sunday supper: beat up some chickens

This weekend I suddenly decided that my awesome meat mallet has been sadly neglected. I don't know why I don't take the opportunity to pound some meat to a pulp on a more regular basis, it is actually quite satisfying. So I started to think about what dish requires pounding, and decided to make one of J-Cat's favorites: Chicken Francais.

I've never made it before, so I googled around for recipes and found that it is really pretty simple, and pretty artery-clogging. It doesn't seem quite as unhealthy as it apparently is. But I'll get to that later, first I get to make some noise.



I pounded two chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick. One of the breasts was really huge (I'm thinking DD at least), and as I pounded it out it just kept spreading like some kind of mutant chicken breast creature. I thought it was going to swallow the entire island. I got scared.



These pictures of the chicken breast under the plastic wrap are kind of disturbing me. This may be because I've been reading the first Dexter book. It's suffocating. Recipe after the jump:

CHICKEN FRANCAIS
Adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients
2 skinless half chicken breasts, approx 1 lb total
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
juice of 1 whole lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preparation
Pound chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thickness. In a large flat plate or pie dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Beat the eggs in another flat plate and place the two plates near the stove. Heat the oil in a large saute pan. While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess, then dip the breasts in the beaten egg, shaking off excess. Place the breasts in the pan and fry for about 2 minutes per side. Remove the breasts to a paper towel-lined platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Discard the used oil. Over a medium low heat, melt the butter. When the foam subsides add the wine, chicken stock, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and let it reduce to about 1/2 cup, approximately 6-10 minutes. Add the chopped parsley, then adjust for salt and pepper. I served the chicken over white rice and poured the sauce over the whole thing.