Lemony goodness

I love lemon. My husband hates it. He ate a green chicken hanging in the open air market in Thailand, but turns up his nose at a nice tart lemon. His mouth even starts to pucker at just the thought of eating a lemon.

Funny thing is, he loves this lemony chicken and the last time we ate it, I didn't see him pucker once.

This recipe is a bit of a cross between a Chicken Piccata and a Chicken Francaise. Besides one being Italian and the other being French, there are a some other differences. Piccata has capers and sometimes vinegar, as well as lemon. Francaise usually has garlic and is dipped in an egg batter. Both are good, but neither have enough lemon for me, so I took the best of both to create a simple, but rich-tasting Lemon Chicken.

Lemon Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chicken or beef broth

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fresh parsley, chopped, optional

Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise, into cutlets. In a shallow bowl, beat egg and add water. In another shallow bowl, combine flour and garlic powder. Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture; season with salt and pepper on both sides, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, cook chicken, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add broth, lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then cook over medium heat, while scraping up brown bits at the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pan and cook for approximately five minutes. Remove to a platter and drizzle with the sauce from the pan, then top with chopped fresh parsley.