Chef Johns Chicken French Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN FRENCH

Steps:

• Beat eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Whisk flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in another shallow bowl.
• Gently press chicken into flour mixture to coat; shake off excess flour. Dip into egg mixture and coat completely.
• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in hot oil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Cook and stir vegetable broth, sherry, and lemon juice in the same skillet; bring to a boil and cook until sauce is reduced by half. Remove from heat and add cold butter chunks; stir until butter is melted and sauce is shiny and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir parsley into sauce and season with salt and pepper.
• Return chicken to the skillet over medium heat, spoon sauce over the top, and cook until chicken is heated through and no longer pink in the center, 1 to 3 minutes more.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• 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.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN KIEV

Steps:

• Grind garlic and a pinch of salt together in a mortar and pestle until garlic is completely smashed. Add parsley and mix until completely incorporated. Pound butter into garlic mixture with pestle until parsley and garlic are fully incorporated into the butter. Wrap the butter mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 15 minutes.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place 1/4 the butter mixture in the center of wider end of each chicken breast. Fold the narrower end of each chicken breast up over the butter to form a tight pocket around the butter. Gather the sides of each chicken breast to the center to form a round ball. The top of the chicken will be smooth and the bottom will be gathered. Tightly wrap each chicken breast ball in plastic wrap, put wrapped breasts on a plate, and chill in the freezer until the gathered bottoms hold together and are slightly firm, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk flour and 2 teaspoons salt together in a shallow bowl. Whisk eggs together in another shallow bowl. Pour panko bread crumbs into another bowl.
• Remove chicken breast balls from plastic wrap. Gently press each chicken breast ball into flour mixture to coat and shake off any excess flour. Dip into beaten eggs, then press into bread crumbs. Place breaded chicken onto a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and return to the freezer to chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Working in batches, cook chicken, gathered-side down, in hot oil and until lightly golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and cayenne pepper over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until you can hear the butter start to sizzle on the baking sheet, 15 to 17 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness; slice into cutlets 1-1/2 in. wide. Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl; in a separate shallow bowl, combine the next six ingredients. Dip chicken in egg, then in crumb mixture, patting to help coating adhere., In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Brown chicken in batches, adding oil as needed, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove; drain on paper towels., For lemon sauce, add water, lemon juice and bouillon to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until liquid is reduced by half, 8-10 minutes. Return chicken to pan; toss to coat. Cook until heated through, 4-6 minutes. Serve with lemon slices.

CHICKEN FRANCAISE

Steps:

• Mix a decent amount of salt and pepper with the flour to make a dredging mixture. You don't need any more than a cup of flour; you're just giving them a light dusting.
• Using a meat pounder, pound the chicken breasts flat so that they are about the size of your hand.
• Dredge the chicken breasts through the flour. When you pull them out, give them a few good slaps so that the extra flour falls off. You want a very light coating, this isn't supposed to be like batter.
• Crack the two eggs into a flat bowl, pierce the yolks with a fork, and scramble them slightly. Combine with about a quarter cup of water to make a light egg wash. It should be pale yellow in color.
• Run the chicken through the egg wash. Keep in mind this is a wash, not a bath. You don't want it soaking in egg, just enough to keep it wet and absorb the flour coating.
• Heat the quarter cup of olive oil in a large fry pan on medium-high heat, and when it is smoking hot, place the chicken into the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. You will know when it is ready to flip when the chicken has a nice, slightly browned color and a crisp texture. Remove the chicken from the pan.
• Cut your lemon in half. Using one half, make several paper thin slices of lemon. Save the other half.
• Turn the stove up to high heat, and drop the lemon slices into the frying pan. Wait for them to caramellize and take on a slightly gummy texture.
• Pour in the 1/2 cup of white wine. I recommend Yellowtail Pinto Grigio because it's not too expensive, you can drink it with the meal, and the sweetness of it counteracts the sour of the lemon. Let the sauce reduce for 30 seconds to one minute.
• Sprinkle in salt to taste, and then add in the cup of chicken broth. Allow it to reduce again.
• Take your butter, and dredge it in the flour. Break it up into chunks and drop it into the sauce, swirling it around and allowing the sauce to thicken.
• Once the sauce has thickened sufficiently, put the chicken breasts back into the pan. Coat them thoroughly with the sauce, and let them cook for about another minute or two to warm them back up.
• Transfer to a serving platter, putting a few slices of lemon on top of each chicken breast, and then drizzle the sauce over the whole concoction.
• Garnish with flat-leaf parsley, or whatever greenery you think would go good with the meal.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper until blended. Place the flour in a separate bowl. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a wide skillet, heat olive and vegetable oils over medium heat until shimmering.
• Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, lightly dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Dip into egg batter, let excess batter drip back into the bowl and place in the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as the cutlets cook so they brown slowly and evenly, with a steady bubbling. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined pan and repeat with remaining cutlets.
• When all cutlets are browned, remove the pan from the heat and pour off the oil. Wipe out the pan with paper towels. Return the pan to low heat.
• If making the lemon slices (if not, skip to Step 6 below): Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and then scatter the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring gently occasionally, until the lemon slices are golden and browning around the edges, about 3 minutes. Scoop out the lemon slices and set them aside.
• Add 3 tablespoons of butter, the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Boil until the liquid is syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and cook until thickened into a sauce, about 5 minutes. (It will thicken more when you add the cutlets.) Taste and adjust the seasonings with lemon, salt and pepper; it should be quite lemony and not too salty.
• Reduce the heat, tuck the cutlets into the pan and simmer very gently until the sauce is velvety and the chicken pieces are heated through, about 4 minutes. Turn the cutlets over occasionally in the sauce. Place the browned lemon slices on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, spooning some of the sauce over each serving.

GRILLED GREEK CHICKEN BREASTS WITH WHIPPED FETA

Steps:

• Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise.
• Combine red wine vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and garlic powder in a bowl. Add chicken and toss until thoroughly and evenly coated. Pour in ¼ cup olive oil and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 12 hours, but 2 to 3 hours is ideal.
• Place Greek yogurt in another bowl and crumble in feta cheese. Add garlic, mint, and lemon zest and whip with an electric hand mixer or whisk until light and fluffy. Taste and adjust as needed. Refrigerate until needed.
• Preheat a charcoal grill until coals are white and very hot.
• Grill chicken over the hot coals for about 4 minutes per side; continue to flip and grill chicken until no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each piece reads at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Remove from the grill and let rest for about 5 minutes.
• Spread whipped feta onto a serving platter or plate and place chicken over top. Sprinkle with fresh Italian parsley and mint and serve.

CHEF JOHN'S DRUNKEN NOODLES

Steps:

• Soak rice noodles in hot water until flexible, 10 to 15 minutes. Occasionally move the noodles around to separate them. Drain the water and cover with a wet paper towel.
• Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, Asian fish sauce, maple syrup, sugar, and water in a small bowl.
• Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a wok, or large frying pan, over medium-high heat. Stir-fry shallots, chile peppers, and garlic until shallots are soft, about 2 minutes. Move the mixture around the outside of the pan to create a space and add chicken. Sear for 1 minute, then combine with shallot mixture. Add Chinese broccoli stems and stir-fry until tender, about 2 minutes. Add Chinese broccoli leaves and stir-fry until wilted.
• Add drunken noodle sauce and sliced green onions and mix. Cook until sauce begins to simmer. Add soaked rice noodles and toss to coat until noodles have absorbed the sauce and are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir in Thai basil leaves until wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE

Steps:

• In a resealable plastic bag, combine 2-1/4 teaspoons flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Add chicken and shake to coat. In a small skillet, brown chicken in butter. Remove chicken and set aside. In same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and celery until crisp-tender. Return chicken to the pan. Add water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until chicken juices run clear, turning occasionally., Place remaining flour mixture in a bowl; stir in milk until smooth. Stir into pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.