Alright, I’ve been experimenting for some time and never been able to quite get it to my satisfaction. It was all in the sauce, I couldn’t quite be satisfied with the sauce. I think I got it today and so I am going to share and write it all down so I don’t forget what I did. It’s simple, but the keys are in the techniques.
Chicken Francese:
First off, the chicken breast. Most boneless breasts are too thick for proper cooking, so trim fat, lay flat and slice each breast parallel to the cutting board to make 2 thin-sliced breasts out of each half. In a non-stick skillet over medium high (absolutely not high) heat melt 1 tbsp of butter in 2 tbsp olive oil.
Set two bowls aside. In one bowl, mix 1 egg with a little milk. In the other bowl pour in some italian bread crumbs. Dip the breast in the egg, then bread crumbs then place in the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes one side until golden brown but not burnt. Turn and complete the cooking. Set aside the cooked breasts on a warm, covered plate to let the meat rest. Do not overcook. There is a delicate balance between sufficiently cooked while still being tender and juicy and overcooking to stringiness.
In a very heavy bottomed sauce pot or pan, melt 2 tbsp butter on low-medium heat. Do not let the butter change color or scald. If it happens, toss it and try again. This makes a BIG difference in whether or not you have a bitter sauce. Add 1 tsp of finely chopped garlic (about 2-3 cloves worth.) Saute for only a few minutes. Let the garlic infuse, but do not apply enough heat to cause the garlic to brown. Keep stirring. Add 1 cup of chicken broth. If you are not going to use your own, try Better Than Bouillon brand stuff. Stir while adding 1/3-1/2 cup of semi-dry white wine. Bring the sauce to a very slow simmer. Add the juice of two large overripe lemons. Stir. The key to this sauce is to heat without any scalding or rolling boiling while making sure some of the alcohol in the wine has a chance to work its way out.
On a deep dish plate, place the chicken on a bed of pasta (fettuccine or farfalle). Just before serving, melt 2 more tbsp of butter in the sauce and blend well. Pour sauce over the dish, sprinkle on a little mozarella. Serve. The sauce will be very thin, but worth it. Make sure you have some extra toasted bread on hand. Someone will want it for the remaining sauce.
Had this for lunch today with a friend.
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Better Than Bouillon™ is a trademark of Superior Touch Products who in no way endorse or sponsor this blog. If they would like to, well, the reality is one of those jars lasts forever and I have a few already. But if you know the guys at CamelBak, maybe you could put in a good word?
GASP! A true RSM recipie! I shall treasure this for ages to come…
Who was lucky enough to share the revelation?
Sounds FABULOUS!! And I will share my kitchen space any time with you, Brother. Any time…
… you need to come up and learn my bolognaise…. it’ll rock your world……
I am so glad I was sitting when I opened your blog. Lo and behold a recipe – and it sounds fantastic!
One question – you indicated the need for the meat to be thin (note – avoiding any comments that can go downhill so fast). Have you tried to pound them (I know there is a term, but jet lag is bad today) to the desired thickness, or did that not work well?
Anyway, this goes down as a noteworthy day – an authentic RSM recipe!!!
pounding works fine, but in a dish like this, I prefer the flavor of the sauce to be able to infuse through the meat on cutting. That means a slightly thicker breast than would occur from pounding, and besides, the pounding will change the structure of the muscle fibers to a degree. For a scalopene or a parmesean, that’s a great way to do it because part of the key to the flavoring is the breading and what it does to the chicken. In this, the sauce is based in part on chicken stock so the flavor of the flesh of the bird is part of the medly.
But, you know, whatever works. There are no absolutes on this.