This easy Chicken Francese recipe features lightly battered and pan-fried chicken breast with a buttery white wine lemon sauce. It's fancy enough for special occasions but easy enough to put together on a busy weeknight.
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Everyone in my family loves chicken francese. For years, whenever we went to an Italian restaurant, ordered meals from a pizzeria, or bought trays of food for a party, chicken francese was a staple.
But not anymore!
My kids now refuse to eat chicken francese outside the house. As my daughter says, "Why bother?? Dad's tastes so much better!"
That's some high praise right there, and I'm proud of it. In fact, I love this dish so much I'd put my chicken francese recipe up against any restaurant in a blind tasting.
Ingredients
For some reason chicken francese intimidates some home cooks, But you'd be surprised how simple it is to make. The key is to gather all your ingredients together ahead of time because once you start cooking it all comes together very quickly.
You'll need boneless, skinless chicken breast that has been flattened to a uniform thickness of about ¼ inch to ½ inch. Flour, eggs, and grated parmesan cheese are the key ingredients for dredging and battering the chicken.
You'll also need olive oil to fry the chicken cutlets, and then butter, garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and chicken broth for the sauce.
Full measurements and directions are listed below in the recipe card.
How To Make Chicken Francese
Start off by trimming the chicken breast and using a mallet to pound them to a uniform thickness. Click here for helpful directions on how to do that.
Next set up your dredging station. Mix together flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs and mix in some grated parmesan cheese. I also like to add a little lemon zest and juice, it really helps layer the flavors.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and be sure to shake off any excess, then dip the chicken in the egg batter. Let any excess batter drip off and then add the chicken to a skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat.
Pan fry the chicken until golden brown (about 3 minutes each side) and then set aside while you prepare the lemon wine sauce.
Wipe out any excess oil or start the sauce in a clean pan. Cook some freshly pressed garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Next add some dry white wine (I prefer pinot grigio), then add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and zest.
By now the sauce should smell amazing and you just need to thicken it up by adding some butter rolled in flour. Once the butter melts you can add the chicken back to the pan. If the chicken isn't completely covered in sauce use a spoon to baste it.
Since the chicken is already cooked, you just want to let it simmer for a few minutes to make sure its warm and moist. Garnish with lemon slices and freshly chopped parsley.
What To Serve With Chicken Francese
Chicken francese is a versatile dish and you have many options when choosing a side dish.
Pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice all make a great side dish (make some extra sauce if serving over pasta). Here's a recipe for my favorite rice pilaf.
As for veggies, you can go with green beans, broccoli, carrots, sauteed broccoli rabe, or mushrooms.
Did You Know?
In some restaurants you'll see Chicken Francese on the menu, while elsewhere you'll see it spelled Chicken Francaise. Occasionally you might even see it called Chicken Francois or Chicken French, but rest assured all of these names refer to the same dish. So feel free to pick your favorite spelling and go with it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken francese is best enjoyed fresh, but it heats up well too. Add a little chicken broth to some leftover sauce and warm up the chicken on the stove. You can also reheat in a microwave but it could get a little dry or rubbery.
Chicken picatta is usually only dredged in flour while francese is also dipped in an egg batter.
Chicken Francese
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 ½ pounds
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Francese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- ½ cup dry white wine like Pinot Grigio
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into chunks
- ¼ cup parsley parsley
Instructions
- Cut each breast in half horizontally to form 8 thin cutlets in total, each should be about ¼ inch to a ½ inch thick.
- Add the flour, paprika, and garlic powder to a shallow dish. Mix with a fork to distribute the ingredients evenly. Roll each piece of butter in the flour mixture until fully coated and then reserve for later.
- In a second dish, beat the eggs with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon zest.
- Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
- Dredge both sides of each cutlet in the seasoned flour and then dip them in the egg mixture, making sure they are completely coated. Let the excess egg drip off and add the cutlet to the skillet.
- Let cutlets fry for about 3 minutes per side. They should be golden with an internal temperature of about 155 F.
- In a clean pan, saute the garlic for about a minute, just enough for it to become fragrant but not brown.
- Add the wine and let it cook off for a minute or two. Then add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Simmer for five minutes so it starts to reduce.
- Add the floured butter and stir until it dissolves and thickens the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cutlets back to the pan. Let simmer for three to five minutes, making sure the cutlets are coated and can absorb the sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- When you've finished frying, place the cutlets on a sheet pan and place in the oven set to 175 F to 200 F to keep them warm while you make the sauce.
- Since I typically make large amounts of chicken francese (the family loves it!) I wipe out the pan after frying and use fresh olive oil for the sauce. If you're only making a couple of pieces the frying oil will likely be clean enough to use as is.
- This chicken francese recipe is very lemony, if you find it too much feel free to use less lemon juice or omit the zest.
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