“Deborah, what do you call this dish?”
“Lemon Chicken. Do ya like it?”
“It’s delicious. I could eat this every day the rest of my life.”
Hmmmm….if you’re a fan of the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” then you know exactly the episode that I am quoting from. If you don’t know, then let me catch you up. Raymond is sitting at the kitchen table and Deborah schleps a plate of Lemon Chicken down on the table. Ray rolls his eyes and acts like he likes it but…We get a flashback to the day that Debra and Raymond first met, when he delivers and sets up her new futon–it was the 8O’s. You can tell they like each other right from the start. Deborah loosens a screw on the futon and calls the store to complain that it is broken so that Raymond will come back and fix it. Smooth move. Eventually she invites him to dinner and she serves her signature Lemon Chicken. The above conversation takes place and the rest is Romano history.
Every time I see this episode–or any of them with the Lemon Chicken–I want to go and make some. So I found this recipe in Ann Romney’s cookbook. It is delicious. I don’t think I would eat it “every day the rest of my life” because then I wouldn’t be trying more recipes to share with you! Try it tonight and comment below to let me know what you think.
- 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (uniform size)
- 3/4 c. flour
- 1 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 c. seasoned dry bread crumbs
- 4 T. salted butter
- 4 t. olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 T. Capers
- juice of 3 lemons
- With a sharp knife, carefully slice the chicken breasts in half, cutting parallel to your cutting board.
- Place 2 or 3 pieces of the chicken in a gallon sized zippered plastic bag and close. Flatten chicken with a meat mallet to 1/4 inch thickness. You could also use a rolling pin.
- You will need 3 shallow bowls or pans for this next step: Combine flour, salt, and pepper in 1 bowl, beat eggs in another bowl, and then place the bread crumbs in the 3rd bowl.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Dip the chicken in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Melt 1 T. butter with 1 T. olive oil in a cast iron skillet or saute pan over medium-low heat.
- Add 2 or 3 chicken breasts to pan and brown nicely on both sides--about 5-6 minutes total time. Continue this process with the remaining chicken until all are done. Add butter and olive oil by tablespoon for each batch.
- Place browned chicken in a 9 x 13 glass dish and place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear.
- While chicken is baking, wipe out the skillet and melt 4 T. of butter. Add 1/2 c. of chicken stock, 1 T. capers and the lemon juice. Simmer until sauce thickens. Serve this over your baked chicken.
- Optional: garnish with slices of fresh lemon.
- If you like Macaroni Grill's Lemon Chicken, you are going to LOVE this! Trust me, I know.