Modest in appearance Crispy Chicken with Lemon Butter beguiles its taste and texture. So wonderfully crunchy and bursting with flavor from the fresh herbs, lemon and parmesan this might not look like anything special but I assure you – it is! I love the caper and lemon butter sauce with the chicken as anything intensely lemony is so good with breaded and fried meats and veg, but really, wedges of lemon would be a perfectly suitable accompaniment to the crispy chicken if you either don’t like capers – in which case you could just leave them out, or you can’t be bothered making the sauce. We all have those days.

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If you’ve ever made a recipe where you’re frying, you’ll often see in the instructions where you’re told to transfer the cooked item to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Unless it’s chopped bacon, what you really need to do is transfer to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack and then keep the food warm in the oven. A wire rack ensures the underside stays crispy.

There are two sides that are a must when I serve crispy coated chicken or fish: creamy mashed potatoes and steamed green beans anointed with butter. Also, panko breadcrumbs or cornflake crumbs are essential for the crispiest coating. Or homemade breadcrumbs if they’re a little chunky and dry. When you slice chicken breasts horizontally as I have, you’re suddenly faced with quite a lot of chicken – I ended up with 12 pieces of chicken from 4 chicken breasts. This is a really good way to make chicken breasts go further. It’s a lot for two people so I take the breaded, uncooked chicken and layer it between parchment paper and freeze it. It can be baked from frozen or thawed and shallow fried. Leftovers are really good in sandwiches with a little mayo and some shredded lettuce. Coat almost anything in breadcrumbs and fry and crisp and I will eat it. Rocky Mountain oysters prove that to be true. Need I say more? Love, Lovoni xo

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CRISPY CHICKEN WITH LEMON BUTTER

Herb, parmesan, lemon and panko breadcrumbs make chicken breasts wonderfully crispy and flavorful. They’re served with a Mediterranean-esque garlicky, caper, lemon butter sauce. Don’t feel like messing with the sauce? Then serve the chicken simple with some lemon wedges instead.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Servings:

Calories: 536kcal

Author: Lovoni

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

2 lbs chicken breasts about 4
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk or cream
2 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Canola oil for shallow frying

LEMON BUTTER

6 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

Instructions

Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. Cut through horizontally to create 3 even thin slices of chicken, still in the shape of a chicken breast. By cutting the chicken this way, it prevents the need to have to pound each slice of chicken. Repeat with the remaining chicken. You’ll have 9 to 12 slices of chicken.
Combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper together in a bowl or a re-sealable bag. Add the chicken in batches and shake the bag to ensure each slice of chicken is evenly coated in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour.
Whisk eggs and cream together in a medium, shallow bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs and lemon zest in another medium, shallow bowl. Dip each slice of chicken in the egg wash letting any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Press each slice into the breadcrumb mixture, properly pressing it into the crumb mixture to ensure it’s thickly coated.
Place a deep skillet on the cooktop and cover the base with oil. Heat the oil over medium. When the oil is hot, add the chicken in batches – about 3 at a time if they fit, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and chicken is cooked. Keep hot on a wire rack on a baking sheet in a warm oven while you cook the rest of the chicken.

To make the sauce:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute until softened and fragrant – do not let the garlic burn. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until hot. Serve drizzled over the chicken.

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