Parmesan Crusted Chicken With Sage Butter Sauce

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Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Sage Butter Sauce

A dinner party with our friend Sally caused me to dig out this recipe from my 2002 Cuisine At Home magazine. Why had I waited so long to try Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Sage Butter Sauce? It’s delicious!

This is one of those recipes that looks deceptively easy, but has some technique to it. The accompanying article described how the recipe had been perfected with fresh ciabatta bread crumbs and just the right seasonings. I especially enjoyed the fresh lemon zest and Parmesan in the breading.

There is also a unique combination which the chicken is dipped into before it’s breaded. A combination of egg whites, cornstarch and lemon juice. After breading, the chicken is air dried to help the crumbs “set.” Then it’s browned on one side, turned, and popped into a hot oven to finish. This last step only takes 8 – 10 minutes because the chicken is cut into 3-4 ounce portions.

One additional tip: you can cook multiple batches of chicken on one side to keep from overcrowding the pan. Then add all pieces back to the pan and finish in the oven. Be sure there is still enough room between pieces for the chicken to complete the cooking process. My pan comfortably held 5 pieces of 4 oz. each.

Do Ahead Steps

I decided to prep as many steps as possible to minimize the last minute cooking. That way I could spend more time socializing. To make that possible, I prepped the bread crumbs, and associated seasonings and then combined them at the last minute.

The sauce, a delicious combination of sage, cream, shallot, and butter, can also be prepped up to the point before the butter is added. When ready to serve, rewarm the sauce, melt in the butter, and finish with the herbs and seasonings. Yummy!

My side dish of Roasted Vegetables was also prepped and ready to roast.

Look at these happy faces and we haven’t even had dinner yet!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken With Sage Butter Sauce

Chicken coated with home-made rustic bread crumb & Parmesan mixture, pan seared, finished in the oven, then topped with sage-butter sauce. A special meal that takes a little more time but is well worth the effort.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Keyword: Chicken, Parmesan, sage-butter sauce

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 4

Author: Oct 2002 Cuisine At Home magazine

Ingredients

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 8 oz. each
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 loaf Ciabatta bread to yield 1 cup coarse, dry bread crumbs – no need to remove crust
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• zest of 1 lemon

Sage Butter Sauce

• 3 tablespoons minced shallot
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed and divided
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• Salt and white pepper
• cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

• Cut Ciabatta bread into large cubes and process in a food processor until fairly small crumbs form (don’t pulverize them however, you want some texture to the crust.) Dry the crumbs on a baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes in a 200°F oven until completely dried but not toasted.
• Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating pieces which are about 4 oz. each. Lightly pound each piece to about 1/2″ thickness in a Ziplock bag with a small amount of water added (this helps prevent the meat from tearing.) Breasts should be an even thickness when done.
• Blend egg whites, cornstarch, and lemon juice with a fork in a wide shallow dish; set aside. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper and zest in a second wide, shallow dish. Dip chicken breasts first in egg sauce and then crust with breadcrumb mixture. Scooping and patting handfuls of crumbs onto each piece will help ensure they are thoroughly coated.
• Let chicken rest at room temperature on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes to set crust.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Saute chicken in oil in large nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Carefully turn over and transfer skillet to oven to finish cooking. Roast chicken just until done, about 8-10 minutes more. Serve with sauce.

Sage Butter Sauce

• Sauté shallot in 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat just until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add wine, cream, broth, and lemon juice. Simmer until reduced by half, 10-15 minutes. Note – stop here if you are making the sauce in advance. Refrigerate sauce covered and then rewarm before proceeding.
• Whisk in remaining butter, 1 cube at a time, stirring constantly. Do not add more butter until previous addition has melted completely. Finish sauce with sage and seasonings. Serve immediately or keep warm in a water bath until ready to serve.