Chicken Française à la Hawk Haven

This weeks post courtesy of Lynsie Patterson.

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food!

Okay, you probably know that phrase from a t-shirt somewhere, but it is certainly a good idea. What a lot of people might not know is what wine to use when cooking. My answer to that is why not use a wine you like to drink?

To some people it might seem wasteful, but think about it. The recipe usually only calls for a small amount, and then you’re left with the rest of the bottle. Once you’ve opened it, you need to finish it, and since you used it in the cooking you already know it will pair perfectly with the meal you’ve prepared. It ought to be a bottle of wine you like and not something you found in the grocery store on the shelf with all the vinegar.

So I present to you two wonderful things to do. First, come visit Hawk Haven Winery and buy a bottle of our newly released 2010 Pinot Grigio. It is by far our best Pinot Grigio yet, with delicious notes of peach, apples, and wild honey, fruity yet crisp, and the perfect summer drink. Second, try this tasty recipe for Chicken Française from the Food Network website; it calls for ½ cup of dry white wine (say… Pinot Grigio) which leaves you plenty to drink with dinner. I guarantee you’ll love it!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)

All purpose flour, for dredging

Salt and ground pepper

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons water

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, halved (½ for juice, ½ sliced into thin rounds)

½ cup Hawk Haven Pinot Grigio

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Directions:

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving, and pour yourself a glass of Hawk Haven Pinot Grigio (if you haven’t already).

Enjoy!