Chicken Florentine with Lemon Mustard Sauce

Is anyone else terrified of the meat mallet? Just me? Oh, okay. I have never used an actual intended-for-the-purpose-of-flattening-meat mallet before and my attempts with frying pans have never gone well, so I was a little nervous about this one. However, it turns out that flattening meat can be quite therapeutic and I plan on doing a lot more of it in the future. About the dish: yummy. The chicken had great flavor, the spinach was a great addition, and the sauce. Oh the sauce. I could drink that sauce straight from a glass. Okay, maybe not, but my husband could. No joke. It was tangy from the dijon and lemon and sweet from the sugar. This sauce would go well in many dishes. The only change I would make in this recipe is to double the sauce amount, but this one is definitely a keeper.

Chicken Florentine with Lemon Mustard Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons margarine, divided
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, cooked, well drained, and kept warm

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness.

Beat eggs in a bowl and combine bread crumbs, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip chicken breasts into egg.

Then coat with breadcrumb mixture. Put all coated chicken on a plate and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow the coating to dry out so it will stick better.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of margarine.

Add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in the center.

Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Wipe out the skillet and melt remaining margarine. Stir in water, mustard, lemon juice, and sugar. Simmer 1 minute or until thickened. To serve, arrange chicken on plate and top with spinach, then drizzle the lemon mustard sauce on top. Serve with perfect potatoes au gratin.