What's for Dinner Tonight? - Chicken Francese

This recipe for Chicken Francese is from www.saltandlavender.com and has golden pan-fried chicken in a delicious buttery lemon sauce. I recently made it when my granddaughter was here, and she can be a bit of a picky eater, and not much of a lemon lover. It was a big hit with her, and we loved it too. You can make this restaurant favorite at home in about half an hour!

Chicken Francese

2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup flour + 1 tablespoon flour divided use

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chicken broth or 50/50 chicken broth and dry white wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 lemon sliced into thin rings

For serving: chopped parsley, freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste

1. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Place them between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and then pound thin (to about 1/4") using the flat end of a meat mallet. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt & pepper and garlic powder.
2. Add the 1/4 cup of flour to a bowl or plate (you will dredge the chicken in it), then add the eggs to a second bowl and whisk with a fork.
3. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat (let the pan heat up for a few minutes). You will be frying two pieces of chicken at a time. One by one, coat the first two pieces of chicken with the flour, then the egg, and then add each piece to the skillet after letting the excess drip off. Cook for about 3 minutes/side or until the crust is golden and the chicken is cooked through (165F). Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Repeat for the second batch (add a little more olive oil if the pan is looking dry). The second batch tends to go faster, so keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the skillet. Once it melts, stir in the 1 tablespoon of flour and let it cook for about 30 seconds or so.
5. Whisk in the broth and lemon juice (scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan), and then add in the lemon slices. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced/thickened a bit.
6. Add the chicken back to the skillet and then serve immediately with some sauce spooned over, or simply plate the chicken and then pour the sauce over. It's best to serve it quite quickly before the chicken's coating softens up too much. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed. Top with some chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Yes, you can eat those cooked lemon slices if you like or discard them if you prefer.

Note: Between the lemon juice and lemon slices, this sauce is quite lemony! If you're not as much of a lemon lover, halve the lemon juice quantity.

Image from Salt and Vinegar.com