Recently I had Chicken Francese at a local restaurant. It’s an Italian American dish of crispy chicken cutlets usually pan fried and topped with a lemon butter sauce. I thought I would like to make it at home for Valentine’s Day or other special dinners.

For this quick version both the chicken and asparagus are baked together in the oven while the rice is microwaved. The sauce takes only minutes to make in a skillet.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Broccoli florets or green beans can be used instead of asparagus.

I use microwave brown rice that cooks in one minute helping to make this an easy dish.

Using tongs helps when placing the chicken in the egg and panko breadcrumbs.

COUNTDOWN:

Preheat the oven with the baking sheet.

Prepare all the ingredients.

Bake the chicken and asparagus.

Make the sauce and rice.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 container plain panko breadcrumbs, 1 can olive oil spray, 1/2 pound asparagus, 1 bunch fresh parsley, 1 container no-salt-added chicken broth,1 lemon and 1 package microwaveable brown rice.

Staples: egg, butter, flour, salt and black peppercorns.

Chicken Francese with Asparagus and Rice

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

1 egg

1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil spray

1/2 pound asparagus hard ends removed

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons flour

1/2 cup no-salt-added chicken broth

1 tablespoon lemon juice

microwaveable brown rice to make 1 1/2-cups

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound chicken until about 1/2 inch thick making sure that it is evenly thick. Lightly beat egg with a fork in a small bowl. Add panko breadcrumbs to a plate and season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs making sure both sides are evenly coated. Remove baking sheet from the oven and spray it with olive oil spray. Add the chicken on one side and the asparagus on the other. Spray both with olive oil spray. Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-size skillet. Add the flour and stir, making sure it is absorbed into the butter. Add chicken broth cook 2 to 3 minutes until sauce starts to thicken. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside until the chicken is baked. Microwave the rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2 cups and reserve any remaining rice for another meal. Divide the rice between two dinner plates. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. A meat thermometer placed in the chicken should read 160 degrees. Place the chicken and asparagus on the plates and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 665 calories (28 percent from fat), 20.7 g fat (8.0 g saturated, 6.8 g monounsaturated), 242 mg cholesterol, 52.6 g protein, 66.3 g carbohydrates, 6.2 g fiber, 418 mg sodium.

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