Downton Abbey Dining: Chicken Lyonnaise

Chicken Lyonnaise

As fans of Downton Abbey know, the PBS series opened with the heir apparent dying on the Titanic and the scramble began to find the rightful successor.  On the Titanic, the First Class entrée served was Chicken Lyonnaise.  This classic Edwardian dish created at the turn of the century is just as good today. Prepare it for your next Downton Abbey “Watch Party.”

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon dried thyme, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

6 chicken breasts

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup white wine

1 ½ cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

¼ teaspoon sugar

¾ cup chopped tomatoes

In a zip lock bag, combine the flour, ½ teaspoon thyme and salt & pepper.  Add the chicken breast to the bag, one at a time, and dust with the flour mixture.  In a large skillet, brown the chicken breasts in the oil.  Place the browned breasts in a 250 oven to keep warm.  In the same large skillet, sauté the onions with the remaining thyme until golden brown.  Add the wine to the skillet and scrape up the brown bits.  Stir in the stock, tomato sauce, sugar and chopped tomatoes.  Boil the sauce for 2 minutes or until it thickens.  Return the chicken to the skillet and coat with the sauce. Serve warm over rice or noodles. Serves 6.