gluten free chicken francese recipe

It should not come as a surprise to you that I love, love, love chicken francese. With my affinity for lemons and my Italian heritage, it is a match made in heaven. Correction...it was a match made in heaven. I used to order this dish, and I quote, "extra lemony" which is not a word and confused many a server. Since going gluten free, I've tried to order chicken francese "extra lemony and hold the flour, please", which basically translates to "just give up already".  As always, I had a mission and an opportunity to convert an old favorite to a new one.

Gluten free chicken francese has been on my list of historical failures, along with some very sad baking attempts and several dairy free pudding disasters. While I know we learn best from our mistakes (blah, blah blah), I can't help but feel a sharp pang of guilt and frustration when my money, time and dignity are sitting in the garbage alongside a recent culinary failure. My past two attempts at gluten free chicken francese were, shall we say, no bueno. I knew gluten free flour could get sticky but I did not realize it could resemble a cross between rubber and Elmer's glue. I'm rubber, you're glue...this recipe was clearly not meant to be edible. But let's just say the third time's a charm now that I swapped the gluten free flour out for arrowroot. This chicken francese recipe is fabulously gluten free, extra lemony and super simple to make. Jess = 1, garbage can = 0. Well, actually, Jess = 1, garbage can = 2. But who's counting? #extralemony

Gluten Free Chicken Francese

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Fresh From the Market:

• 1 1/2 lb. Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts (4 pieces)
• 1 Organic Brown Egg
• 4 Large Lemons (1/2 c. Juice, 1 tbsp. Zest, 4 Slices for Garnish)
• 1/2 c. Fresh Parsley, Chopped

From the Pantry or Fridge:

• 3/4 c. Arrowroot Starch
• 1 to 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 c. Organic Chicken Broth

From the Spice Rack:

• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Kitchen Gadgets:

• Meat Mallot
• Small Saucepan
• Skillet
• 2 Shallow Mixing Bowls or Dishes

Beautiful, Fresh Ingredients

Cooking Instructions:

• Butterfly and hammer skinless, boneless chicken breasts so they are about an inch thick. Sprinkle the sea salt and pepper and then set aside.
• Slice, zest, and squeeze the lemons according to the measurements above, setting the lemon garnish to the side. Drop the lemon juice and zest in the saucepan, along with the chicken broth. Set it over a low flame to slowly heat the lemon sauce.
• Warm the skillet and add the olive oil. Start with 1 tbsp. but add up to a second tbsp. if needed.
• Beat the egg in one shallow dish and measure arrowroot in the other. Set your dredging station up next to the skillet (chicken, egg, arrowroot, skillet).
• Dredge each piece of chicken in the egg, then cover each side in the arrowroot and place in the skillet. Cook 4 to 5 min each side.

Dredging Station

• Chop the parsley while the chicken and lemon sauce heat up. I love the smell and color of fresh parsley.
• Add the lemon sauce to skillet and continue cooking on a lower flame until the outside is lightly browned and the inside is no longer pink. Add the lemon garnish and parsley to extra flavor and presentation.

Saute Both Sides of the Chicken

Add the Lemon Sauce

And Add the Lemon Garnish

And Don't Forget the Fresh Parsley!

Serve this over spinach, brown rice, quinoa, polenta, gluten free pasta...you name it. This evening, I chose asparagus for its color, flavor and health benefits.

Gluten Free Chicken Francese over Asparagus

Now don't forget, I made this extra lemony. You might want to cut back on the lemon juice and zest if your lips are puckering just thinking about this. I am heavy handed with lemons but Dave and Holly don't mind. In fact, we are all peas from the same pod.

Holly Loves Lemon, Too!