Chicken Franchese

Here is an easy way to make boneless chicken breasts into something special. Franchese translates from Italian into “French style”, and this dish appears to be a New World creation that did not make it into much cooking literature, but was once very popular in New York City area Italian homes and restaurants. Here it is for those who don’t have access to an Italian grandmother from Brooklyn to share secrets.

 

SERVES 4

 

Ingredients: 

8 to 10 pieces of thinly sliced chicken breasts, about 1¼ to 1½ pounds in all

 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1 egg

Flour, ½ cup or more if needed

 

Olive oil

 

½ cup white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 lemon; half used for juice, ½ cut in wedges for garnish

2 tablespoons butter

 

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

 

. . . . . . . .

 

Instructions:

▪ Preheat the oven to 200˚ F. for keeping the cooked chicken warm.

 

▪ Put the chicken slices between two pieces of wax paper and pound with a heavy object to thin them out without tearing them. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

 

▪ Put about ½ cup of flour on a plate and break the egg into a shallow bowl big enough to fit a piece of the chicken.

 

▪ Add olive oil to a frying pan to cover the bottom and heat on medium.

 

▪ Dip each piece of chicken in the egg, letting the excess drip off back into the bowl, and then coat each piece in the flour and place it in the hot oil.

 

▪ Cook until the pieces are golden on the outside and then turn and cook the other side. This should take a few minutes for each side, and by then the inside should be done; you can check by cutting into a piece. You may need to add more oil during the process. It’s likely that all of the chicken will not fit in the pan together, so you can use two pans or cook in batches, holding the completed chicken in a baking dish in your warm oven.

 

▪ When all the chicken is cooked and keeping warm in the oven, pour out any leftover oil from the pan and add the white wine. Increase the heat so it starts to bubble, and scrape up the brown bits from the chicken to mix with the wine. Cook until about half the wine has evaporated. Add the broth and lemon juice and boil for a minute. Turn off the heat, add the butter, and stir it around until it melts.

 

▪ Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with the lemon wedges.