Despite its fancy schmancy name, Chicken Francese, (or “Chicken Française”), is believed to be an Italian-American dish with origins tied to upstate New York. The way the urban legend goes, James Cianciola, a/k/a “Chef Vincenzo,” served up a “Veal French” at his place called the Brown Derby, up in Rochester. And when anti-veal protestors picketed his restaurant, he’s said to have substituted poultry for veal to appease the angry mob, and that’s supposedly how “Chicken French” came to be.
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Now whether you believe that or not, Francese and piccata are very similar preparations — with the chicken breast in a Francese first dipped in flour, then into a beaten egg mixture, before being cooked. The piccata, on the other hand, typically requires the reverse procedure, with the protein first dipped in egg and then in flour. While both are simmered in a lemony butter sauce, the piccata usually includes capers.
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Celebrity chef Robert Irvine makes his Francese using chicken breasts, grape seed oil, eggs, all-purpose flour, salt, ground white pepper, chicken stock, butter, lemons, and fresh parsley. Whatever ingredients are ultimately used, most iterations of this dish are characterized by an aromatic, luxurious (and slightly tart) sauce, combined with a protein that’s often crisp, rich, and juicy.
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Alas, that is not what we got at CASA L’ACQUA RISTORANTE ITALIANO, located at 9 SE 7th Avenue, in Delray Beach (Florida). Called “Pollo Mattia” – “Chicken breast pounded, egg, flour, parmesan cheese and lemon” – their version will run you a whopping $33.95, (erroneously listed as $32.95 on its website), and that’s BEFORE tax and tip. And overall, we found the dish extremely dull; drab. The chicken was tough, and the sauce had an acidic taste, which was extremely unappealing. While I scored it an “F,” particularly given the hefty price tag, it somehow managed to escape with a lowly “C-.”
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You may want to scratch that Casa’s chicken if I were you ….
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