Chicken Francese

Albeit a reluctant carnivore, there are times when I feel the need to sink my teeth into a piece of meat.  After all these salads I've been eating recently, I'm craving meat.  Lurking in the back of my fridge I found a couple of packages of the the dullest meat imaginable - boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  I groaned - did I have time to shoot out to the market and track down a standing rib roast? No, I only had 45 minutes to get supper on the table.  Despite some effort on my part I'm not a great one for menu planning.

There was half a bottle of white wine in the fridge, chicken stock, lemons and a garden full of herbs - that should do it.  I decided on Chicken Francese and in 45 minutes or so there was even a smile on the face of a surly teenager.



6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 lemons
a handful of very finely chopped herbs (I used thyme)
1 cup of all purpose flour
salt and pepper
2 eggs (beaten)
olive oil and a tablespoon of butter
1 1/2 cups of white wine
2 cups of chicken stock
2 further tablespoons of butter

On a large plate mix together the flour, salt and pepper and very finely chopped herbs.

On a second plate lightly beat the two eggs

If you would like your chicken pieces thin, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and give them a good whack with a rolling pin until you have the desired thickness.  I skipped this part as I was after a good chunk of meat.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and then place them in the flour mixture.

Heat the olive oil and a tablespoon of butter until sizzling.  Place the chicken in the pan and brown on each side on a medium heat.  This will take about 10 minutes or so.



Remove the chicken to a warm plate, pour the wine, broth and juice of the lemons into the pan.  Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer.  Return the chicken to the pan, cover and leave until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through, about another 5 - 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter, add two more tablespoons of butter and swirl until melted. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with more herbs and lemon slices.

Serve with some good bread to sop up the juices.