I shoved the poor, neglected, but perfectly fresh little chick in the deep freeze for another time. That time came the other day. Took it out to thaw in the frig overnight, small, you'd think it would defrost in time for dinner. Nope. So we tried for the next night. Pretty much defrosted but nope. The Picky One invited a friend. Grandma's having dinner with us. We'd have starved from that one little, really little, chicken. If I buy a big one, too much leftover. I buy a small one, not enough. So no to the little chicken and yes to two packages of thin-sliced chicken cutlets. We'll have the roast chicken tomorrow. Hopefully! Poor neglected chicken!

Went to that long, long list of recipes to try. Needed something easy. I had a Book club meeting after dinner. What book? I never read the books any more, but I still go to the meetings. Nice to get out for the evening. They serve nibbles and wine. Nothing stops me from joining the conversation anyway, whether I read the book or not :) We're a very informal group!

So I searched the lists and came up with Chicken Francese, from Sol, of Memories in the Baking. Her recipes are always fantastic. Her blog is delicious! This one has been on my to try list for a long time, when she first posted it at the GW Cooking Forum, and then CindyMac mentioned it again on a different forum! So we gave it a try! We loved it. What's not to like?  Lemon and chicken, to me, a perfect combination.This one is not too eggy, like you find at some places. Very light and very good! I forgot to add the butter. It was still good. But butter makes it better, I bet! I can't say that ten times fast :)




Chicken Francese
Source: posted the GW Cooking Forum Marysol (Memories in the Baking)
Printable Recipe

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used thin-sliced cutlets)
2 heaping tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 large egg, well beaten
Flour for dredging
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
6 thin slices of lemon
2 tablespoons cold butter

Pound the breasts to 1/4-inch thick. Season well with salt and pepper.

Combine the cheese, 2 tablespoons of parsley, and the beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Place the flour on a wide plate. Dip the cutlets in the egg mix, letting the excess drip off. Place each cutlet in the flour and coat lightly, then place in single layer on plate.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute cutlets for about 2 minutes per side. Don’t overcook. Remove from pan and keep warm in single layer.

Return the pan to high heat. Add the wine and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Next add the broth and lemon slices. Keep boiling the sauce until it’s reduced to about 1/2 cup. Turn heat to very low. Add the butter and swirl till sauce is thickened. Taste for seasoning. Place cutlets back in pan, turning to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.

15 comments:

  1. nice and simple meal . Book club sounds like fun, doesnt matter whether you read it or not as you say good to go and just chat.

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  2. Lemon and chicken make the perfect combination. I love it too. The dish looks awesome.

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  3. Isn't amazing how long it takes a chicken to thaw. I've gotten used to putting it in the fridge at least three days prior to when I want to use it. Love the flavors in this dish!

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  4. This sounds really good, your potatoes look great too!

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  5. Mmmmm - simple, and with lemon - sounds delicious. Now, please, the name of the book you didn't read..........

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  6. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet! The book club loved it! Next book is Hunting and Gathering
    by Anna Gavalda. There will be a celebration cake at the next meeting if I finally read one :)

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  7. I never remember to take things out of the freezer in time either! Sometimes I think I shouldn't even bother freezing ahead but I hate to pass up a good bargain at the store.

    This does look delicious, Carol!

    I enjoyed the Pillars of the Earth miniseries on cable!

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  8. One of my faves. I don't use a recipe, but I do pretty much what you did.
    Looks good, Carol!

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  9. Chicken franchese is my daughter's favorite! I love how yours looks and thanks for the link to Sol's blog..it is always nice to visit a new food blog.

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  10. The ingredients are so simple and the cheese did it! Anything with cheese is a hit in the family!

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  11. This sounds delicious, it is a shame my hubby and son do not like lemon. Can you taste the lemon much? I am wondering if they would be able to even notice it.

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  12. Book groups are such fun...I belong to one. Ours usually chooses books I might otherwise not have read. I love the discussions that follow.

    Your chicken dish looks lovely...the lemon perks things up, doesn't it? I like lemon on practically everything!

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  13. Thanks for the nice comments :) Always appreciated!

    Our book club, too, picks books I might never have gotten to read, when I read them :)but I'm trying to get back into reading again!

    I didn't this was too lemony. We really like lemon, so I added a bit of juice to the sauce. But I think if you leave it out, and add some fresh herbs, you'd have a nice wine sauce.

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  14. Francese is a nice change from Picatta, but Picatta is so much simpler. I like lemon too, but sometimes I find it overpowering in this dish for some reason.

    Did you roast the potatoes? They look perfect!

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. They are fun to read and very much appreciated! Sorry for comment moderation, the spam has been overwhelming lately.

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