Friday, May 05, 2023

Creamy Lemony Chicken Francaise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just because it has a fancy name, don’t shy away from making it. Chicken Française is an Italian-American dish of flour-dredged, egg-dipped, sautéed chicken cutlets with a lemon-butter and white wine sauce. And it’s simple to make and so good!  Once you make this… you will make it often.  I promise!

Creamy Lemony Chicken Francaise

2 large boneless and skinless chicken cutlets*

2 large eggs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated (looks like powder)

3 lemons, for juicing and slicing

2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

6-8 cloves garlic crushed

1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)*

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt, (add more to suit your taste)

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

fresh lemon juice from ½ a lemon

2 teaspoons parsley (extra), to garnish


Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel.

Add eggs, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and some black pepper in a shallow bowl. Whisk until blended. Mixture will be thick and clumpy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In another shallow bowl, whisk the flour and salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in the flour first.  Then coat them in the egg wash, allowing excess egg mixture to drip off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 Add oil and butter to a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil/butter is hot enough for frying, carefully lay in your chicken in the skillet.

 





 

 

 



 


Fry the fillets for about 4 minutes on each side until nice and golden brown. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Place each cooked fillet on a paper towel lined plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


To the same frying pan, add the crushed garlic, and cook for one minute until fragrant. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Add in the white wine, chicken broth and parsley. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes on high heat to reduce down, while swirling the pan occasionally. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


Reduce heat and add the cream. Simmer on low until slightly thickened. Taste test and season with salt and pepper, as desired.

 





 

 

 

 

 


 

Stir in the juice of half a lemon, and return the chicken to the sauce to heat through on low heat for two minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


Add some sliced lemon around the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

 








 


 


Serve with a side salad or vegetable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Or serve over rice or pasta, if desired.

*NOTES:  

* You can use regular chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally to make 4 fillets.  You can then pound them until they are ½ inch thick.  I buy chicken cutlets for less work. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 

** If you don't like the wine, substitute it with chicken broth. The wine flavor is not strong, as it will cook off during the heating process. I like it much better with the wine.







 

 

 

 


 

 

 

*** Thicken the sauce with cornstarch if needed: 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water; mix well and add to the center of the pan for a thicker sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.
Print Friendly and PDF

Almond Cream Croissants

 

 If you've got 20 minutes, that's all it takes to put together these Ridiculously Easy Almond Croissants. They look like they came from an upscale French bakery and they're ridiculously delicious too! Filled with a delicious almond cream and a buttery croissant so good it makes your head spin.  So easy!

Almond Cream Croissants

1 package of purchased puff pastry (2 sheets) 

3 tablespoons very soft butter 

¼ cup granulated sugar 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

¼ teaspoon almond extract 

½ cup almond flour 

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 

½ cup sliced almonds

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Drizzle: 

1⁄ cups powdered sugar for drizzle

5 - 5 1⁄ teaspoons milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 (or larger) sheet pan with parchment paper.

Filling

Combine the butter and sugar in a medium-size bowl. Whisk together well. Add the egg and both vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk again until smooth.

Add the almond flour and stir to combine. Add the all-purpose flour and stir again until smooth.  Set aside.

For the croissants:

Unfold thawed (but still cold) puff pastry on a work surface. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 3 equal-size rectangles (see picture). Cut each rectangle into 2 long triangles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Place all of the triangles with the long end, facing you. Cut a small slit at the wide end of each triangle (this will make it easier to roll up pretty-shaped croissants).

Scoop 2 teaspoons of the filling onto each triangle. Spread the filling over the surface of each triangle.  Add one tablespoon of milk to the leftover almond filling and set aside.

Starting at the wide end, roll the dough into croissants, spreading the dough apart a bit at the wide end as you start to roll. 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repeat this process with the other sheet of puff pastry, then place all of the croissants onto the prepared sheet pan, spacing 1½ inches apart.  You may have to do two batches if they do not fit on your pan.

Brush each croissant with the egg wash, (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water) lightly but covering all of the exposed surfaces.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the diluted almond filling. Sprinkle each croissant with a scant tablespoon of sliced almonds. Return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until medium golden brown.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow the croissants to cool for 10 minutes and sprinkle on the powdered sugar.  Next drizzle the top with icing. Then top with more almonds.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: You can just roll your croissants instead of making them the traditional shape.  Simply fold them over on one side and then do the same with the other side. Use some egg wash as glue and seal the dough and then flip it over and bake.

Print Friendly and PDF