The words “frenched chicken breast†may be new to many people. On the contrary, to others, the words could be familiar, but they barely know what “frenched chicken breast†is or how to do it.
Definition of Frenching is an art in which you need to know about chicken parts and has perfect knife skills. When an intact bone is cleaned through scraping, it gets an enhanced appearance that is appealing, elegant and dramatic.Read on further if you are keen to delve deep into this s topic as we share abit about the history and also a recipe where you can prepare this delicious dish at home.
Origin of The Frenched Chicken Breast
The origin of frenched meals is Europe, where they frenched the drumette traditionally. In the early 1930s, it was popular as one of the meals offered during the era when travelers were offered full flight meals by major commercial airlines.
Requirements in Preparing Frenched Chicken Breast
Chopping Board
A good chopping board is ideal for sanitation purposes. It also eases the cleaning process of your kitchen since you will not cut your chicken on the kitchen countertop. I would recommend that you acquire a bamboo cutting wood chopping board. This is because it has natural bacteria-fighting qualities
Boning Knife
In the market, you will find two types of boning knives: stiff and flexible knives. A flexible boning knife is ideal when you have to remove all bones from the chicken. This is because with it you can easily move along the curves of the chicken.
You can also slice the chicken into small pieces in a bid to remove excess fat and rectify other faults your chicken could have to enhance a perfect presentation. The most important bit is that your knife has to be sharp.
Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil will be an added advantage as you prepare Frenched chicken breast. It protects the chicken bone from getting spoilt from burns. There are instances when the chicken meat covers the bone as you prepare your frenched chicken breast.
In such incidences, the aluminum foil comes in handy. With it, you can cover the part of the bone which has extended. Any brand of aluminum foil will serve you well.
Chef Knife
The chef knife comes in handy when you intend to use the traditional method to French your chicken. It involves cutting out the wing bone at the joint. At this point, any knife will serve you in case you don’t have a chef knife. A chef knife will be useful when you are handling a whole chicken.
Step-by-Step Procedure
With A Whole Chicken
This one is for those who are experts in using the knife.
Step 1. Cut your chicken at the joint of the wing bone. Start by cutting the flesh till the blade hits the knuckle. At this point, snap the bone off. Cut off the part that is hanging loose. This method is better as you will achieve a clean result. It is also safe.
Step 2. Remove the chicken breast. Do this by placing your chicken on a chopping board. Cut it in the middle up to the wishbone. Run the knife along the wishbone till you reach the wing. Do this for each part of the breast. The tip of your knife should help you get to the breast plate.
Where the wing bone connects with the breastplate, use the tip of your boning knife to cut and detach the wing carefully. Cut down till you can easily separate the breastplate from the thigh.
Step 3. Get your chicken breast trimmed. This is necessary to get rid of any excess fat and skin.
With A Chicken Supreme Cuts
This is basically the easiest and fastest way to get your frenched chicken breast ready.
Step 1. Cut the wing bone as you make circular cuts. This is basically cutting through the skin and the connective tissues.
Step 2. Scrape off the meat. Place your chicken supreme on the chopping board and scrape off the meat using the edge of your boning knife. Be cautious to avoid scraping the soft bone. This will help a great deal in preventing any probability that your knife can get blunt.
Step 3. Trim the chicken bone and wrap it up using an aluminum foil. Hold the meat down and wrap it tight enough. The purpose of the aluminum foil is to keep the bone from getting burnt as you make it ready for eating, either through roasting or burning. Before you serve the meal, you can remove the aluminum foil.
Tips to Ease and Enhance Your Work
1. Store Your Chicken Safely
The best place to store your chicken in your refrigerator is in the coldest part which is the freezer. This will keep it in good condition until when you will need to use it. After cutting your chicken into the desired pieces (can use the meat slicer), place it in a freezer bag.
Ensure that you clearly label it so that you can be aware of its expiry period. It can be in a good state for as long as two months. If you intend to cook it, defrost it by leaving it overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator. I would not advise you to refreeze your chicken after defrosting it.
2. Make Use of A Separate Chopping Board
Using a separate chopping board when cutting raw chicken aids a great deal in preventing cross-contamination. This is so since it prevents bacteria from contaminating food that does not need cooking.
To enhance hygiene, make sure that you clean your chopping board and all other utensils that come into contact with the raw chicken with hot soapy water. A better sanitizing option is chlorine liquid which has no scent. A tablespoon of chlorine liquid is just enough. Add it to a gallon of water and use it to clean your chopping board and other utensils.
3. Cut Close to The Bone
If you have a whole chicken from which you have to French your chicken breast, cut close to the bone as much as you can. This helps in preventing any chances that pieces of meat could cling on the bone.
Cut through the tendons especially at the part where the wings get attached to the breast. This helps a great deal in detaching the meat from the bone.
A Recipe for Frenched Chicken Breast
Ingredients:- 8-ounce chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- Wheat flour-quarter-cup
- Capers, about a teaspoon of it
- Chicken broth, quarter-cup
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- A can of diced tomatoes
- Dry white wine, half a cup
- Sliced black olive leaves which are brine cured-10
- A minced clove garlic
- Grapeseed oil-4 tablespoons
- Pat your chicken dry and sprinkle salt and pepper on it
- Put the chicken in flour and shake off the excess flour
- In a heavy saucepan and over medium heat, heat two tablespoons of oil
- Cook three slices of your chicken and turn them all at the same time. Let them cook until they become golden brown. The time that you will let your cutlets cook depends on how thick they are
- Once the cutlets are ready, place them on a platter and cover them up to keep them warm. Cook all the cutlets the same way
- To the pan, add your capers and garlic. Let them cook as you stir for approximately 30 seconds until you can perceive the aroma
- Add the white wine and let it boil. Scrape off the browned bits at the bottom of the sauce pan. Add tomatoes, olives and leave the ingredients uncovered as they simmer. Keep cooking till a slightly thick consistency is formed.
- Add your chicken while allowing it to simmer for approximately two minutes
- Remove your meal from the heat and add some fresh basil
Advantages of Eating Frenched Chicken Breast
1. High Protein Content
Chicken contains protein which is lean. Proteins are bodybuilding foods which mean that they are essential in your body. Consuming frenched chicken breast will give your body enough protein to grow your muscles, and achieve a healthy body with appropriate weight.
2. Anti-depressant Qualities
Chicken, just like turkey shave tryptophan which is an amino acid. It is responsible for bringing about a comforting and relaxing feeling. This works by the tryptophan increasing the amount of serotine in your brain. This is just the feeling you will get after eating some frenched chicken breast. Try it out after a busy and stressful day at work.
3. Enhances The Health of Your Heart
Eating some frenched chicken breast enhances the health of your heart by controlling the levels of homocysteine in your body. Homocysteine is an amino acid which would make you prone to cardiovascular diseases if it increases within your body.
4. Phosphorous
Eating frenched chicken breast enhances bone and teeth formation as well as strengthening them. This is because it contains phosphorus in large amounts. Phosphorous is also responsible for enhancing proper functioning of the liver, kidney and the central nervous system.
5. Enhances Metabolism
Frenched chicken breast has plenty of selenium which increases metabolism. This is inclusive of the immune function, metabolism, and hormones. It also has vitamin B6 which encourages metabolic and enzyme reactions.
This aids a great deal in keeping blood flow right by keeping the blood vessels healthy, improving the energy levels, enhancing the burning of calories which in turn leads to a healthy weight.
6. Aids in Guarding Against Cancer
Chicken has a component known as niacin which is an element of vitamin B. It will protect you from experiencing any form of genetic damage and also minimize the extent to which you are prone to suffering from cancer.
7. Promotes Eye Health
Have you ever wondered which food will enhance your eye health? With frenched chicken breast, you can be sure that it will contribute towards a healthy eyesight. It has vital components which are necessary for proper vision. They are lycopene, retinol, and beta-carotene which are all elements of vitamin A.
Conclusion
Frenched chicken breast has a lot of health benefits. With enough knowledge on the right way to prepare and make your frenched chicken breast, you can be enjoying some of it every once in a while to get the health benefits from its nutrients.