That was good enough for me…

…so I made it for him again the next night.

Most people have that favorite local eatery where they go when they just don’t want to cook. For us that place is just down the road and we make our way there almost weekly. Good Italian-American cuisine.

We sit at the bar and know that our favorite bar tender will gladly allow us to order ‘off’ the menu (aka he willingly accepts substitutions). For Nick, more often than not, that means he’ll have the Chicken Francese…add artichoke hearts.

Is it Chicken Francese or Chicken Française? From everything I’ve read…. they’re the same dish.

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to recreate this delicious meal at home. It’s an easy straight forward recipe of pan fried egg-dipped chicken cutlets with a heavenly lemon pan sauce. Simply served over a bed of spaghetti with a beautiful Arugula Salad. Here’s how we do it!

The Chicken Cutlet Process

• If your chicken breasts are thick, cut them in half then pound them to an even 1/2-inch (or slightly thinner) thickness
• Dip both sides of each cutlet in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, garlic & herb seasoning), shaking off excess
• Then in beaten egg, shaking off excess
• Working in batches, pan fry chicken in olive oil over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through
• Hold in a warm 250 degree F. oven while you make the pan sauce.

The Lemon White Wine Butter Pan Sauce

• Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove most of the brown bits
• Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat, then add the lemon slices and brown slightly on both sides
• Add in the artichoke hearts
• Pour in wine and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute
• Then add the lemon juice, chicken broth and 3 Tablespoons butter and bring to a simmer
• Using a fine mesh strainer, dust the sauce with 1 Tablespoon of flour, whisking until thoroughly combined
• Return to a simmer then remove from heat.

Like Chicken Piccata the lemon pan sauce takes this dish to the next level.

To Serve Chicken Francese

I like to serve this dish with a simple Arugula Salad with Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette on the side.

• Baby arugula
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Freshly shredded parmesan cheese
• A generous drizzle of Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette.

Serve family style on a platter with cooked spaghetti, pan fried chicken cutlets, and the glorious lemon pan sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to finish.

I’ll have to agree that this is indeed The Best Chicken Francese with Artichoke Hearts!

The chicken is tender and moist. The lemon white wine butter pan sauce is silky, bright and so flavorful. But the star ingredient… the artichoke hearts. They absolutely pair perfectly with the sauce and add an extra layer of flavor.

My guy knows a good thing when he tastes it!

Have you got a favorite restaurant recipe you recreate at home? Or one you’d like me to recreate? Let me know in the comments below.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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The Best Chicken Francese with Artichokes

The chicken is tender and moist. The lemon white wine butter pan sauce is silky, bright and so flavorful. But the star ingredient… the artichoke hearts. They absolutely pair perfectly with the sauce and add an extra layer of flavor.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti prepared al dente according to package instructions

For the Egg-Battered Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic & herb seasoning
• 3 eggs beaten
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided

For the Lemon White Wine Butter Pan Sauce

• 4 Tablespoons butter divided
• 1 lemon cut into thin slices
• 1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts drained
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 lemon, juiced about 2-3 Tablespoons
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• salt & pepper to taste
• fresh parsley to garnish

Arugula Salad

• 5 ounces baby arugula
• 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
• 1 lemon, juiced about 2-3 Tablespoons
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 250° F. Prepare spaghetti al dente according to package instructions.

For the Egg-Battered Chicken

• Set up a dipping station. In a shallow bowl add the flour, salt, pepper and garlic herb seasoning. In a separate bowl add the beaten eggs.
• If your chicken breasts are thick, cut them in half then pound them to an even 1/2-inch (or slightly thinner) thickness. Dip both sides of each cutlet in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Then in beaten egg, shaking off excess.
• Working in batches, pan fry chicken in olive oil over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Hold in a warm 250 degree F. oven while you make the pan sauce.

For the Lemon White Wine Butter Pan Sauce

• Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove most of the brown bits. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat, then add the lemon slices and brown slightly on both sides.
• Add in the artichoke hearts. Pour in wine and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute. Then add the lemon juice, chicken broth and 3 Tablespoons remaining butter and bring to a simmer.
• Using a fine mesh strainer, dust the sauce with 1 Tablespoon of flour, whisking until thoroughly combined. Return to a simmer then remove from heat.

Arugula Salad

• Place arugula, red onion, and 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese into a bowl. Combine remaining 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Give it a good shake. Pour over arugula salad.

To Serve Chicken Francese

• Place cooked spaghetti on a platter. Top with chicken cutlets. Spoon pan sauce on top.

The post The Best Chicken Francese with Artichoke Hearts appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Wrapping up a fabulous April, spent celebrating National Grilled Cheese Month.  Our Mediterranean Grilled Cheese Sandwich, layered with basil pesto, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and cheese, was phenomenal.  All that goodness was sandwiched between two slices of fresh baked Jackalope Real Bread.  Let me tell you a bit about that.

My friend Annabelle, aka California Country Gal, sent me a pouch of her grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free multi-purpose baking mix to try.  We chose to make a rustic loaf and as it was baking the aromas swirling around the kitchen said ‘fresh baked bread….oh my.’ Wow.

We added fresh chopped sage, because well….our sage is thriving.  And fresh herbs.

The results were amazing.  Annabelle’s grain-free ingredients yielded a gorgeous loaf of bread.  Most importantly the texture was bread-like.  I’m not sure what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised.  After we slathered several slices with butter and scoffed them down standing at the counter…I declared a grilled cheese must happen.

Some of my favorite flavors came together so nicely in this Mediterranean Grilled Cheese.  Fresh basil pesto, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, parmesan & Jarlsberg cheese.

For my gluten-free friends and sugar-free, ‘starch belly’ free fans, check out Jackalope Good Food Company @jackalope good food company for all of Annabelle’s Good Food products.  A grilled cheese sandwich is in your future.

xo, Libby

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Mediterranean Grilled Cheese {Gluten Free}

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 slices Jackalope Grain-Free Bread
• fresh basil pesto see recipe link in post
• artichoke hearts quartered
• sundried tomatoes
• grated parmesan cheese
• grated Jarlsberg cheese
• butter for pan grilling

Instructions

• Heat skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 Tbl. butter.
• Layer bread slice with basil pesto, parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and Jarlsberg cheese. Top with second bread slice.
• Pan grill until golden brown, carefully turn over and grill until second side is golden and cheese is melty.

The post Mediterranean Grilled Cheese {Gluten Free} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

So many beautiful colors and flavors in this Mediterranean Lunch Bowl.  Roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, luscious olives, orzo pasta, baby spinach, and grilled lemon & herb chicken.  Pulled together from ingredients already in our fridge and pantry. 

It was about a week ago when I made this fabulous 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip.  Several of those layers found their way into the Mediterranean Lunch Bowl.  Just a little hint that these two recipes play very nicely together.

As a bonus, this lunch bowl fits nicely into our healthy choices plan.  Because the ingredients bring big bold flavor there was no need for a heavy dressing.  Instead I simply used some of the juices from the olives, red pepper and artichoke hearts with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.  And serving this bowl….in a bowl, keeps portion control in check.  Go me.

I’ve mentioned recently that we have a new Sprouts Farmers Market, conveniently located along my route to work.  They have a gorgeous olive bar, loaded with all kinds of marinated love.  You can buy as little as one olive if you choose.  That makes a Mediterranean Lunch Bowl all the more wonderful.

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Mediterranean Lunch Bowl

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the lemon & herb chicken…

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast 6-8 ounces
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 fresh oregano sprigs
• 1 Tbl. capers
• 1 lemon

For the bowls…

• 1/2 cup orzo pasta
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• roasted red pepper with juice
• marinated artichoke hearts with juice
• assorted olives with juice
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Instructions

For the lemon & herb chicken…

• Press the rosemary, oregano, capers and 2-3 lemon slices onto the chicken breast. Grill in a grill-pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then gently turn and grill an additional 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

For the bowl…

• Prepare the orzo according to the package instructions. Drain; season with olive oil, salt & pepper.
• Divide fresh spinach, sliced grilled chicken, orzo, roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, and olives between two bowls.
• Combine reserved marinating liquids with olive oil and lemon juice to taste. Drizzle over bowl ingredients.

The post Mediterranean Lunch Bowl appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We brought 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip along with a bottle of red and white Italian wines to a happy-hour party recently. We stepped outside the comfort zone on the wines, perhaps this is a chance to discover a new favorite.

And about this dip.  Oh my.  I knew when I first read this recipe from Eat at Home Cooks that we’d have a new favorite.  Boy was I right.  As it turns out, when we delivered 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip straight from the oven, we walked into a happy-hour party already in progress.  All in attendance who sampled this new recipe loved it.  I think you will as well.

Let’s break down these seven layers of Italian flavor love.

Layer #1 ~ Cream Cheese

Layer #2 ~ Basil Pesto

Layer #3 ~ Roasted Red Peppers

Layer #4 ~ Parmesan Cheese

Layer #5 ~ Artichoke Hearts

Layer #6 ~ Sun Dried Tomatoes

Layer #7 ~ Mozzarella Cheese

7-Layer Hot Italian Dip is that easy and ready to be served in less than 30-minutes.  Be sure to keep these key ingredients on hand for your next happy-hour or game day party.  We served this yummy appetizer with Cheddar-Parmesan Savory Biscotti.  The flavor combinations were wonderful together.

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7-Layer Hot Italian Dip

7-Layer Hot Italian Dip is that easy and ready to be served in less than 30-minutes.  Be sure to keep these key ingredients on hand for your next happy-hour or game day party. 

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup basil pesto
• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers chopped
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts drained & chopped
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Layer ingredients in order listed in a 1-quart oven-safe casserole dish.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly.
• Serve hot with savory biscotti, pita chips or crackers.

The post 7-Layer Hot Italian Dip appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

For the most part, our pantry staples are pretty common.  We keep canned tomatoes and beans, dried pasta, boxed broths, baking supplies, etc.  However there are a couple of other unique items I like to keep on hand just in case.

Just in case a recipe for Greek Chicken & Eggplant Stew crosses my path.

I was skimming through the pages of some of my oldest cookbooks and that’s where I found the inspiration for this dish.  We always have boneless chicken breasts in the freezer and I had just purchased an eggplant with the intention of spiralizing it into noodles.  My just in case ingredients paired perfectly with this recipe, those being canned artichoke hearts and jarred mushrooms.

Greek Chicken & Eggplant Stew on it’s own is mild with a certain creaminess we’ll attribute to the eggplant.  When it came time to serve I opted for a little flavor punch.  That’s where the Citrus Herb Gremolata came into play.  Finely minced fresh oregano, lemony thyme, garlic and fresh spinach with lemon zest, toasted buttered panko breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt.  It was absolutely perfect with this dish.  Gremolata will find it’s way onto many future dishes.  Fresh herbs are our friends.

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Greek Chicken & Eggplant Stew {with Citrus Herb Gremolata}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author adapted from Treasury of Light Cooking

Ingredients

For the Chicken & Eggplant Stew…

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant peeled & cubed (about 2 cups)
• 1 6- ounce jar mushrooms or 6-ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 14- ounce artichoke hearts drained
• 4 ounces cooked pappardelle pasta

For Citrus Herb Gremolata…

• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbl. butter melted
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves finely chopped
• 1 Tbl. fresh oregano minced
• 1 Tbl. fresh lemony thyme minced
• zest of one lemon
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• pinch of salt to taste

Instructions

For Chicken & Eggplant Stew…

• Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness. Cut each breast in half. Lightly dust with flour.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven. Brown chicken pieces on each side. Remove. Add eggplant, mushrooms, onion, garlic and seasonings to pan; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Return chicken to pan. Stir in chicken broth, sherry, salt & pepper. Simmer covered for about 1 hour or until chicken is done and juices run clear. Add in artichokes during last 20-minutes of cooking.
• Combine citrus herb gremolata ingredients. To serve, top hot cooked pappardelle pasta with stew. Generously sprinkle gremolata on top.

The post Greek Chicken & Eggplant Stew {with Citrus Herb Gremolata} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Roasted Lemon & Artichoke Chicken.

We were looking for an easy weeknight meal that could be made from ingredients already on hand.  We like to keep boneless skinless chicken breasts in our freezer.  We buy them in bulk, trim them of any fat, then lightly pound them to an even thickness before freezing them flat in bags of two.  When we’re ready to use them we just thaw and create our meal.

I had spotted this wonderful Roasted Lemon & Artichoke Chicken recipe on my friend Sandi ~ A New York Foodie’s page.  We adore Mediterranean flavors and the combination of lemon, artichokes, and capers go so beautifully together.

Oven roasting the lemon slices until caramelized adds such depth of flavor to the sauce.  And since this makes such a lovely sauce, we served it over a bed of angel hair pasta.  Oh my.  Delicious.

Slightly adapted from A New York Foodie.

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Roasted Lemon & Artichoke Chicken

Cuisine Mediterranean

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Slightly adapted from A New York Foodie.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 lemon cut into slices
• cooking spray
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tbl. capers
• 1 6- ounce jar artichoke hearts quartered
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
• parsley to garnish
• 4- ounces angel hair or favorite pasta cooked al dente

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay lemon slices in single layer and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until edges begin to brown.
• Meanwhile, dust chicken breast in flour. Pan sauté in olive oil until golden brown and done, approx. 5-6 minutes per side. Reserve cooked chicken and keep warm.
• Add butter to sauté pan and sauté garlic for one minute. Add in capers, artichoke hearts, chicken broth, and white wine. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to cook down until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Return chicken pieces to pan to warm through. Serve over cooked pasta with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.

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