Chicken Francese
Whenever hubby and I visit one of our favorite Italian restaurants, I am hard-pressed to order anything other than their Chicken Francese—or their Sole Francese! Chicken or sole, sole or chicken? Such a culinary dilemma!
It turns out that making restaurant quality Chicken Francese at home is reasonably easy. You dredge thin chicken cutlets in flour, then in an egg-milk mixture before frying to a golden brown in olive oil. You remove the cutlets (and keep warm) while you make the delicious plate-licking sauce from butter, flour, white wine, chicken broth, and lemon juice. What’s not to like about those ingredients? I’m drooling just thinking about it.
I put on a pot of water to boil for pasta before I start making the sauce which goes together pretty quickly. Once the sauce is done, return the chicken to the pan, sprinkle with some parsley, and serve over a pasta of your choice. A glass of white wine would certainly not be out of order…just sayin’.
Chicken Francese
Ingredients for the Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thin cut
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbl. milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Ingredients for the Sauce
- 4 tbl. butter
- 1 tbl. flour
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbl. lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbl. chopped parsley
Directions for the Chicken
Place each piece of chicken in between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken to create thin cutlets.
Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix them until combined.
Place the eggs and milk in a small bowl and whisk them until smooth.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture, then dip each one in the egg mixture.
Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in the pan.
Cook them for 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover it to keep it warm. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
Directions for the Sauce
Add the butter to the pan and cook it until melted. Add the flour and cook it for one minute, stirring constantly.
Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and let it simmer for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until the sauce has just thickened.
Stir in the lemon juice and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Return the chicken to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with parsley.
I served the chicken over pasta, but side dishes such as mashed potatoes or rice would go nicely as well.
Source: A recipe from cookingprofessionally.com