Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese is one of my favorite chicken dishes, but the recipe I was using called for a saute-then-bake progression that just left me with extra pans to wash. I reworked the process a bit so that no baking was necessary; the results were just what I was looking for!

This is a bit messy as you get it into the pan, but it’s definitely worth getting your hands dirty.

Serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
2.5 oz flour (see note)
3 TBL olive oil

EGG WASH
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tbl parsley
1/2 tsp garlic
1 oz Romano cheese

SAUCE
3/4 cup double-strength beef broth (yes, BEEF broth. Really.)
3 tbl lemon juice
3 tbl butter

Cut chicken breast into thin, evenly-sized pieces.

Add olive oil to a heavy skillet and heat on a medium flame.

Dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg wash, then dredge again in flour and add to skillet. Do not cook too many pieces at one time; leave space between them so the coating will properly brown. Wait to turn the chicken until the pieces release easily from the pan so you don’t lose too much of the coating.

When chicken is cooked through and browned on both sides, remove to a plate and cook another batch. After all the chicken is done, add sauce ingredients to the empty pan and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze.

Return all the chicken to the pan with the sauce, turning over each piece so it is coated. Cook 3 to 5 more minutes.

NOTE: I weighed the flour using the technique described here in order to get an accurate nutrition label. 2.5 ounces of flour is just over 1/2 cup. You’ll need more than that to work with, but a good bit will be discarded. I recommend starting with about 3/4 cup of flour.

Recipe and photos copyright 2015 Barb Szyszkiewicz for Cook and Count. All rights reserved.