Battered Chicken with Parmesan and Parsley

I love chicken – it is so versatile. One of my favorite things to do with boneless chicken breast is to put some kind of batter and on them and sauté them. Just switching the order in which I put the ingredients of the batter on them, can change the coating and give a very different flavor to the chicken. This recipe has a great batter. I put the chicken in the flour first and then the egg and it makes such a flavorful coating for the chicken.  This recipe also has a great white wine, lemon and parsley sauce that is worth all the ingredients. And this dish can be made in sections so you can make it while running around town.

2 -2.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast – cut into cutlets

6 eggs, beaten

½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. minced, fresh parsley

2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

Sauce

4 tbsp. chopped shallot

6 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup of white cooking wine

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

2 tsp dried sage leaves

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

¾ of a stick of bold butter, cubed

To make chicken cutlets: cut the breast into cutlets by cutting the breast in half and then cut the thicker half horizontally. Pound out the chicken to ¼ - ½ inch thickness by placing between plastic wrap and use a mallet or rolling pin to pound it. At this point you can return the chicken to the refrigerator and finish later.

In a shallow bowl, combine beaten eggs, cheese, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Put flour in another shallow bowl. Coat the chicken with the flour and dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Place chicken on a piece of wax paper so the coating stays on the chicken.

In a skillet, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and brown the chicken in 2 batches for 3 minutes per side. Be careful turning the chicken so the coating stays on the chicken. Test the chicken for doneness before taking from the skillet; cut into a piece of the cutlet. The chicken should be firm with no pink, but still moist. The chicken will continue to cook a little after you remove it from the skillet. Try not to overcook. Also remember reheating will cook the chicken a little as well. Put the chicken on a dish and lightly cover with tin foil so it stays warm.

To make the sauce: sauté the shallots in the skillet with the drippings until the shallots are tender. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Then add the wine, lemon juice, herbs and lemon peel and cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half – this will happen in just a few minutes so don’t leave it. Then add cream and cook until thick. Lastly, stir in the butter until melted. Put the chicken back in the skillet until heated through.