Chicken Francese from the NYT Cooking Column

This yummy chicken dish is from Julia Moskin of the New York Times Cooking column. Over the years, I have figured out that lemon and chicken pair well, and this recipe seconds that emotion. The recipe serves four, but I halved it for my husband and myself, and I still had leftovers. I guess we're delicate eaters. The other change I made was from necessity. Unbelievably, I had no white wine in the house, so substituted a small splash of white vermouth.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4-6 large boneless skinless chicken cutlets
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 lemon sliced thinly with seeds removed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• juice of one lemon
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3-4 tablespoons minced parsley

Methods:

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a separate shallow bowl.

In a large skillet, heat the oils over medium heat until shimmering. Lightly dredge each cutlet in flour, then dip them in the egg batter, allowing the excess to drip off. Fry, turning once, for 4 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer the cutlets to a paper towel lined pan as they finish browning and repeat the process with the remaining the cutlets.

When all the cutlets are done, remove the oil from the pan, wipe it out and return the pan to low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan, add the lemon slices and saute until brown around the edges. 

Remove the lemon slices, then add the additional butter, wine and lemon juice. Boil for 3-4 minutes until syrupy, then add the stock and cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and return the cutlets to the skillet. Heat through, turning the cutlets in the sauce. Place the lemon slices on top and sprinkle with chopped parsley.