Crispy Lemon Chicken

Crispy chicken is one of my favorite comfort foods, and believe it or not, it can be made with very little fat and still have the crispiness and juiciness of fried versions. JC loves lemon pepper chicken, so I wanted to work with those flavors. Philadelphia Cream Cheese makes a new flavor of cooking creme with lemon and herbs - thinned out with white wine and with shallots and pepper added, it makes a wonderful sauce for topping the chicken without adding too much in the way of fat and calories. I paired the chicken with asparagus and wild rice pilaf - the sauce is great on asparagus too!

To serve four:

• 4-6 chicken cutlets or 4-ounce chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 egg or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs 
• Zest of 1 lemon 
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/4 cup Philadelphia Savory Lemon and Herb Cooking Creme
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 1 small shallot, minced 

Heat oven to 375. I use waxed paper to coat chicken - makes life much easier!! Put flour on waxed paper. In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg or Egg Beaters and water. On another piece of waxed paper, combine bread crumbs, lemon zest, pepper and garlic powder. Dip each piece of chicken in flour, then egg wash, and then in bread crumbs.

Line a baking sheet with a sheet of aluminum foil to make clean up easier. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken on foil, making sure pieces don't touch. Spray chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minute or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165 degrees.

While chicken bakes, combine minced shallots and wine in a small saucepan. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Let simmer over medium-low heat until wine is reduced by half. Stir in cooking creme and mix well. Keep warm.

When chicken is done, spoon a little sauce over each piece and serve immediately.