a happy marriage

Dear Kristin,

Two things that I love about your dad. He knows how to use a mop (and does!) and he always cleans up after me when I've gone on a cooking frenzy and dirtied every pot and pan we own. He also knows that if he sees me in the kitchen with an apron on that I've got a serious case of culinary fever, and anyone entering my kitchen domain is risking serious injury. My contribution to this happy state of matrimony is to serve him meals he likes. His wants are few - some protein, some starch, and at least a nod to some sort of greenery.

I wanted to try your risotto recipe, and thought that the sweet, smoky rice would marry well with my version of lemon chicken. I was going to serve this with wilted spinach, but ended up running out of time, pots and burners (not to mention energy!).

My version of Chicken French is kind of a blend of Lemon Chicken, Chicken French, and in some ways, Chicken Parmesan. Chicken breasts are pounded until thin, coated in a combination of flour and Parmesan cheese, then dipped in a lemon juice and egg wash. After another dip in the flour, they are browned in a skillet, then coated with pan drippings that have been enhanced with white wine, butter and more lemon juice. The result? You guessed it - a happy marriage of a nicely crusted piece of chicken with a buttery, lemony sauce.

lemon chicken

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halved
2 lemons
1 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 egg
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp. butter (divided)
1/2 c. white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

Place chicken between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to 1/4-1/2" thickness.
Whisk juice of 1 lemon with egg in a large, shallow dish.
Mix flour, salt, pepper and 1 c. parmesan cheese in a separate large, shallow dish.
Heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet.
Dredge 1 chicken breast in flour, then in egg mixture. Allow excess egg mixture to drip off. Dredge once more in flour mixture, making sure chicken is very well coated.
Place chicken in pan, and cook over medium to medium high heat until underside is golden brown. Do not allow liquid in the skillet to turn brown. (If it does, immediately remove the pan from heat and lower temperature before continuing.) Turn chicken over. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon over chicken in pan. Continue to cook until golden brown. Remove to a warmed platter. Cover with foil.
Dredge and cook second chicken breast.
Deglaze skillet with 1/2 c. wine and 2 Tbsp. butter. Allow liquid to thicken slightly.
Return both chicken pieces to skillet and continue cooking over medium heat until no longer pink when tested with a knife.
Remove chicken from skillet and place on a warmed serving platter.
Deglaze pan with chicken stock. Pour pan drippings over chicken.
Sprinkle chicken with generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and serve.