Caramelized Onion Flatbread

On a recent trip to Florida we stopped into a restaurant to have a bite to eat.  The flatbread on the menu was too good to pass up.  Caramelized onions, figs and chicken – a delicious combination.

The recipe is basic and wasn’t hard to duplicate.  I also made another and added my own ingredients. To make it even easier I used a ready made Naan.  You can certainly opt to use a bread dough, which I intend to do next time I make these.

These are not so much recipes as they are just ideas.

Ingredients  for Caramelized Onion & Fig Flatbread

Naan bread (or pizza dough)

2 Seasoned chicken breasts

6 or 7 large onions (enough for about 3 or 4 flat breads)

Butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar

Fig spread

8 Dried figs

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350.  Peel and slice onions.  In a hot pan heat 3 tablespoons of butter and less than a tablespoon of oil. Cook onions over medium heat for the first 10 minutes.  Add a pinch of salt.  Cook over medium low heat for the remainder of the cooking time and add brown sugar to cook with the onions.  While your onions are cooking slice chicken breast into small strips and fry or grill chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic (whatever seasoning you like). I actually like steak seasoning on my chicken.

Cut dried figs into quarters and add to a saucepan with one cup of water and let boil.  Stir and add small amounts of water as it evaporates.  Cook for about 20 minutes and eventually let all the water absorb, then remove from heat.
Place the Naan directly on your oven racks of the preheated oven and toast for about  5 minutes.
Once the Naan is toasted assemble your flatbreads starting with some fig spread.  Spread a thin layer all over the Naan, then add a few cooked figs,  caramelized onions and then your chicken.  Garnish with any greens you like.  Pop them back in the oven for 5 minutes if you like.

One of the flatbreads below had caramelized onions, goat cheese, bocconcini cheese and shaved parmesan cheese.

These were fabulous and there are endless combinations. Give them a try!

Enjoy !



Chicken Francese

This is another of my favorite chicken recipes.

"Chicken francese. An Italian-American dish of sauteed chicken cutlets with a lemon-butter sauce. The word francese is Italian for "French style," although there is no specific dish by this name in either Italian or French cookery."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 72)

Either way, it is a must try (in case you haven’t)

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds)

flour, for dredging

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons water

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 lemon, juiced (although I juice just about a whole lemon)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped parsley

 

 

Instructions

Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter and keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Enjoy !

 

Goat Cheese Walnut Stuffed Chicken

I think this has become one of my most favorite chicken dishes.  The mixture of the goat cheese, lemon and walnuts is simply spectacular.

It’s both delicious and nutritious.

Ingredients

1/4 walnut halves

1/4 cup fresh goat cheese, softened

1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove minced

salt and freshly ground pepper

Four 6 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chicken stock or low sodium broth

2 tablespoons walnut oil (optional, you can use olive oil if you don’t have it)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the walnuts on a pie plate and toast for 6 minutes until fragrant.  Let cool then chop.

In a small bowl mash the goat cheese with the lemon zest, garlic and half of the walnuts.  Season with salt and pepper.

Using a small knife cut a pocket in the side of each chicken breast.  Keep the pocket opening on the smaller side.

Stuff the chicken breast with the mixture and gently press to flatten them.

In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat  turning once, until browned for about 6 minutes, on each side.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken for 5 minutes.  Transfer the chicken breasts to a platter and keep warm.

Add the lemon juice and stock to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat scraping up any brown bits stuck to the pan.  Simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the walnut oil, parsley and the remaining chopped walnuts.

Transfer the chicken breasts to plates, spoon the walnut sauce on top and serve.