Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal yet elegant enough for company. Chicken cutlets are dredged in flour, dipped in eggs, fried to golden perfection, and served in a luscious lemon and white wine sauce.

What is Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese is an Italian American dish of flour-coated, egg-dipped pan-fried chicken breasts in a lemon butter wine sauce. Serve with angel hair pasta or spaghetti, oven-roasted asparagus or green beans, and a chilled glass of pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.

This tasty chicken dish is one of our favorites. It is so easy to make, goes with many side dishes, tastes scrumptious, and fills our hearty appetites with plenty of protein. Prepare to be wowed, my lemon-loving friends. If you like this dish, try my creamy Tuscan chicken, chicken piccata, garlic butter chicken, and lemon pepper chicken.

Chicken Francese Ingredients

For the chicken portion of this recipe, you will need chicken breasts, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, eggs, and vegetable or canola oil.

For the lemon sauce portion of this recipe, you will need unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, dry white wine, chicken broth, lemons, and Italian Parsley.

How to make Chicken Francese

First, combine the flour, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Then, beat the eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Now heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour, then dunk them into the eggs. Let the excess egg mixture drip off. Add the chicken to the skillet and fry until golden brown on the bottom. Then, flip and fry until golden brown on the other side and cook through. Remove the chicken to a plate covered with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Carefully wipe most of the oil out of the skillet.

Reduce to medium heat and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes while gently scraping the bottom of the pan to get off any browned bits. Whisk in the white wine and reduce it for 1-2 minutes. Then, add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Whisk to combine and let it simmer and thicken for a couple of minutes. Return the cooked chicken to the skillet with the sauce. Garnish with fresh lemons slices, chopped fresh parsley, or a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Tips

• Cut two large chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating four thinner chicken cutlets. Another option is to pound the chicken thinner with a meat mallet.
• I know it sounds incorrect to dip the chicken in flour first and then the egg mixture, but that is the uniqueness of this recipe.
• You can use olive oil for this recipe, but I prefer vegetable oil as it browns the chicken better and gets it crispier.
• This dish moves quickly, so have what you need within reach.
• For optimal flavor, use a dry white wine like a Chenin blanc, pinot grigio, or Sauvignon blanc. It should be good quality and one that you would enjoy drinking. Don’t cook with cheap wine.
• For a thicker, creamier sauce, add 1/4 cup heavy cream when making the sauce.

What to serve with Chicken Francese

• Garden salad or Italian salad
• Steamed broccoli, asparagus, or green beans
• French baguettes with sweet cream butter
• Garlic bread or garlic knots
• Any cooked pasta, including angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, or rotini
• Rice or mashed potatoes
• Roasted parsnips, turnips, carrots, or cauliflower

Storage and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The breading will not stay crisp, but the cutlets are still tender with great flavor. Reheat on the stovetop on low or in the microwave at reduced power so it heats through without drying it out.

Theoretically, you can freeze this dish, but it just will not be the same. The coating on the chicken will not be crispy, so I recommend preparing what you know you will finish in one sitting.

More chicken cutlet recipes to try

Chicken Francese Recipe

Easy Chicken Frances is chicken breaded first in flour and then eggs, pan-fried, and served in a white wine lemon sauce with fresh lemons and chopped Italian parsley.

5 from 61 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal chicken

Cuisine: Italian American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Chicken Francese

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise creating 4 thinner breasts
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Lemon Sauce

• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• ⅔ cup dry white wine
• ⅔ cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 lemon thinly sliced
• Chopped fresh Italian parsley
• Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

• Combine the flour, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl.  Beat the eggs in a separate shallow bowl.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour mixture, then dunk them into the eggs. Let the excess beaten eggs drip off.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Carefully wipe most of the oil out of the skillet.
• Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes while gently scraping the bottom of the pan to get off any browned bits. Whisk in the white wine and let it reduce for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Whisk to combine and let it thicken for a minute. Return the cooked chicken to the skillet with the sauce. Garnish with fresh lemon slices, chopped fresh parsley, or a sprinkle of grated Parmesan Cheese.  For best results, serve promptly.

Video

Notes

• Cut 2 large chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating 4 thinner chicken cutlets. Another option is to pound the chicken thinner with a meat mallet.
• I know it sounds incorrect to dip the chicken in flour first and then the egg mixture, but that is the uniqueness of this recipe.
• You can use olive oil for this recipe, but I prefer vegetable oil as it browns the chicken better and gets it crispier.
• This dish moves pretty fast, so have what you need within your reach.
• For optimal flavor, use a dry white wine like a chenin blanc, pinot grigio, or sauvignon blanc. It should be good quality and one that you would enjoy drinking. Don’t cook with cheap wine.
• For a thicker, creamier sauce, add 1/4 cup heavy cream when making the sauce.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The breading will not stay crisp, but the cutlets are still tender with great flavor. Reheat on the stovetop on low or in the microwave at reduced power, so it heats all the way through without drying it out.
• Theoretically, you can freeze this dish, but it just will not be the same. The coating on the chicken will not be crispy, so I recommend preparing what you know you will finish in one sitting.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 318IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg

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