French Lemon Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• 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.
• In a wide skillet, heat olive and vegetable oils over medium heat until shimmering.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
• Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
• Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

RETRO FRENCH CHICKEN (BAKED LEMON GARLIC BREASTS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set out a large 12-14 inch cast iron skillet or an 9X13 inch baking dish. Pour the melted butter in the pan and swirl around.
• In a large zip bag, combine the flour, salt, paprika, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Then add the chicken breasts and toss to coat.
• Place the coated chicken in the buttered dish, top side down, and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, water, scallions, thyme, garlic, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir well.
• Once the timer goes off, flip the chicken over and pour the lemon garlic sauce over the top. Place back in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Once the chicken has cooked through, remove from the oven and serve warm with extra pan sauce.

FRENCH LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Grate enough peel from lemon to make 1 tbsp (15 mL). Remove any remaining peel and white pith from lemon and cut flesh into thin slices.
• Separate garlic into cloves, cut off root ends but do not peel. Add to chicken stock in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer three minutes. Strain stock and reserve. Peel garlic cloves. If garlic cloves are large, cut in half lengthways.
• Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season breasts with salt, pepper and thyme, and fry skin-side-down four to five minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and fry second side for one minute. Remove breasts.
• Place skin-side-up in oiled ovenproof dish that fits chicken snugly. Discard fat from skillet.
• Scatter lemon slices and garlic cloves around chicken. Sprinkle sugar on lemon slices.
• Meanwhile, add wine to skillet, bring to boil, reduce by half.
• Stir in stock, brandy and grated zest and bring to a boil, stirring.
• Add cream and continue to boil until slightly thickened, about five to eight minutes.
• Stir in parsley.
• Bake chicken for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is tender but not dry. Remove chicken and any lemon bits to serving platter. Scatter over garlic cloves. Remove any fat and pour any juices into sauce.
• To serve, pour sauce over chicken.

CHICKEN FRENCH - ROCHESTER, NY STYLE

Steps:

• Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, whisk beaten eggs, sugar, and Parmesan cheese until the mixture is thoroughly blended and the sugar has dissolved.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Dip the chicken breasts into the flour mixture, then into the egg mixture, and gently lay them into the skillet. Pan-fry the chicken breasts until golden brown and no longer pink in the middle, about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
• In the same skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter, and stir in garlic, sherry, lemon juice, and chicken base. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and stir until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Be sure to dissolve any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the skillet as you stir. Return the chicken breasts to the sauce, and gently simmer until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes.
• To serve, place a chicken breast on a plate, and top with sauce.