The Nom Report - Episode 2, Lemon Chicken

Regina recently went hunting for a beurre blanc recipe and came upon something entitled "Chicken French with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce."  We were picturing something a bit like Chicken Milanese (Grillsmith) or Chicken di Pana (Cheesecake Factory).  It was less creamy than they are, perhaps due to a complete lack of any actual cream in the recipe.  How did we miss that? 

The Verdict?  Would make again, but with some alterations.

First of all, this recipe sounds complex, and it's not.  Regina thought it was really easy to make.  We LOVED the way the chicken came out in this.  For something that simple, it tasted fancy.  The sauce however, was problematic.  Regina thought the lemon was a bit overwhelming.  The Nom Inspector (ie, Kami) enjoyed it but she may have phrased it best: "I love lemon, but I would REALLY have to be in the mood for it when I ate this."  We decided next time, mixing in a cup of cream at the end might mellow the sauce a bit and taste more the way we expected.  We had planned to serve this over rice, but we were out, so we served it over pasta.  We did add the cornstarch as suggested.  Also note that this makes a lot less sauce than you'd think.

Chicken French with a White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c. dry white winejuice of
1 1/2 lemons
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In wide, shallow bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic, stirring to combine.  In large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium high heat until almost smoking.  Meanwhile, pound chicken breasts to even thickness and season with salt and pepper.  Toss chicken breasts in flour mixture and place, breast-side down, into preheated pan.  Cook over medium high heat until breast side is nicely golden browned, about 7-10 minutes.  Flip chicken breasts to breast-side up and cook until golden browned and chicken breast is cooked through, about 7-10 more minutes depending on thickness.  Remove chicken from pan, place on platter and into preheated oven to stay warm.  Add white wine to skillet and stir to deglaze, scraping all browned bits up from bottom of pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.  Add lemon juice and stir, cooking until reduced by at least half, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in butter to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste (Note: if you’d like the sauce thicker at this point you may add a slurry of 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tsp water and heat, stirring constantly for 30-60 seconds).  Remove platter from oven, top with sauce and serve immediately.

Next time, on The Nom Report - Kami is subjected to more chicken, this time in a garlic cream sauce that is intended for seafood.