Ferd Grisanti's chicken formaggio


    4 6- to 8-ounce whole boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
    3 eggs, beaten
    2 cups breadcrumbs
    Olive oil (to coat bottom of sauté pan 1/4-inch deep)

Sauce:

    1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
    1/2 cup flour
    2 teaspoons salt, optional
    1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    3 cups milk (heated to 160 degrees)
    1 3/4 cups grated Parmesan 1 cup half-and-half (heated to 160 degrees)

Rinse chicken breasts with cold water, and drain. Dip in beaten egg. Coat with breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees (drop in a few breadcrumbs; if oil crackles, it's hot enough). Working in batches, sauté chicken till done. Add more olive oil as needed. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

To make sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring.

Slowly add heated milk, incorporating it into the butter/flour mixture. After all the milk has been added, let the mixture thicken, then slowly add the grated cheese. Stir until mixture thickens. Slowly add half-and-half; cook for a few minutes on high heat while stirring constantly. The sauce is done when it coats a spoon.

Pour some of the cheese sauce in the bottom of a baking dish (enough to coat 1/8-inch thick). Lay chicken on top of the sauce, arranging all the pieces in 1 layer. Cover chicken with remainder of sauce. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over cooked linguini.

we added some garlic and red-pepper flakes to the sauce.
also, we found some thinly sliced chicken breasts that we used.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Courier Journal