November 2015

How fun is Upstate New York cuisine? For the most part, Rochester, Syracuse and the surrounding environs are known for their distinctive junk food: Tom Wahl’s, trash plates, white hots, and Dinosaur BBQ. Chicken French is the rare UNY regional delicacy that’s appropriate for adults at a sit-down dinner. This super quick and easy recipe is a good bet when you want a more refined meal that won’t leave you feeling guilty for days. You’ll find it on menus throughout the region, but we suggest making it at home to save the cost of going out for dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs
• 2 TB Milk
• 1 Cup Flour
• 1 TB Salt
• 1 TB Ground Black Pepper
• Pinch Cayenne Pepper
• 1 1/2 LBS Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (pounded flat)
• 2 TB Olive Oil
• 1 TB Butter
• 1 Cup Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 Cup Dry Sherry
• 2 Lemons (juiced)
• 1/4 Cup Cold Butter (cut into chunks)
• 1 TB Parsley (flat-leaf)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Combine eggs and milk in a bowl; beat together.
2. Mix flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
3. Coat chicken with flour mixture, shaking off excess.
4. Dip chicken into egg mixture until it’s fully coated.
5. Heat olive oil with 1 TB butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side — until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet.
   
6. Add vegetable broth, sherry, and lemon juice to the same skillet and stir. Bring sauce mixture to a boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat and add cold butter, stirring until butter is melted and sauce has thickened — 1 to 2 minutes. Stir parsley into sauce and season with salt and pepper.
7. Return chicken to skillet over medium heat, spoon sauce over the top, and cook until chicken is heated through and no longer pink in the center — 1 to 3 minutes.
8. Serve with a classic side like lemon broccolini or some Rochester-appropriate salt potatoes (from Wegmans, of course!).

Recipe originally printed at allrecipes.com.