Chicken Francese

It is optional, but I like to remove visible skin and fat from the chicken breasts.

Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick.

If the breasts are very large or thick, you might want to cut them before pounding them out thin.

The pieces are ready for the next step.

Coating the chicken

Prepare your work station for dipping and flouring. Crack 3 large eggs into a shallow bowl and beat together well adding a splash of cold water to the eggs to help thin them out a bit.

In a separate shallow bowl add 1 cup flour and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Dip each chicken breast first in the flour…

then into the egg…

and then back into the flour again, pressing to make sure you get a nice even coat. Set each breast on a plate until you finish dipping and breading each one.

Cooking the chicken

In a non-stick skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set the heat to medium.

Once hot, add chicken breasts cook on each side until just barely done. Cook in batches so you do not crowd the pan.

You want the chicken to be a very light golden brown. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.

Remove the cooked chicken to a pan and continue browning each chicken breast in the skillet, continuing to add oil, 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed.

Once you are done, place the pan with the chicken in the oven, uncovered, and allow to bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Making the lemon sauce

When finished sautéing the chicken, wipe out the skillet with some paper towels. You don’t want to clean the pan completely, but you do want to remove any flour that has browned in the bottom. 

Set burner to medium heat and pour in the chicken broth. Add some salt and pepper if you feel it needs it. Add the juice of two lemons. Bring to a boil and then quickly whisk in about 1 teaspoon of flour. Add in the 3 tablespoons of butter and whisk again.

Turn the heat down to simmer and allow to reduce to almost half.

Once the sauce is done, add the chopped fresh parsley and stir.

Set the chicken breasts out on a rimmed platter or baking dish, and pour the sauce all over the top of each breast.

Take your last lemon and slice it thin, with the skin on. Place pieces of sliced lemon across the whole dish and serve.

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• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
• 1 14.5 oz. Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup flour (or more if needed for breading)
• 1/4 olive oil
• 3 lemons
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Trim chicken breasts of any fat. Take each breast and flatten it out with a mallet. If the breasts are very thick, you might want to cut them before pounding them out thin. 

Coating the chicken

Set the chicken to the side and then prepare your work station for dipping and flouring. Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat together well. You can add a teaspoon of cold water to the eggs to help thin them out a bit.

In a separate shallow bowl add your flour and season with your salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, then the egg, and then the flour again, pressing to make sure you get a nice even coat. Set each breast on a plate until you finish dipping and breading each one.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cooking the chicken

In a non-stick skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set the heat to medium. Once hot, add two or three chicken breasts at a time and cook until just barely done on each side and a very light golden brown. We are not looking for a deep brown color to these. 

Remove the cooked chicken to a pan and continue browning each chicken breast in the skillet, continuing to add oil, 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed. Once you are done, place the pan  with the chicken in the oven, uncovered, and allow to bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Making the lemon sauce

Meanwhile wipe out the skillet with some paper towels. You don’t want to clean the pan completely, but you do want to remove all that flour that has browned in the bottom. You won’t remove the flavor by doing this, but you will allow yourself to have a nice lemon colored sauce.

Set burner to medium heat and pour in the chicken broth. Add some salt and pepper if you feel it needs it. Squeeze in the juice of two lemons. Bring to a boil and then quickly whisk in about 1 teaspoon of flour. Add in the 3 tablespoons of butter and whisk again. Turn the heat down to simmer and allow to reduce to almost half.

Once the sauce is done, add the chopped fresh parsley and stir.

Set the chicken breasts out on a rimmed platter or baking dish, and pour the sauce all over the top of each breast.

Take your last lemon and slice it thin, with the skin on. Place pieces of sliced lemon across the whole dish and serve.

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