Baked Herb Crusted Chicken Breasts With Lemon Sauce

Baked Herb Crusted Chicken Breasts With Lemon Sauce
Adapted from www.epicurious.com

Serves: 6

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups plain dry breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Lemon wedges

Using meat mallet, pound chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness. Arrange chicken in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour lemon juice over. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Remove chicken from dish and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Melt butter with oil in small saucepan over medium heat; cool slightly. Mix breadcrumbs, basil, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper in pie dish. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with melted butter mixture. Coat chicken on both sides with breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake until chicken is cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to plates. Serve, passing lemon wedges alongside.

Lemon Sauce:

Olive oil
3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup port
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Salt and pepper

Place lemon juice in a nonreactive pan over high heat and reduce to 1/4 cup. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook until soft. Raise the heat to high and add the wine and the port and cook until dry. Add the chicken stock and cook to a sauce consistency. Strain through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan. Add the reduced lemon juice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.