Chicken Diane

Chicken Diane is a riff on the classic Steak Diane, which is a dish of pan-fried, usually thin cut beefsteak with a sauce made with cognac, butter, and shallots. It was originally cooked tableside and sometimes flambéed. It was most likely invented in London in the 1930s. From the 1940s through the 1960s it was a standard dish in "Continental cuisine", and is now considered a retro dish. Here I've modified the recipe to swap out the beef for chicken and I've added mushrooms because we like them. If you don't you can easily skip them in this recipe.  

Julian's Chicken Diane

I'm not doing any flambé in my kitchen which has sensitive smoke detectors, so this is an easy dish that comes together in under 30 minutes. This dish goes very well with curly egg noodles because of the delicious sauce. 

Pretty enough to serve right from the skillet.

Chicken breasts halved horizontally.

I recommend using a meat tenderizer like Adolphs (a McCormick & Company brand). Otherwise the chicken will be somewhat tough, as most chicken breasts are when cooked over high heat sufficient to brown them. Meat tenderizer is made in both seasoned and unseasoned versions, and I use unseasoned. That means it does contain salt despite the 'unseasoned' marking. Most don't contain MSG but if you are sensitive to it, do check the label to make sure. If you don't use a tenderizer, then at least salt the breasts on both sides and refrigerate them covered for two hours. They won't be as tender as those prepared with a meat tenderizer but they will be more moist than with no advance preparation at all.  

Browned and resting. 

Ingredients (Serves 4 Adults)
4 (5- to 6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets,

  or 2 (10- to 12-ounce) chicken breasts, each halved horizontally into 2 cutlets each

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Adolphs meat tenderizer
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 (8-ounce) packages sliced fresh button mushrooms
1 large shallot or small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons brandy or cognac
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

Directions
Advance preparation: If you have purchased whole skinless boneless breasts, cut them horizontally in into 2 cutlets each. Sprinkle chicken evenly with meat tenderizer and let stand for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper. 

 

Cooking:  Heat oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over high. Add chicken to skillet; cook until golden brown on each side and a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of meat registers 165F, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate; set aside. Do not wipe skillet clean.

Add mushrooms and 1 tablespoon butter; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release liquid and begin to brown and most liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add shallot/onion; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add brandy/cognac; cook, undisturbed, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 15 seconds. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, broth, cream, lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire. Cook, stirring often, until sauce reduces slightly, about 3-5 minutes. If sauce is too thick at a little water or chicken stock. Stir in parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Remove from heat. Nestle chicken and any accumulated juices into mixture in skillet. Turn chicken to coat. Allow sit a minute or two to rewarm. Serve with some sauce spooned over the top of each piece and over noodles if you are using them as a side dish.