Chicken Francese, Brussels Sprouts Gratin, And Perfect Oven Roasted Asparagus - Easy Weeknight Supper
Chicken Francese isn’t as well known a recipe but the flavors are as special as your favorite French restaurant in my opinion!
WHAT DOES “FRANCESE” MEAN?
It means “French style,” or “the French way,” but what it refers to is chicken fried in a flour mixture and egg wash with citrus juice until golden brown. Chefs aren’t entirely sure where the term originated, but cooking chicken “the French way” certainly makes for a tasty meal.
Chicken Francese is made of chicken breasts rolled in flour and in egg mixture, pan fried and served in a sauce made from white wine, chicken broth and unsalted butter. This is a gourmet dinner without the gourmet wait time; it’s delicious and only takes an hour. This is a chicken dinner that is easy to make and has an elegant name. What is nice about this Chicken Francese recipe is that you can serve it on its own or dress it up or down a bit with additions like parmesan cheese, leaf parsley, lemon slices and kosher salt. Chicken Francese is an excellent, low-stress weekday meal and can go with all sorts of sides, which is a good excuse to break out the leftovers.
We love pairing ours with asparagus and brussels sprouts gratin.
Chicken Francese Recipe
Swap Thick Chicken Breast for Thin Cutlets
When making chicken Francese, you’ll want to swap your standard boneless chicken breast for thinner, quicker-cooking cutlets — the convenient grocery store buy that helps you get dinner on the table in 30 minutes. You can expect to pay a little more for cutlets, which are cut from chicken breasts and prepped by your grocery store butcher. Already have some chicken breasts in the freezer? Don’t worry — you can certainly trim them into cutlets at home. Just slice the breasts horizontally starting at the thick end into 1/4-inch-thick cutlets (this is also known as butterflying).
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose french flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 1 pound total)
1/2 large lemon, sliced into thin rounds and seeds removed
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice 1/2 large lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
Place 1/2 cup of the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper in a wide, shallow bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk the eggs and water together in a separate wide, shallow bowl.
Heat the oil in a 10-inch or larger skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, fully coating both sides and shaking off any excess. (You may have to cook the chicken in batches to avoid crowding the pan.)
Coat the cutlets with the egg mixture. Let any excess drip off and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with any remaining cutlets if needed.
Pour off and discard the oil in the skillet. Add the lemon slices to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, broth, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, use your fingers to rub the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour into the butter in a small bowl to make a paste.
Add the paste to the sauce and whisk constantly until melted. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with the parsley before serving.
Brussels Sprouts Gratin Recipe
Ingredients
2 dozen Brussels sprouts trimmed & cut into halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup freshly grated Gruyère cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large clove garlic minced
1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep your Brussels sprouts (trim any brown leaves and the bottom of the core then cut them in half lengthwise), and grate the cheeses. Preheat your oven to 400F. Move the rack to the middle position.
Add the oil and butter to an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the Brussels sprouts.
Sauté the Brussels sprouts for 8 minutes, stirring/turning them occasionally. They will brown on the outside, which will make them more flavorful.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the garlic, cream, and half the Gruyère.
Top the Brussels sprouts with the rest of the Gruyère as well as the Parmesan. Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. I roasted mine for 15 minutes, and they were tender-crisp (the Brussels sprouts were average sized). Optional: you can broil it at the end if you want the cheese extra brown/bubbly (but watch it carefully).
Season the Brussels sprouts with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately (the longer you leave them, the more the cheese will harden).
Perfect Oven-Roasted Asparagus recipe
To remove woody ends, grab stalk of asparagus at either end and bend until it snaps. It will naturally snap where it starts to get tough.
1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving if you desire.
Melvin is ready to eat! LOL!
Highly recommend :
Mastering the Art of French Eating: From Paris Bistros to Farmhouse Kitchens, Lessons in Food and Love
The memoir of a young diplomat’s wife who must reinvent her dream of living in Paris—one dish at a time…….
When journalist Ann Mah’s diplomat husband is given a three-year assignment in Paris, Ann is overjoyed. A lifelong foodie and Francophile, she immediately begins plotting gastronomic adventures à deux. Then her husband is called away to Iraq on a year-long post—alone. Suddenly, Ann’s vision of a romantic sojourn in the City of Light is turned upside down.
So, not unlike another diplomatic wife, Julia Child, Ann must find a life for herself in a new city. Journeying through Paris and the surrounding regions of France, Ann combats her loneliness by seeking out the perfect pain au chocolat and learning the way the andouillette sausage is really made. She explores the history and taste of everything from boeuf Bourguignon to soupe au pistou to the crispiest of buckwheat crepes. And somewhere between Paris and the south of France, she uncovers a few of life’s truths.
