This recipe comes from Chas Celli, who is a very good friend of mine and a great guy. Chas has a passion for good food and great restaurants and we’ve been to many here in New Jersey with our close friends.

Chas is a retired firefighter from Asbury Park and the man knows how to cook. Chas makes a great (I mean great) francaise so much so that my friends and I put him to the test one night at my house, the Ranch.

Chas thought he was coming over going to whip up a chicken francaise for about 6-8 of us and we’d have another one of our great dinners filled with good food, good friends and a bottle or two of good wine. Poor Chas. The deal was I’d buy the stuff and he would work his magic in my kitchen. Well, I went out and got every kind of fish, poultry and meat that was ever created and that would be a candidate for Chas’ outstanding francaise.

We didn’t tell Chas and 6-8 people turned into 15 and then someone yelled “Let the games begin.” Chas manned every inch of the stove and cooked like a maniac. It was all absolutely outstanding. The dinner was a homerun. He handled it like a pro and we all had a very good time. Enjoy Chas’s francaise and “let the games begin”.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
All-purpose flour for dredging

4 large eggs
1/4th cup vegetable oil
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 thin slices of lemon
chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper

How to put it together:

On a cutting board, pound chicken breasts under a sheet of plastic wrap until they are 1/4 inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl to make the egg wash.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. Dredge both sides of the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour then dip in the egg wash. When the oil is hot add the chicken breasts and fry until golden brown, turning once. Remove the chicken from the pan to a large platter.

Add the chicken broth to the pan then add the wine. Do this off the flame to avoid flare-ups. Add the lemon juice and simmer until reduced by half. Return the chicken to the pan and add the butter.

Simmer for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Plate the chicken and drizzle the juice over top and place a slice of lemon on each piece. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM