Chicken Christopher Basil Beurre Blanc

I recently learned that Morton's Steak House offers a crispy breaded chicken breast with a creamy white sauce they call Chicken Christoper. I have never had the pleasure of trying it, but have read recipes and watched many videos describing the various ways people have interpreted this delicious dish.

Here, a crispy golden brown, schnitzelled (is that a word?) crust, and a soft tender chicken interior, are complemented with a rich, delicious beurre blanc white butter sauce inspired by Sam the Cooking Guy's fantastic YouTube channel (check it out). I decided this is the perfect topping to a great Cesar salad. I make my Cesar dressing without an egg yolk, but only because I didn't have fresh eggs to work with. Otherwise, add an egg yolk to the dressing ingredients, by all means!

Cesar dressing:

1 cup good real mayonnaise

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp anchovy paste

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, finely minced through a press

freshly ground black pepper

Beurre Blanc sauce:

1/4 cup white (or red) wine vinegar

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 shallot, very finely minced

1 stick butter, in 10 or so slices, chilled in refrigerator

8 leaves fresh basil, julienned

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded at least 1/2 inch

Dredging station:

bowl 1: 1/2 cup flour

bowl 2: 1 egg, beaten

bowl 3: 1/2 cup panko crumbs + 2 Tbsp pipitas (pumpkin seeds) (optional)

Whisk together the Cesar dressing ingredients and refrigerate.

Start the beurre blanc sauce. Add the vinegar, wine and shallots to a small sauce pot and bring to a gentle boil.

Cook the sauce until reduced at least in half, or to a thick-ish slurry. Remove pot from heat and reduce heat to lowest setting possible.

Now add two sliced cold butter and whisk into sauce. Return pot to lowest heat setting. When this butter is incorporated, repeat with remaining pairs of butter slices in succession from the refrigerator (butter needs to be cold during each addition). You should be generating a thick buttery sauce at this point. Stir in the basil and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the first slice in the flour, shaking off any extra coating. Then coat well with the beaten egg. Finally coat well on both sides with bread crumb mixture. Set aside while repeating the dredging process for the second breast.

Heat 2 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp neutral oil (I used avocado oil) over medium-high in a large skillet. When oil mixture is hot and butter just begins to color, add the chicken pieces. Cook 2-3 minutes until the first side is just golden brown. Adjust the heat if necessary, so the breading does not burn. Flip and repeat on second side, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F, according to the FDA.

Return sauce to low heat just to rewarm. Serve chicken with beurre blanc sauce.

Serves 2-3.

Cook’s Note: Instead, you could absolutely serve this with your favorite sides like rice or egg noodles, or any veggie you love.

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