The Single Best Thing to Cook With Chicken Breasts

[elleng]

Chicken francese is quick, lemony, buttery Italian-American comfort food.

'There are people who never get tired of breaded chicken cutlets. (I know, because some of them live in my house.)

For the rest of us, finding a higher purpose for boneless, skinless chicken breasts is a lifelong mission. Their virtues are well known: They are quick-cooking, high-protein, crowd-pleasing, low-fat. As are their drawbacks: They are dry, tough, tasteless. A really well-seasoned, crunchy chicken cutlet is a fine thing to eat, but many other cooking methods — marinating, grilling, searing, poaching — only take the cut from bad to worse.

Chicken francese, with its butter lemon sauce, is the single best thing you can make with chicken cutlets. Chicken and lemon are a classic combination that almost every meat-eater likes. And it is one of those rare restaurant dishes that is truly easy to make at home.

“It’s one of our most popular dishes, but I have no idea where it came from,” Lisa Bamonte said at her family’s 118-year-old restaurant, Bamonte’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the chicken francese is considered one of the best in the city. Four generations of her family, including Ms. Bamonte, have worked in the kitchen, so she is more than familiar with the recipe’s signature elements: a flour dredge, an egg wash and a bright, plentiful sauce.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/dining/chicken-francese.html?

Chicken Francese
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019577-chicken-francese

[PJMcK]

1. I love this dish!

My landlady(!) makes a killer version but I think we're going to have to take a trip out to Brooklyn.

[elleng]

2. Do it, and say hi for me!

[SummerSnow]

3. Yum. only ingredient I don't have are the lemons. Will be going out to get about 6

[TygrBright]

4. Almost makes me wish I had a subscription so I could see the recipe! n/t

[PJMcK]

6. How's this?

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
½ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup vegetable oil
4 to 6 large boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (buy the cutlets thinly sliced, or buy regular boneless breasts and slice them in half horizontally to make thin pieces)
3 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed (optional)
½ cup dry white wine
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, more to taste
2 cups chicken stock
3 to 4 tablespoons freshly minced parsley


PREPARATION
In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper until blended. Place the flour in a separate bowl. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
In a wide skillet, heat olive and vegetable oils over medium heat until shimmering.
Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, lightly dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Dip into egg batter, let excess batter drip back into the bowl and place in the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as the cutlets cook so they brown slowly and evenly, with a steady bubbling. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined pan and repeat with remaining cutlets.
When all cutlets are browned, remove the pan from the heat and pour off the oil. Wipe out the pan with paper towels. Return the pan to low heat.
If making the lemon slices (if not, skip to Step 6 below): Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and then scatter the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring gently occasionally, until the lemon slices are golden and browning around the edges, about 3 minutes. Scoop out the lemon slices and set them aside.
Add 3 tablespoons of butter, the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Boil until the liquid is syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and cook until thickened into a sauce, about 5 minutes. (It will thicken more when you add the cutlets.) Taste and adjust the seasonings with lemon, salt and pepper; it should be quite lemony and not too salty.
Reduce the heat, tuck the cutlets into the pan and simmer very gently until the sauce is velvety and the chicken pieces are heated through, about 4 minutes. Turn the cutlets over occasionally in the sauce. Place the browned lemon slices on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, spooning some of the sauce over each serving.

[TygrBright]

8. Thank you! Totally bookmarking this. n/t

[PJMcK]

9. You can get up to 10 free NYT articles per month

Just in case you want to skim their articles. (The Home Page doesn't count.)

[TygrBright]

10. Yup. But if you want to see recipes, you have to give them your email address. n/t

[PJMcK]

11. Oh, I see. I didn't know that.

Let me know if you ever want something. I have to have a subscription so let me share the wealth!

[saidsimplesimon]

5. Chicken, Veal Piccata

are always on my menu.

[pangaia]

7. Here is my ultimate chicken breast (or thigh) dish.

Made it many times.

And have eaten it in Chengdu, Sichuan Province - at Chengdu Taste in Ahlambra, CA and - Cafe China in NYC..

Steaming leaves it super moist....

https://blog.themalamarket.com/chengdu-challenge-22-saliva-mouthwatering-chicken-kou-shui-ji-or-bobo-chicken-or-bang-bang-chicken-or/

[Lugnut]

12. My go-to chicken breast recipe

Chicken Lambrusco

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 C Lambrusco wine
3/4 C beef stock
1 med onion sliced
1/2 c Extra virgin olive oil

Saute onions in oil until they are beginning to color. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. Dredge chicken breasts in flour and saute in oil until nicely browned on both sides. Add wine and simmer for three or four minutes until the alcohol dissipates. Add beef broth and return the sauteed onions. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

I serve this dish with garlic mashed potatoes. Just toss a few garlic cloves in the potato cooking water and cook with the spuds. Mash the potatoes and garlic well then add a fistfull of grated Romano cheese. Mash until the cheese is incorporated. Add cream or milk and mash until well blended and smooth.