Chicken Francese

 



Chicken Francese, sometimes called chicken French, is one of those rare restaurant dishes that's truly easy to cook at home. If you can make chicken cutlets, you can make this lemony, buttery recipe; the only difference is an easy pan sauce that brightens the whole plate. This version includes lemon slices browned in butter, which are pretty and tasty but entirely optional. Although the name suggests that it's a French or Italian dish ("Francese" means French in Italian), it's actually neither: Like spaghetti and meatballs, it's a mostly Italian-American invention. Serve with something starchy to soak up every drop of the sauce; pasta is traditional.

Featured in: The Single Best Thing To Cook With Chicken Breasts. 

 

 

 

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

1. 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.
2. In a wide skillet, heat olive and vegetable oils over medium heat until shimmering.
3. 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.
4. 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. 
5. 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. 
6. 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.
7. 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.                  

Quick Crispy Chicken Cutlets

This recipe is one of my favorites.  It comes from Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen.  It's an easy recipe, 4-6 servings.   About 1 hour and 30 minutes of prep and cooking.

Total:

1 hr 30 min

Active:

30 min

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

Level:

Easy

Ingredients

(4) 9-oz boneless, skinless, chicken breasts split OR (8) Chicken Cutlets

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2/3 cup canola oil

1 large ripe avocado, sliced into wedges

Lemon wedges, for serving

 

Directions

Lay the chicken out on a cutting board. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and slice the chicken breasts in half so one breast is now two cutlets. Lay the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound out with a meat mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle them on both sides with salt and pepper.

Set out three casserole dishes and add the flour to the first. Whisk together the mustard and eggs in the second. Mix together the panko, Parmesan, lemon zest and some salt and pepper in the third.

Dredge each cutlet first through the flour, then in the egg mixture and finally in the panko mixture. Put the chicken pieces on a clean baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Once hot, add the cutlets, in batches, and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towels to drain and season again with salt. Put the chicken pieces on a clean baking sheet and place in the warm oven while you cook the second batch.

Serve the cutlets with avocado and lemon wedges.

 

 

The Best Nachos

This recipe comes from Garlic My Soul Recipe Blog.

Everyone loves Nachos, right?

I know I do!   ~Shelly

Type: Appetizer, Quick Meals  

Author: Jennie

Oven Temperature: Broil°   

Difficulty: Easy  

Prep Time: 10 minutes  

Cook Time: 6 minutes  

Servings: 3-4  

Ingredients

• 1 bag your favorite tortilla chips
• 2 cans black beans
• 1 block cheese, shredded (we used Tillamook Sharp Cheddar)
• 1 jalapeño, diced         
• 1 cup fresh pico de gallo
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 ripe avocado, diced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to broil setting - high. Disperse chips evenly across a baking sheet.
2. Drain black beans of excess water and spread evenly over chips.
3. Shred cheese and cover entire chip/bean operation liberally.
4. Place tray on top rack of oven and broil for 2-3 minutes - keep close watch!
5. Rotate, then broil for another 2-3 or until cheese is melted and chips are browning.
6. When the cheese is melted to your liking, remove from oven.
7. Top liberally with pico, avocado, and sour cream for dipping.

Grilled Potatoes with Rosemary Mushrooms & Onions

If you're looking for a great side, this might be a great dish.

I have made similar recipes, cooking the potatoes, mushrooms and onions in a Reynold's foil package.

But now, at Harter House, we have the Creamer potatoes from the Little Potato Company.

Oven/Grill varietals are packaged in a handy foil pan that’s big enough to fit all of the vegetables. Plus, no dirty dishes to clean because the foil package can be placed directly on the barbecue grate or in the oven.

Start by following the package direction – tossing the naturally sweet little potatoes with olive oil and the enclosed seasoning (reduced sodium and no artificial flavors) – then sprinkle half of a chopped red onion over top. While the potatoes and onions are getting toasty and tender on the grill, chop the mushrooms and toss them with olive oil, crushed rosemary and a pinch of salt. Stir them into the potato mixture and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the potatoes are starting to brown.

Great herb flavors, caramelized, tender and downright delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 package Little Potato Co. Oven/Grill Ready Creamer potatoes (I used Garlic Herb)
• ½ red onion, cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 8 oz. Cremini mushrooms
• ½ tsp crushed rosemary  
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Remove the cardboard and plastic covering from the potato package. Add the onion pieces, 2 tablespoon of olive and the seasoning packet. Stir to coat.
3. Place the foil package directly on the grill (or in the oven) and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the mushrooms, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, rosemary and salt. Stir the mushrooms into the potato and onion mixture. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
5. Garnish with parsley. Serve.

Every Loves Smoked Pork Butt

This is my pork shoulder recipe from bringing home a pork shoulder, to preparing it with a rub, to smoking it up delicious. Of course, I always start with the very best meat I purchase from Harter House Supermarket.

The actual pork shoulder is very big and most of us usually only smoke a pork butt or a pork picnic roast which is the two parts of an actual pork shoulder.

I Prefer the bone in pork butt which normally runs about 8 pounds or so. They say the meat is sweeter when it cooks with the bone in and I happen to agree.

Apply the Rub with Mustard

I always rub the pork shoulder down with a light layer of French's yellow mustard to help the rub to stick better throughout the smoke and apply about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of my favorite rub to the outside of the meat being careful to massage it into every nick and cranny.

Note: the mustard will lose its flavor during the smoking and will only leave a nice brown crust so you need not worry that your pork will taste like mustard.. it won't.

Smoke the Pork Shoulder

Prepare the smoker as you normally would to maintain a 225 degree temperature and lay the pork shoulder right on the grate for the long smoke.

How Long Does it Take?

Pork shoulder cook time can be figured at approximately 1.5 hours per pound so a 8 pound shoulder will require at least 12 hours in the smoker.

The pork is probably cooked in a few hours, but it takes much more time to reach fall-apart tender. If you end up hovering around 225 or less, shoot for 20 to 24 hours.

I have a friend who only leaves the shoulder in the smoker until it reaches the 140 degree mark and then wraps it in heavy duty foil and finishes it off in the oven for convenience. And that is fine if you need the convenience.

In either case, for the final two hours, wrap the pork butt in aluminum foil. This will give the meat a last minute steam that'll make it a little more succulent.

Some options include injecting the pork with apple cider, but definitely I keep a pan of water and apple juice underneath the shoulder to keep the exterior of the meat as moist as possible during the long cook time. That might sound like a lot, but it really isn't. The hardest part of smoking could be getting up in the middle of the night to stoke the coals and add a little more wood (which you could do every three to five hours) or I will tend to the smoker just before bed and restart the coals in the morning. The Smoker should stay around 100 degrees overnight.

200 Degrees.. Not a Moment Sooner

When the pork shoulder reaches about 200 degrees, pull it from the smoker and bring it into the house for a resting period. I like to let it rest for 45 minutes or better before I pull it to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.

Pull the Pork

I then use two forks to pull the meat apart into chunks.. be sure and add in the brown bark for added flavor and it makes the finished product look really good.. I have to say that because I have seen folks discard the outside bark thinking it is burnt or something. It is the best part.

Check out this vibrant pink smoke ring!

The simple Recipe Ingredients

• 1 (5-pound) or larger bone-in pork butt

• 1/4 cup BBQ dry rub, homemade or store-bought

• 1 cup apple juice in spray bottle

• Special equipment: Charcoal and hickory and apple wood chips soaked in water 1/2 hour prior to cooking

Directions

Season heavily with dry rub. Place in plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.

Remove pork from refrigerator 2 hours prior to cooking to come to room temperature.

Prepare smoker to temperature of 210 to 220 degrees F and place 1 handful of hickory chips and 1 handful of apple chips on hot coals.

Place pork butt in smoker and smoke for 14 to 16 hours adding 1 handful of hickory and 1 handful of apple chips every 4 hours. After 5 hours in smoker, begin spraying generously with apple juice every 2 hours.

Pork will be done when the internal temperature reaches 185 to 200 degrees F. Pull or chop meat as desired and top with your favorite sauce!

*******************************

Choose a favorite store bought Rub and Sauce from Harter House Supermarket and Harter House World Flavors, or make your own special rub and sauce. Here are my favorite home made recipes.

Making the Spicy Rub
Ingredients:

1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 cup Paprika

1/2 cup Celery Salt

2 Tbs. Granulated Garlic

1/2 Tbsp. Mustard Powder

1/2 Tbsp. White Pepper

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp. Ground Thyme

1/2 tsp. Salt

Instructions:

Sift all ingredients into bowl. Mix well.

Smoky Barbecue Sauce1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup Ketchup

1/2 cup chipotle ketchup

3 Tbs. Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. Yellow Mustard

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together and simmer for 10 minutes in a sauce pan.

Leftovers?

Pulled Pork Sandwich, pulled pork tacos, and Oh, I make an awesome pulled pork pizza.

Holiday Appetizers

I will be serving finger foods for an event this weekend and I am searching for ideas.

These are several appetizers I am considering.

Roasted Red Pepper,

stuffed with a Mozzarella bite,

toasted on a baguette,

with a garnish of green onion.

Goat Cheese Stuffed

Bacon Wrapped

Dates

Boursin, Prosciutto Fillo Cups

1 Package Athens mini Fillo Shells (makes 15)

(1) 5.2 oz. pkg. Garlic & Herb Boursin Cheese

6 slices Prosciutto Diced and crispy fried

1/2 cup sliced green onions, more for garnish.

Mix Prosciutto, Green onion and Boursin.

Fill thawed Fillo cups, garnish with more green onions.

Refrigerate until serving.

Spinach Artichoke Fillo Bites

6 oz. Cream Cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

(1) 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, cooked drained and liquid squeezed out

1 cup quartered artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, roughly chopped.

1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

45-60 Athens Mini Fillo Shells (3-4 packages)

Mix cream cheese, parmesan cheese, sour cream, drained spinach, chopped artichokes, and cayenne pepper.  Salt & pepper to taste.

When you are ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill Fillo shells with heaping teaspoon, rounded on top. Bake 10-12 minutes or until heated through and golden brown on top. 

English Muffin Appetizers

1 Jar Old English
½ C Butter
1 ½ Teaspoon Mayo
1 ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Can Crab Meat
Spread on 6 English Muffins (12 halves)
Broil till Crusty – Allow to cool – Cut to bite size

These are all tried and true.  Hope you enjoy.  ~~Shelly

Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese and Pesto

This is one of my favorite appetizers to serve my guests.

Ingredients

½ baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices (you should have about 25 slices)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

5 cloves garlic, divided

2 8-ounce pieces beef tenderloin

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/3 cup pesto of your choice

For the Whipped Goat Cheese:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Start with the crostini. Arrange the baguette slices on a large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the bread with olive oil (you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of oil for this) and sprinkle with a little salt. Place bread under the broiler for 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly brown.
2. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the steaks and cook for about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. When you turn the steaks (after the first 4 minutes), smash 4 garlic cloves in their skins and add them to the skillet. Periodically use a spoon to baste the steaks with the oil/juices in the pan. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing them against the grain.
4. While the steaks are resting, make the whipped goat cheese.  Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth.
5. Assemble the crostini! Spread each toasted baguette slice with whipped goat cheese. Top with a slice of steak and a small dollop of pesto. Serve immediately.

Preparing your Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese and Pesto:

Start with the crostini. Arrange the baguette slices on a large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the bread with olive oil (you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of oil for this) and sprinkle with a little salt.

Place bread under the broiler for 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly brown. Please pay attention while you do this, peeps, it is scarily easy to burn crostini.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the steaks and cook for about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. When you turn the steaks (after the first 4 minutes), smash 4 garlic cloves in their skins and add them to the skillet. Periodically use a spoon to baste the steaks with the oil/juices in the pan.

Remove the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing them against the grain. (Please don’t skip the resting step!!! You need to let all the beef’s glorious juices redistribute.)

While the steaks are resting, get going on the whipped goat cheese.  Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth.

To assemble your crostini: Spread each toasted baguette slice with whipped goat cheese. Top with a slice of steak and a small dollop of pesto. 

My guests are going to enjoy this appetizer.

This recipe was revised just a bit from this website.

http://domesticate-me.com/beef-tenderloin-crostini-whipped-goat-cheese-pesto/#/