Chicken French (eggless)

With an egg allergy in the house, we have learned to either work around it or experiment with substitutes. my first choice is Vegg. it’s versatile enough and definitely healthier than some of the other options out there. I’ve used Vegg for this before, but i tried Simply Egg this time: nailed it.

Chicken French always felt overwhelming to me, until I realized it was all in the prep. Get everything cut, chopped, measured and ready to go ahead of time. Makes it a breeze to make! Cook the pasta while cooking the sauce. Because it has to reduce, it definitely takes the 10-15 minutes to get the consistency.

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

• 3-4 organic chicken breasts, pounded thin & cut in half (or use cutlets - they are more expensive and it’s just as easy to pound out the breast between two pieces of plastic wrap)

• 2 eggs or egg substitute equivalent

• 2 Tbls milk (1% or 2% works - i tend to avoid skim milk)

• 1/2 tsp of salt & pepper, and 1 cup of flour (you can use gluten-free!)

• 2 Tbls unsalted butter AND 2 Tbls of olive oil

*

For the Sauce:

• 4 Tbls unsalted butter, divided

• 1/4 cup minced vadalia onion (definitely sweet, shallot would work, no red onion)

• 2 Tbls flour (G/F flour or arrowroot works - also gluten free)

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 Sherry

• 2 cups chicken bone broth, stock or regular broth

• linguini (or angel hair, or a gluten free pasta)

• salt & pepper to taste, and lemon slices & parsley to garnish

Instructions:

To cook the chicken:

• in shallow bowl #1: whisk together the eggs (or egg substitute) & milk.

• in shallow bowl #2: combine salt & pepper and flour (or flour substitute)

• line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

• In a large, shallow skillet, heat the butter & oil until the butter is melted over medium heat. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Carefully place in hot skillet. Continue with the other pieces of chicken, but don’t over crowd the pan. When the first batch is done (3 minutes per side or until nicely browned) remove to the paper towel-lined sheet pan. Repeat, adding more butter & oil, if needed. When finished, discard the grease, and wipe out the skillet with a clean paper towel.

To make the lemon sauce:

• Add 3 Tbls butter to the wiped out skillet. Bring to medium heat and add the minced onion. Cook until soft, stirring every so often so it doesn’t get too brown.

• Add the 2 Tbls of flour, stirring as it cooks for 2 minutes. Add the sherry, lemon juice & bone broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so - until it starts to thicken & reduces.

• *Optional step here: Pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove the onions. This way you have a smoother sauce! But it’s also fine to leave the bits on soft onion in - your preference.

• Return the sauce to the pan and reduce heat to low. Add last Tbls of butter to the sauce. Check for seasonings - YES, the lemon flavor is strong.

• Cook pasta. Reserve 1/2 of pasta water. Using 1/4-1/2 cup, add to the lemon sauce.

• Finally, add the chicken pieces back to the sauce and heat through (another 5 minutes or so). You can serve from the skillet or transfer to a beautiful platter. Add the lemon slices and fresh minced parsley as garnish regardless of how you serve it.

Add a fresh green salad, or a brightly colored vegetable, and this dish is sure to impress not just your family, but it’s company worthy, too! Enjoy. Made with love.

eggless chicken french