Chicken Diane — The Plate That Carries the Prayer

March third fell on Tuesday this year and I was at Bernice's Table the way I said I would be. I started cooking Monday morning: the mac and cheese first, always, and then the chicken and the greens and the cornbread and the sweet potato pie. The volunteers arrived at three and we set up the fellowship hall and by five o'clock the table was ready and the first people came through the door.

Fifty-two people came to Bernice's Table on the second anniversary of Marcus's death. Fifty-two people sat down to fried chicken and mac and cheese and collard greens and cornbread and sweet potato pie in the fellowship hall of New Hope AME Church on Bessemer Road, and every plate was Marcus's plate, and every mouth was his mouth, and the feeding was the prayer I can no longer say with words. I said it with food. I have been saying it with food for two years now and I will say it this way until I cannot stand at the stove anymore, and after that I will sit in the corner and supervise and tell whoever is cooking they need more salt, more love, more time. That is the plan. That is the only plan.

CJ called at eight PM. Destiny called at eight-fifteen. Neither of them knew I was going to tell them the same thing: fifty-two people. They each said it back to me in a tone that I recognized as the same tone, the tone of someone receiving news about someone they loved being honored. Fifty-two people, I said. Two years. The kitchen held. The food was there. We are still here. All of us: Calvin and me, CJ and Destiny, Bernice and Willie James and the memory of Marcus and the fifty-two people who came hungry and went home full. Still here. All of us. Still here.

The chicken is always the center of the table at Bernice’s Table — it has been from the very first year. I have made it different ways depending on what the kitchen gives me, but Chicken Diane is the one I come back to when I need the food to feel like something more than food: the butter and the mustard and the lemon pulling together into a sauce that is rich without being heavy, dignified without being fussy. Marcus liked things done right. This dish does things right. If you are cooking it for a crowd, multiply it out; if you are cooking it alone on a quiet night, it will still hold you the same way.

Chicken Diane

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley or chives, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Flatten the chicken. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even 3/4-inch thickness with a meat mallet or heavy skillet. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Sear the first side. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Add the chicken and cook without moving it for 5 to 6 minutes, until deep golden brown on the bottom.
3. Finish the chicken. Flip the breasts and cook another 5 to 6 minutes until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F at the thickest point. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
4. Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon each of butter and olive oil to the same skillet. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant but not browned. Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Finish and reduce. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Let the sauce simmer 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the heavy cream and cook 1 minute more.
6. Return and coat. Nestle the chicken breasts back into the skillet, spooning the sauce over the top. Let them warm through for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust salt if needed.
7. Serve. Transfer chicken to plates or a serving platter, spoon the pan sauce generously over each piece, and finish with the fresh parsley or chives.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 318 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 520mg