If you want the crunch of fried chicken without the fuss of cooking big pieces, you have to try this quick, streamlined recipe. My technique for cutting chicken steaks gives each person white and dark meat and makes for a hearty serving. This all-season dish is perfect with simply blanched vegetables. In the winter, I serve it with broccoli; in the spring, snap and snow peas; and in the summer, wax beans and haricots verts.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

　　3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　1 large egg yolk

　　1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　2/3 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil, plus more for frying

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 whole (2 1/2-pound) chickens

　　Cornstarch, as needed

　　2 tablespoons Herb Butter (recipe follows)

　　Fresh tarragon leaves, for garnish

　　

Herb Butter

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably cultured, at room temperature

　　Grated zest of 2 lemons

　　1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves

　　1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chervil leaves

　　1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

　　1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

　　1 teaspoon Maldon salt or other flaky sea salt

　　(makes about 3/4 cup)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 2

Combine the mustard, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, the yolk, Tabasco, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender. Puree until smooth. With the machine running, add both oils in a steady stream and blend to emulsify.

　　

Step 3

Make boneless chicken steaks, removing the breast and thigh from each side in a single piece without any bones; the two parts will be connected by skin and a little meat (see C’est Bon on page 132).

　　

Step 4

Generously season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dust with cornstarch to coat, shaking off excess.

　　

Step 5

Fill a large skillet with grapeseed oil to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat over high heat until almost smoking. Working in batches, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet, skin side up. Repeat with the remaining chicken, then roast in the oven until crunchy and the meat between the tender and breast is just a little rosy, about 11 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Transfer to a serving platter and top each portion with 1/2 tablespoon herb butter. Garnish with tarragon. Serve immediately with the mustard sauce.

　　

Herb Butter

Step 7

In a large bowl, stir together the butter, zest, tarragon, chervil, parsley, chives, and salt until well blended. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a log. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm. The butter can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.