Classic chicken schnitzel inspired me to create this light and refreshing Italian-style dish. We serve the chicken with angel hair pasta and broccoli.

Ingredients 

Spicy lemon butter sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 lb. butter
1 jalapeno
1 lemon
1/2 tsp. shallots, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
Salt, to taste

Panko chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups flour
1 cup cream
2 eggs
2 cups panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. pepper
Oil for frying

Steps

  1. For sauce: Slice butter into pats and allow to soften at room temperature. Cut lemon in half and mince aromatics.
  2. In a small pot, add a pat of butter and allow to melt. Add minced aromatics, and immediately afterward add cream. Let cream reduce on high heat.
  3. Add pepper and lemon juice, and rind, if desired. When cream looks twice as thick, turn heat off.
  4. Add butter and let dissolve into cream a few pieces at a time. Add more butter before first batch completely melts. Repeat until product is used up.
  5. Season to taste with salt. Strain and set aside, or serve chunky.
  6. For chicken: Heat oven to 350 F. Roll chicken breasts in flour to coat and shake off excess.
  7. Mix cream and eggs together to form egg wash and dip in wash to coat well.
  8. Mix Italian seasoning, panko, salt and pepper together and coat chicken, then shake off excess.
  9. Deep-fry breaded chicken for 4 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Remove from oil, place on sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 F.
  11. Serve alongside buttered broccoli, angel hair pasta and 2 ounces lemon butter sauce.

Yield: 4 servings