Wednesday, December 17, 2008

sliced chicken breast

Or scaloppini or escalloped or thin little discs, this is for a friend who asked.

The flour can be flavored with whatever dry herb you want to get rid of, I mean, would like to use. Being this thin, best to stick with a light dusting of flour with salt and pepper. You can do the whole drench and dredge routine, that is, flour ---> egg wash ---> bread crumbs or more flour, but with discs this thin, you'll end up with more breading than meat. This technique à la meunière, named for the miller's wife, la meunière, was something she always had on hand, according to Julia Child *genuflects* the technique is used chiefly with fish filets (then you'd expect it to be called à la femme de pêcheur, wouldn't you?), pork chops, and pretty much anything. You can get a nice stew started by dusting cubes of beef or pork or lamb with flour, browning on all sides then adding water, stock, wine, or any other liquid, except perhaps for wee. The flour that was browned unravels, forms an interconnected molecular net that in turn thickens into a sauce with the flavors you added along with the added complexity provided by browning in accordance with the Maillard reaction.

I should add, this is probably the most simple and quickest thing imaginable, unless you decide you need to photograph it and unless you might also have smoke alarm set to hypersensitive. Bastard thing. In addition to catsup or mayonnaise with mustard, because the slices are already sautéed in butter, you are half way to a dressing, all is needed is acid and anything will do, lime or lemon, grapefruit, or vinegar or even wine gone off. Doesn't lemon chicken sound great? But also, lots of people like fried chicken with hot sauce, others like it with honey, some people like it with hot sauce and honey. I almost always put paprika or habanero flakes in with the flour, then dip the pieces in a glob of honey. My family likes soy sauce, but I like the tamarind in Worchestershire Wustersher Worcestersher Worcestershire Lee & Perrins.

This concludes my pedantry for the day.

flour with salt and pepper

sliced chicken breast floured

butter in hot pan

butter browns and turns to oil

chicken slices added to pan

chicken slices turned

Total elapsed time, 2 minutes.





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