Chicken Francese

Ainekset

SAUCE

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced (about 4 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ cup dry vermouth or white wine

⅓ cup juice from 2 lemons (see note)

Table salt and ground black pepper

CHICKEN

4 (5- to 6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed and breasts trimmed (see note)

Table salt and ground black pepper

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Ohjeet

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. FOR THE SAUCE: Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, vermouth, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce measures 1½ cups, about 15 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer. Return the sauce to the saucepan and set aside, discarding the solids.

3. FOR THE CHICKEN: Halve the chicken horizontally, then cover the chicken halves with plastic wrap and pound the cutlets to an even ¼-inch thickness. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

4. Combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish and whisk the eggs and milk together in a medium bowl. Working with 1 chicken cutlet at a time, dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess, then coat with the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Finally, coat with the flour again, shaking off the excess. Place the coated chicken in a single layer on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 of the cutlets and cook until lightly browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue to cook until no longer pink and lightly browned on the second side, about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a clean wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil to the skillet and repeat with the remaining cutlets, then transfer to the oven. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels.

6. TO FINISH THE SAUCE AND SERVE: Transfer the sauce to the now-empty skillet and cook over medium-low heat until warmed, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer 4 of the chicken cutlets to the skillet, turn to coat with the sauce, then transfer each serving (2 cutlets) to individual plates. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce over each serving and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.

Muistiinpanot

To make slicing the chicken easier, freeze it for 15 minutes. The sauce is very lemony—for less tartness, reduce the amount of lemon juice by about 1 tablespoon.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Many versions of this Italian restaurant favorite feature a rubbery coating and a puckery lemon sauce. Yet this quick dinner still holds promise for the home cook. We wanted our chicken to have a rich, eggy coating that would remain soft and tender yet be sturdy enough to stand up to a silky, well-balanced lemon sauce.

We found that a first coating of flour was essential for getting the egg to stick, and a little milk added to the egg prevented it from turning rubbery. A final dip into flour made a soft, delicate veneer. We sautéed the cutlets in butter for its flavor, adding a little oil to keep the butter from burning, and kept the cutlets warm in the oven while we made our sauce. Fresh lemon juice with some vermouth and chicken broth gave us the bright, fresh citrus flavor we wanted; a little sautéed shallot balanced the lemon but didn’t overpower it. To get the sauce to cling to the chicken without making it soggy, we made a roux with butter and flour. Our sauce was just right, but the chicken had dried out while waiting in the oven. Our solution was to make the sauce first, then cook the chicken and finish the sauce. We think this revitalized dish deserves a place in today’s home kitchens.