Chicken Francese

Golden, buttery and bursting with citrusy goodness, this chicken Francese (an American-Italian favourite) is a weeknight showstopper, packed with plenty of clever cooking tricks. A cheat’s beurre manie uses leftover dredging flour, a pinch of turmeric adds a golden hue to the chicken and a touch of gelatine adds a silky glossiness to the sauce.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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cooking • 

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

30m

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Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp chicken stock powder
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ cup plain flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 60 g butter, cubed
• ½ cup (125 ml) white wine
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) Noilly Prat (optional)
• 1 onion, puréed
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1½ cups (375 ml) chicken stock
• ½ tsp gelatine powder
• 1 tbsp finely chopped curly parsley

Instructions

1. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make two steaks. Place the chicken steaks between two sheets of baking paper, then use a rolling pin or meat mallet to gently pound the steaks to ½ cm thickness.
2. Season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Combine the stock powder, ground turmeric and flour on a plate, dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour mix, then dip into beaten egg. Reserve any leftover flour for the sauce later!
3. Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and about 10 g of the butter. Fry the chicken in batches until browned and cooked through, then remove from the pan to a clean plate. Deglaze the pan with the wine and Noilly Prat (if using) and cook until the wine has reduced by half.
4. Use a fine mesh sieve to squeeze the juice from the puréed onion into the pan. Squeeze in the juice of half the lemon, then add the chicken stock and gelatine powder to the pan. Bring to a simmer.
5. Toss the remaining butter in the reserved dredging flour mixture. Whisk the floured butter through the sauce and reduce until it thickens (it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).
6. While the sauce simmers, slice the remaining lemon. Return the chicken and lemon slices to the sauce, heating until warmed through, then remove the chicken pieces to a large serving plate. Pour over any sauce from the pan, then sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Signature Supper

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

30m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

30m

G