Chicken Francese

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

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4.63 from 135 votes

Chicken Francese

Prep 10 minutes minutes

Cook 20 minutes minutes

Total 30 minutes minutes

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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!

US CustomaryMetric

4

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 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.

Equipment

• 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Video

Notes

1. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2cutletsCalories: 466kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 18g (6%)Protein: 33g (66%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 17g (106%)Cholesterol: 246mg (82%)Sodium: 795mg (35%)Potassium: 613mg (18%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 601IU (12%)Vitamin C: 20mg (24%)Calcium: 42mg (4%)Iron: 2mg (11%)

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.