This recipe comes from my granny Nonna Lu. It differs from the traditional French fricassee because there are no mushrooms, there is no cream, and there is only enough butter to give the flavour but the main soffritto is with olive oil. It's basically much healthier.
Ingredients:
400gr of chicken breast
2 small egg yokes (the leftover whites would work wonderfully well in a lighter version of an omelette)
1 white onion
Half of a celery stick
Half of a medium carrot
1 glass of dry white wine
1 large cup of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 large organic lemons (washed in warm soapy water)
1 Tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
200gr of plain flour
Fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Squeeze one lemon and set the juice aside
Beat the eggs with some salt, the pepper, the parsley and half of the lemon juice
Cut the other lemon in wedges and set aside
Cut the chicken breast in small bite size chunks, then coat them evenly with flour and set aside
Chop finely the onion, the carrot and the celery. Melt the butter and olive oil over a medium heat, then add the vegetables and let them cook stirring frequently until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery begin to soften
Ensure the chicken's coating with flour is "fresh" (if the flour has been absorbed too much and the chicken is sticky toss it with a little more flour) - then shake any excess and add it quickly to the pan with the “soffritto”
Allow for the chicken to brown on all sides stirring frequently
Add the wine to reach the "sfumato", where the wine would evaporate eliminating the alcohol and leaving just the liquid in the pan.
Add the chicken broth and squeeze the other half of the lemon juice. Stir it well and let it cook, stirring every now over a medium heat for 10 minutes (the sauce will thicken and you must not let it stick to the bottom too much)
Add the beaten egg mixture to the pan and stir well (keep stirring), uncovered, for five minutes until the sauce thickens
Serve with lemon wedges to provide the option for a more tangy flavour