TFF Chicken Francese

Hello all... (Or few - tee-hee) Okay, I know i've been away for a looong time. Had some things going on that needed to be dealt with, some hands that needed to be held, and hugs that needed to be given following the very unexpected death of my husbands older brother.

I hesitated to even put that out there, but somehow it helps, and we are all of us taking it one day (or hour, or minute) at a time.

Needless to say I've been cooking... Haven't been taking the pictures or anything. Just cooking, makes me feel better.

This is my first posting for TFF. I went with chicken francese. I love chicken francese, and had a recipe that I always used. It is delicious, but time consuming. I figured I'd give Tylers a try, as it looked a little simpler, but seemed like it would have great flavor.

MMMMM..... how right i was. This will now be my go to recipe for chicken francese. It was literally almost gone from the time it hit the table. Matter of fact... my girls and hubby were fighting over my portion : ) LOL.... (Don't let me fool you... I love the acclaim!)

Tyler Florence Chicken Francese:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

All-purpose flour, for dredging

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 large eggs

3 tbls. water

1/4 EVOO

1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or white cooking wine

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tbls unsalted butter

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions:

Place chicken on cutting board side by side, cover with plastic wrap and pound to a 1/4 in.thickness. Put flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt & pepper; mixwith a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tbls 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, then dip in the egg wash to coat completely, letting excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for two 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.



See how pretty it looks even while cooking? I added some more lemon juice and a few more lemon slices (personal preference only). I made some brown rice and mixed it with chicken flavored rice.

Added the chopped parsley and a lemon slice.....Voila!! Chicken Francese Tyler Florence Style!
Check out this awesome group TFF at http://tylerflorencefridays.blogspot.com/

As a little note here, I'm still new to blogger, and get VERY frustrated on posting. I realize it's not as pretty and professional as many of the others. Hang in there with me,while i work out the kinks. It will get better, I promise!!<

Grand Prize White Chicken Chili

Not mine : ( But that's okay... A good recipe is a good recipe that needs to be passed on.
I am a huge Rachel Ray fan ( which I've yet to find in the blogosphere, but I digress...). Sometime back in March, she had a contest for the best "game day" recipe. The two final recipes were a white chicken chili and a bbq chicken bacon ranch pizza.

I made the pizza right away and loved it. Yesterday, I had leftover chicken from a roast chicken and a quick check in my pantry confirmed that I had the rest of the ingredients.

As you'll see, it's a very simple, hearty, filling recipe. My husband couldn't get enough, and even my little one liked the "taco soup.". ( with the beans picked out of course! Little did she know I smashed some in there!). As for me... I did like it.... However, I felt like it was missing something... I added some jalapenos to mine, which really kicked it up. If I wasn't the only one in my family who loves spicy, I would probably toss some in there to simmer along with everything else.. Some cilantro would have been perfect with this, unfortunately I had none on hand.

I will definitely be making this again ( and again ) it satisfies my mexican craving and i can't wait to try experiment with it some more. Next time, I might use ground chicken or turkey, maybe a tad of crushed red pepper flakes, to bring out a little more flavor.

I served it in soup bowls with a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of taco sauce, a tortilla chip, and some jalepenos (on mine anyway)... I'm posting the recipe below. I think it's a great way to use up leftover chicken and a great dinner for those "no time to cook". I'm sure it would freeze well, if it lasts that long : )

Ingredients:

1 32 oz. box chicken stock

3 cans cans white beans*, left undrained

5 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)

1 16 oz. jar salsa**

8 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

Black or white pepper to taste

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips (optional if you like thicker chili)

Sour cream for garnish

yields: 6 servings

Preparation

Place all ingredients (except corn chips) in a crockpot on high until cheese is melted.

May also do on stovetop over medium heat.

When the chili is ready, add crushed corn chips, if using and simmer ten more minutes to thicken.

garnish with more chips, cheese, and/or sour cream and enjoy!!

* I used cannelini beans and only two cans (personal preference) next time, I may puree the third can and add it to also help thicken.

* I pureed my salsa before adding

*I used tostitos baked whole grain tortilla chips