So for two weeks in a row, I have received some massive, fragrant, delicious lemons in my Bountiful Basket. I have been using them in all sorts of yummy dishes this week, but was at a bit of a loss as to how I wanted to incorporate the lemons into a main dish. Then, like a piece of blessed inspiration, I remembered how much I adore Chicken Francese. The real stuff is breaded in white flour and pan-fried in a lot of oil and drenched in a buttery-lemony-white-winey sauce. It's so danged good, but so danged bad for you.
So I set out to make a lighter, less offensive version for more frequent consumption, because I honestly eat the straight-up version of Chicken Francese like, once every two years. The skinnyfied recipe uses a small amount of flour cut with Panko, adhered with egg whites instead of the full egg, a smidge of extra-virgin olive oil, a modest amount of butter, no white wine, and fat-free chicken broth. It's paired with whole-wheat pasta, and topped with some fresh veggies. So the sin level is decidedly lower, and you can feel good about eating this baby for dinner like, once a month. Heck yeah. That's how we roll in my house.
If you love lemon, this dish is definitely for you. If you are not a lemon fan, you may want to sit this one out.
Start with a large chicken breast. Go ahead and slice it butterfly style with a really sharp knife, dividing the chicken into two thin cutlets. Set them aside.
In a shallow dish (like a pie plate), combine 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs. Mix them together.
Whisk three large egg whites in small dish until they are frothy.
Dredge the chicken cutlets one at a time, first through the egg whites, coating evenly on both sides, then through the flour and Panko mixture. The cutlets do not have to be coated completely or in a super-thick layer. Just make sure they are mostly covered in a thin layer. Set these babies aside.
Slice up a small zucchini and summer squash. You could also use broccoli or another veggie of your choosing.
Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet. Saute the squash and zucchini until tender, 2-3 minutes. Add a clove of minced garlic and the juice of half of a fresh lemon. Cook one minute more until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add a chicken cutlet to the pan. Cook 5-7 minutes on medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.
When a golden-brown crust has formed and the chicken has cooked through, remove from heat. Set the cooked cutlets aside.
Wipe the pan out with a paper towel, removing most of the oil. Add a can of fat-free chicken broth to the pan, along with the juice of one large lemon (freshly squeezed). Bring to a simmer.
Add two tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Whisk together until smooth (yeah, I did this backwards, don't make the same mistake!), and add one sliced lemon.
Bring to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens.
Remove the lemon slices from the pan. Return the cooked chicken cutlets. Simmer one minute.
Layer the chicken on top of 1 cup of cooked whole wheat pasta, dress with a sauce-spoon full of sauce, and top with the sauteed squash and zucchini. We ate ours with these savory Browned Butter Brussels Sprouts. These are huge servings. You could definitely get four servings out of this recipe! We saved the other half of our dinner for next-day lunch.
(Serves up to 4)
Ingredients
-Large chicken breast, sliced thin into two cutlets
-1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for thickening sauce
-1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
-3 large egg whites
-1 small summer squash and 1 small zucchini, sliced
-1 clove of minced garlic
-1 teaspoon of olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
-1 can of fat-free chicken broth
-Juice of 1 lemon, plus juice of 1/2 lemon
-One lemon, sliced
-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
-2 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
1. Cut the chicken through the middle, into two thin cutlets. Mix 1/2 cup of the flour and the Panko breadcrumbs together in a shallow dish. Whisk three egg whites until foamy. Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg whites, coating well, and then dredge them through the flour and Panko mixture until evenly coated in a thin layer. Set aside.
2. Chop zucchini and summer squash into thin half-rounds. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet. Saute zucchini and summer squash 2-3 minutes, until tender. Add a clove of minced garlic and the juice of half a lemon. Saute 1 minute more until garlic is fragrant.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add one of the chicken cutlets to the hot oil, and cook over medium heat 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, turning once. Remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining olive oil and other cutlet.
4. Wipe the same saute pan clean with a paper towel. Add fat-free chicken broth and juice of a large lemon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and whisk well to combine. add one sliced lemon. Bring to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Remove slices of lemon. Return cooked cutlets to the pan and simmer 1 minute.
5. Place chicken over 1 cup of cooked whole wheat pasta. Dress with sauce. Add cooked zucchini and summer squash. Top with more sauce if desired. Enjoy the skinnyfied version of this delish dish!
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