January, for me, is always a time of reflection. As I begin another 365-day cycle, I can't help but reminisce on the experiences I've had in past years-- from people I've met to places I've ventured, lessons I've learned to things I still haven't quite figured out yet. Unsurprisingly, a lot of my memories have to do with food.
I don't believe I'm alone in that, though. There are so many memories we connect with food, whether it be the smell of Mom's specialty as it cooks, or the panache of a catered meal at a big event, or the pride from a recipe we nailed, or the butterflies that accompanied a first date dinner, or any number of little things that we might not even realize have become a huge part of who we are today. Food is a gigantic part of not only surviving, but living.
That being said, today's recipe is very special to me. This recipe carries so many memories that I knew I had to share it with you in the new year.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Herb Butter Sauce is one of the first recipes I ever successfully cooked, and is largely responsible for my decision to continue teaching myself. It's a recipe that I have bonded with dozens of people over since, served for easy-yet-impressive meals with company over or cozy nights at home with my roommate and leftover wine. Because I love it so much, I have taught this recipe to many of my friends, who can now claim it as one of the first things they have ever successfully cooked, too. It is still one of my most requested recipes, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with you.
The chicken itself is fantastic, with its savory, cheesy breading, but the true star of this show is the sauce. With equal parts white wine, chicken broth, and heavy cream, the base of the sauce is full of flavor. Once the butter and fresh herbs are added in, though, ooooh myyyy. It is out of this world.
Give it a go. Cook it for yourself, for your family, or for a date. If you're not a great cook, don't worry. You can pull this off! Hopefully you'll wind up connecting it to some awesome memories of your own in 2014.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Herb Butter Sauce
- Total Time: 56 minutes
Ingredients
For the Parmesan Crusted Chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
For the Herb Butter Sauce:
- ½ cup Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized portions
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, parsley, and basil (or other herbs), finely minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cornstarch
- Tomatoes and herbs, to garnish
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Pound each chicken breast to about ¾ inch thick.
- Combine the egg whites, cornstarch, and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a shallow dish for dredging. Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper in another shallow dish.
- Dredge each chicken breast in the egg white mixture, and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure the chicken is completely covered with the breadcrumbs. Let the breadcrumbed chicken sit on a wire rack or baking sheet for 30 minutes to allow the crust to set.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the chicken. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Transfer the chicken to the oven (either in the skillet if it's oven-proof, or in a baking dish) and finish cooking for 8-10 minutes. As the chicken cooks, prepare the sauce.
For the Sauce:
- Add wine, broth, cream, and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes, scraping the bottom occasionally.
- Once the sauce has reduced, add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk the sauce until the butter has completely dissolved. Add in the herbs and the salt and pepper, and cook for an additional few minutes.
- If it seems like your sauce hasn't thickened to your liking (it most likely didn't reduce enough in this case), feel free to make a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cold water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch) and whisk it into your sauce and heat over medium high. This should thicken your sauce to your desired consistency.
- Serve the sauce over chicken and your choice of pasta. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and herbs.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 16 mins
Lail | With A Spin says
I totally agree that we connect past memories with food and smell. This chicken sounds delicious!
juanita says
I just wanted to say that I made this last week. Kind of a bit more work than I'd expected, with the frying the chicken in the skillet and then baking it, but it was pretty good. Instead of the fresh breadcrumbs, I used panko. Also, I made it for my sister and her boyfriend, and none of us are wine drinkers (or big drinkers in period, I'm like a fruity mixed drink a few times a year kinda gal). I had to add a lot more cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it appropriately, but in the end, we tossed the sauce, as the wine smell was too prominent for my sister to even get up the willpower to try it, and I though the wine taste was too heavy for my taste. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Morgan says
I'm sorry to hear that you guys weren't fans of the wine sauce. If you're not into wine/wine sauces, feel free to make it with double the amount of chicken broth instead of the wine and it will work just fine. Thanks for the feedback!
Andrea says
The wine sauce was so delicious my familu is crazy for thos recepie ... Thank you !
Sarah Jane Wyatt says
I made this tonight - even my very picky 17 year old loved it!! I did cook the sauce longer, and it turned out perfectly. The wine really blended in, which was good for the picky one! I will definitely make this again. A+
Morgan says
So happy to hear it Sarah! It's always nice to get the seal of approval from the picky one in the family, right? =)
Ericka says
Something I learned from the Pioneer Woman, filet the chicken. I cut it in half then filet the chicken. I always cook my chicken this way. Can't wait to try this! Looks so tasty! Thanks for the wine tip. I don't drink either so the exta Chx broth is good to know.
Roy says
Made this dish tonight and it was excellent. Well received among our teenage sons and my wife. I added both home grated Parmesan and the store bought grated Parmesan cheese along with some crushed up Ritz crackers for the breading. I cooked the chicken in the pan with coconut oil until internal temperature of 170F. I followed the sauce except I doubled it along with adding basil and thyme. Although I simmered the sauce almost to a boil until it was reduced by half, I still needed to add cold water mixed with cornstarch to thicken it.
Excellent dish. I highly recommend it and will be making it again soon!
Thanks!
Morgan says
Thanks so much for the detailed comment! The Ritz crackers sound like a great addition 🙂 I am happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed the recipe!!
carolyn orr says
Just tried this today, one word DELICIOUS! Went strictly by the recipe except for one thing i added to the sauce and that was parmesan cheese, it just made the sauce tastes extra good i serve this with angel hair noodles and garlic toast. Great recipe i most definitely will be making this again, and again. Thanks for the recipe
Morgan says
Happy to hear that you like it, Carolyn! =)
Christine says
made this tonight....my only issue was that the breadcrumb mixture stuck to the pan....but it was my fault, didn't let it sit! But it still turned out delicious...amazing receipe, thanks for sharing
jamie says
I made this tonight and it was great! Frying the chicken with canola oil really added a nice crispiness to the chicken. I used pretty big chicken breasts and only made 3. I probably could have cut the bread crumb and Parmesan cheese mixture in half because I had a lot left over. Otherwise i strictly stuck to the recipe. I added garlic into the sauce and served it over angel hair pasta, I loved it and my boyfriend loved it.
Wayne says
Saw a photo on Pinterest just now of this herb butter sauce chicken- which was really great by the way. This seriously looks fabulous! I remember the first recipe that I cooked also and has always been a family favorite. I think we may just have to do a blog post on this recipe and review on our site!
Sharon Bell says
What a delicious chicken dinner. I also used panko bread crumbs and it was so tasty. I did this in stages. I cut all the herbs. I prepared the chicken in the morning and let it set before cooking most of the day. By the time I was ready to cook it was so easy. Thanks for your wonderful recipe.
Morten says
It looks all wonderful.
Sarah Jane Wyatt says
This is one of my go-to recipes. It is wonderful. My son, who hates everything, loves it. My foodie son, loves it. My mother loves it. It's a family favorite!
Jessica says
Hi Morgan, is there a brand of wine you like to use? Also how do you make your fresh breadcrumbs? Do you let them dry out? Thank you! I am so excited to try!
Mark says
Excellent dish - loved by all!
The sauce did take about 20 min to reduce to the correct consistency, which would have probably solved a previous issue posted of the sauce being to 'winey' - mine was spot on with no overbearing wine flavor. I also prefer the thin-cut breast filet's, or butterflied as another reviewer mentioned. This accentuates the crunch and flavor of the breadcrumb coating, which was outstanding.
Very nice recipe - Thanks!
Lisa says
I can’t seem to print this recipe. The pop up ads keep printing over the ingredients. Looks yummy though