Chicken Breasts With Lemon

Chicken Breasts With Lemon

from cooking.nytimes.com

In this recipe, which Pierre Franey brought to The Times in 1992 in one of his 60-Minute Gourmet columns, two teaspoons of lemon zest are added to a simple sauce of lemon juice, thyme, garlic and shallots. It is, at once, lively and elegant. To round it out, it needs a sturdy accompaniment. Mr. Franey suggested mashed potatoes with garlic and basil, with just a little olive oil swirled in.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup flour for dredging
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth, fresh or canned
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

  1. 1

    Season flour with salt and pepper, and dredge the chicken all over. Remove the excess flour.

  2. 2

    Heat the oil in a heavy skillet large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Add chicken and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

  3. 3

    Flip the chicken and cook for 5 minutes more, or until cooked through. Carefully remove the oil from the skillet, leaving the chicken. Discard the oil.

  4. 4

    Add the thyme, shallots and garlic, and cook for about a minute. Do not burn the garlic. Add the lemon rind, the lemon juice and the broth.

  5. 5

    Scrape the skillet to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom. Add the butter, and cook for 3 minutes longer. Serve immediately.