Darci Hannah: Whenever I begin to write a new mystery, especially a Beacon Bakeshop mystery, I always like to scour my personal recipe collection (and I have a huge collection!) in the planning stages for possible recipes to appear in the book. The titling of my Beacon Bakeshop series is the word “Murder” followed by a “foodie event”. Food is a very important part of these mysteries, and sometimes that “foodie event” in the title is inspired by a favorite family recipe.
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| My mother's recipe collection! |
My last Beacon Bakeshop mystery to come out was MURDER AT THE LEMONBERRY TEA. It’s set in the late spring in the idyllic lakeside village of Beacon Harbor, Michigan, and yes, a lemon-themed tea party is at the heart of the mystery. For this mystery I knew even before I started writing it that a Bakewell Tart was going to be in the book. I didn’t have a recipe for this tart, but I did practice making them, using a famous recipe by Mary Berry, which was delicious!
Another food highlight in the book is my mom’s famous Lemon Bar recipe, which I swear is the best lemon bar ever. Friend’s request them for parties, asking things like, “Oh, can you make your lemon bars for the cookout?” I’m always happy to bring them, and I was happy to get to share the recipe in the book. I also threw in a delish lemon scone, a lemon drop martini, and a yummy lemon-raspberry Bundt cake. However, I always like to add a real meal to all the baked goods I write about. As I was flipping through recipes, I came across this recipe for Parmesan-Crusted Lemon Garlic Chicken that my dear, recipe-loving late mother scribbled down in a notebook. She loved recipes so much that they were scribbled on any scrap of paper she had handy! Anyhow, I don’t know where she got this recipe from, but I thought I’d give it a try. I made it for the family one night, and my guys loved this chicken so much they begged me to make it more often. It was a hit, and I thought I’d share it with you.
Parmesan-Crusted Lemon Garlic Chicken
Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 12-15 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes. Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts (approximately 1 ½ pounds total) cut in half lengthwise.
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil for pan
For the egg mixture:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
For the parmesan breading mixture:
1 cup good quality parmesan cheese grated.
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or one clove, minced)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
For the lemon-butter sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic (or 2 cloves, minced)
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Directions:
Using a meat mallet, lightly beat the chicken breasts until they are an even thickness.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk. Place the chicken breasts in the egg mixture, toss, and let soak while the skillet is heating.
In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt butter (or heat olive oil). Once the skillet is hot and the butter is melted, take the chicken breast out of the egg mixture, and roll in the parmesan mixture. Make sure the breast is well coated before placing it in the pan. Continue this process for each chicken breast. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side. Using an instant read thermometer, test the internal temperature of the chicken. It should be 165 degrees. You may reduce the heat and cover with a lid if the chicken browns too quickly. Once chicken is done, remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Keep warm in a low-temperature oven if necessary.
While the chicken is cooking, in a separate small saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Next, add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and salt and pepper if desired. Cook over medium-low heat for two minutes.
To serve, plate the parmesan-crusted chicken next to your favorite mashed potatoes and steamed or roasted veggie. Pour a generous helping of the garlic butter sauce over each chicken breast and top with a few thin slices of lemon for garnish if desired. Enjoy!
Printable copy of this recipe here!
Readers: for a chance to win a copy of MURDER AT THE LEMONBERRY TEA, tell me what your favorite lemon-inspired recipe is in the comments below. Don’t forget to leave your email in your comment!
Darci Hannah is the bestselling author of the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series, the Food & Spirits Mystery Series, the Very Cherry Mystery Series, and two works of historical fiction, The Exile of Sara Stevenson, and The Angel of Blythe Hall. Darci grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan with her husband and two dogs. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. Passionate about family, dogs, food, baking, history, books, lighthouses, laughter, good conversations, coffee, and the paranormal, Darci feels especially blessed to have found a way to combine her interests in the stories she writes. It brings her great joy to be able to share them with you.
Connect with Darci at www.darcihannah.com
Instagram: @authordarcihannah
Facebook: @Author Darci Hannah
Just Released!
Book #2 in the Food & Spirits Mystery Series
When chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride got a role on the reality show Food & Spirits, she thought “spirits” meant cocktails. Instead, she’s cooking up dinners meant to tempt the departed to appear. And to her surprise, she’s discovered abilities to connect with the beyond—and crack murder cases . . .
Now that Bunny’s entrées come with a side of the Other Side, it comes in handy to have a grandma who’s friendly with the elderly owners of a haunted Scottish castle. During Bunny’s childhood she heard all about Dundoon’s bloody history and the “ghostly piper” who roamed the grounds—and soon she’ll be visiting the ancient place with her ghost hunter and psychic co-stars. The annual bagpipe competition in the late piper’s honor will make for some good footage as well.
After Bunny serves a feast fit for a 17th century king, including lamb chops with plenty of fresh herbs, she heads outdoors for the ghost hunt. But in the dark, dense fog, someone fatally plunges from the clifftop over the loch. The sound that follows is a mournful, otherworldly bagpipe . . . and once the body of another perished piper is retrieved, Bunny is determined to solve this Highlands homicide—and prevent a killer from getting off scot-free . . .
Trade Paperback Release!
Book #1 in the Food & Spirits Mystery Series
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While filming at a haunted English manor, chef Bunny MacBride’s big break on her first reality TV show may be cut short by an unscripted murder in Darci Hannah’s new Food & Spirits cozy mystery series . . .
It isn’t how chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride imagined her own cooking show unfolding. But, if preparing historic meals with a modern flair is what it takes to get her cooking on the air, she can deliver, even if her dinner guest is a ghost. That’s the premise of the new reality TV show Food & Spirits, where Chef Bunny teams up with ghost hunter Brett Bloom and psychic medium Giff McGrady to visit haunted locales around the world and tempt lingering spirits back to the table with a beloved meal. For their first episode, the Food & Spirits team sets off to investigate Bramsford Manor, a historic house turned famously haunted hotel, in picturesque Hampshire, England. The sprawling estate is said to be home to the Mistletoe Bride, a young woman who died in the 18th century, the victim of a tragic accident on her Christmas wedding night.
Bunny leaves the spectral search to the pros and focuses on the feast, creating a traditional English holiday wedding dinner, complete with a gorgeous prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, and rustic apple tarts. But Bunny’s task is made more difficult when someone steals a boning knife from her custom kit. Alas, when the blade finally turns up again—in the chest of an all-too-human dinner guest—Bunny’s woes only grow as she is named a lead suspect in the case! Now, with a haunted house full of living residents, staff, and crew, Bunny will need the help of Brett, Giff, and her clairvoyant Grandma Mac, to solve this murder before the manor gains another ghost!
Coming this July!
Book #7 in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series
When Lindsey Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bakeshop, her boyfriend, Rory, and her Newfoundland dog, Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the bears leave them alone—but a killer doesn’t. . .
Converting the old Beacon Point lighthouse into a bakery is as adventurous as Lindsey cares to get. Her mother, Ellie, a former 80s fashion model, likes her creature comforts even more—until she sees a business opportunity for her Beacon Harbor fashion boutique when she’s invited by the Mitten Kittens Glamping Club on a woodsy getaway.
Far from roughing it, the ladies will be warm and cozy in chic vintage campers. Ellie insists Lindsey come along to win the campfire cookout contest. Campfire cooking has come a long way from bacon and beans. Soon Lindsey is making pizza, berry cobbler, and gooey Carmelita camping bars.
But the festive spirit is soon dampened when a body is found in Ellie’s camper. It seems like an accidental death until everyone’s tires are slashed and it’s clear the glampsite has become a crime scene. With no cell service to call for help, it’s up to Lindsey to smoke out the killer around the campfire . . .
Because no one is out of the woods yet.
