Chicken Francese
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This Chicken Francese is a classic Italian-American chicken dish, that’s incredibly easy to prepare and cook. It’s so delicious it will become a staple in your weeknight dinner rotation! I’m talking gourmet chicken right at home, in only one pan and 30 minutes!
Here’s another chicken recipe that will become a favorite at your house. I’m talking delicious, beautiful pan fried chicken cutlets, in a savory lemon-butter sauce, that really is finger-licking good. It’s the ultimate chicken dinner for the true lemon lovers.
What Is Chicken Francese
Here’s a classic Italian American chicken dish created by Italian immigrants in America with incredible flavors. Chicken Francese, also known as Chicken French, is actually quite similar to lemon chicken piccata. The difference is in the breading.
With chicken piccata, the main difference is the chicken is only dipped in flour, where as with chicken francese the chicken is dipped in flour and then in an egg mixture. Yes! The egg is on the outside. I know you may think it’s weird, but it works.
Ingredients
This is a simple recipe with simple every day ingredients. Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card on the bottom of the page.
Chicken
- Flour – we need all purpose flour for dredging the chicken through.
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
- Eggs – 3 large eggs beaten.
- Chicken – I used chicken breasts which I cut in half lengthwise. You can also buy chicken cutlets if you can find them. Chicken cutlets are simply chicken breasts that have already been cut in half and pounded to an even thickness.
- Oil – Use your favorite vegetable oil for frying the chicken.
Sauce
- Lemon – we need 1 whole lemon cut into slices so that we can cook them in a skillet until fragrant and slightly charred.
- Chicken broth – use a good organic low sodium chicken broth, or the best you can afford. You can also make your own if you choose to.
- White wine – use a good dry white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
- Lemon juice – along with the lemon slices we also need some lemon juice for lots of lemon flavor.
- Flour – a little bit of flour is needed to thicken the sauce. Cornstarch can also be used instead.
- Butter – unsalted butter to make the sauce smooth and silky.
- Parsley – a little bit is needed for garnish.
How To Make Chicken Francese
- Prepare the flour and eggs: In a shallow plate, add the 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Whisk to combine. In another shallow plate or bowl whisk the eggs.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then place each piece of chicken between 2 pieces of parchment paper and lightly pound it with the flat side of a meat mallet until it’s about 1/4-inch in thickness. Repeat with remaining chicken. Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture, fully coating both sides and shaking off any excess. Next, coat them in the egg mixture.
- Fry the chicken: Heat the oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 3 or 4 pieces of chicken to the skillet (or as many as you can fit). Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Make the sauce: Clean the skillet of any excess oil, then add the lemon slices and cook until fragrant and slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side. Add the butter to the skillet and melt it. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds to cook off the flour taste. Whisk in the wine, broth, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and season with pepper. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until for another 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with the parsley before serving.
How To Serve Chicken Francese
This chicken dish is perfect served over some buttered noodles or over some mashed potatoes. You can also serve this with a side of roasted broccoli or green beans. Here are some other suggestions to serve this chicken with:
- Brandy Glazed Carrots
- Thyme Skillet Potatoes
- Lemon Orzo with Asparagus
- Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms
Can I Use Chicken Thighs
You can actually make this dish with boneless skinless chicken thighs. I would still go through the process of pounding the thighs between two pieces of parchment paper so that they’re all the same thickness. This will ensure even cooking and it will cook pretty quick.
Leftovers
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
More Delicious Chicken Dishes To Try:
- Firecracker Chicken
- Korean BBQ Chicken
- Lemon Roasted Garlic Chicken Legs
- Chicken Korma
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Chicken Kiev
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Chicken Francese
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly ground, or to taste)
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut in half lengthwise)
Sauce
- 1 large lemon (sliced into thin rounds, seeds removed)
- 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
- ½ cup white wine (dry)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon butter (unsalted)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped, for garnish)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare the flour and eggs: In a shallow plate, add the ½ cup of flour, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp of pepper. Whisk to combine. In another shallow plate or bowl whisk the eggs.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then place each piece of chicken between 2 pieces of parchment paper and lightly pound it with the flat side of a meat mallet until it's about ¼-inch in thickness. Repeat with remaining chicken. Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture, fully coating both sides and shaking off any excess. Next, coat them in the egg mixture.
- Fry the chicken: Heat the oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 3 or 4 pieces of chicken to the skillet (or as many as you can fit). Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Make the sauce: Clean the skillet of any excess oil, then add the lemon slices and cook until fragrant and slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side. Add the butter to the skillet and melt it. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds to cook off the flour taste. Whisk in the wine, broth, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and season with pepper. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until for another 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with the parsley before serving.
Equipment
Notes
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This chicken dish is amazing! I order whenever it’s on the menu and now I can make just as good. I especially loved the lemon taste and learned how to sear the fresh lemons in the hot pan to char. So glad I tried this dish with the roasted broccoli & pecans. I added red peppers to mine for color. Thank you Jo
Sounds delicious! Charring lemons is a game-changer. Roasted broccoli with pecans and red peppers sounds like a perfect pairing. Well done!
Made this for dinner. I thought dipping the chicken in the egg after the flour was odd, but followed the directions. I felt it gave the chicken a bit of an egg taste (I only used 2 eggs). My daughter and I aren’t big egg fans. She didn’t care for the chicken, I thought it was ok, my husband loved it. I would make it again, but will modify the egg step. The sauce was delicious and helped with the egg taste
I totally get it, the egg step can feel a bit unconventional! If you’re not big on the eggy taste, you can definitely modify that step next time. The sauce is indeed the star of the show here, and I’m glad it managed to save the day for you! Thanks for giving the recipe a go, and high five to your hubby for being a fan! 🙌🍗
Really yummy recipe! I added mushrooms and leeks to the sauce (precooked in a separate pan). I let the sauce reduce/simmer for longer than the instructions since I could still smell the wine very strongly. My only change next time would be to brown the chicken for a shorter amount of time and cook it in the sauce for longer to keep it extra juicy. All in all, turned out amazing and very pleased with the dish!
Hey Rachel, I’m thrilled you loved the Chicken Francese recipe! Adding mushrooms and leeks sounds like a flavor-packed twist – I’m definitely trying that next time. Great call on letting the sauce simmer longer; wine can be strong, and it’s all about tailoring it to your taste.
Good if you like the taste of eggs I think it took away from all the other flavors.
The egg coating is a traditional element of this dish, giving it a unique texture, but I understand that it may not be to everyone’s taste. If you’d like to reduce the eggy flavor, you could try using only egg whites or even thin the egg mixture with a little water or milk. This should allow the other flavors to shine through more. I’m glad you gave it a try, and I hope you’ll find the perfect balance for your palate with a bit of experimentation. If you have any questions or need more tips, feel free to ask.
I made this with fish (grouper filets). This is the best francese recipe I have ever tried. Better than any dish! I removed the sautéed lemons and added them back with the fish at the end after cooking. They made the dish exceptional, don’t skip this step! It’s a game changer.
Thank you for another great recipe! I did use thighs, but just simple and straight forward simple easy clean, and refreshing, Creamy mashed potatoes side – a winner.
This was a really good dish and so easy to prepare. The instructions are easily laid out making it a breeze to follow after getting all your ingredients ready to go. The chicken was so juicy and tender thanks to not overcooking it and making sure the pieces are evenly pounded out. I did add a tablespoon of prepared minced garlic right after browning the lemon slices as I thought it could use an additional depth of flavor. Turned out perfect with roasted baby potatoes, leftovers for lunch today! Highly recommend!
This is one of my favourite recipes ever! Delicious!!!!!
So glad you enjoy it!
I love A LOT of your recipes but this one is one of the best i’ve tried imo. I followed it to letter except we doubled the recipe. There are 4 of us and there were no leftovers. I should have tripled the recipe.
That’s wonderful, Mary Ann! We’re so glad you all enjoyed it!
Do you think chicken tenders could be used instead of cutting the breast in half and pounding it?
Hi Elise,
Yes you can definitely substitute the breast for chicken tenders. The sizes will be different and we still recommend going through the pounding process to make sure the thickness is even.
Let us know how they turn out!
I followed the instructions exactly as written and it came out perfect! My mother-in-law and wife loved it. I use buttered noodles and broccoli with melted cheese as my sides.
So glad you enjoyed it!
So delicious 😋 so flavorful I added some garlic powder to the flour mixture just because I love garlic but this was so tasty
We are so happy you liked it!
Made this for dinner tonight. We thought it was delicious! Chicken was so tender and the sauce had a wonderful flavor. Definitely will be making again!
i’d like to make this a day in advance of a dinner party. What is the best way to heat before serving (oven or stovetop)?
I would reheat in the oven. Since this chicken is breaded, keep in mind it’s best served fresh. The coating will soften if made in advance.
What can I use in place of the white wine?
Chicken broth!