This chicken francese recipe is battered chicken breasts that are pan fried to golden brown perfection, then topped with a savory lemon sauce. An easy and unique dinner option that always gets rave reviews!
You can never go wrong with chicken for a simple yet satisfying dinner. Some of my family’s favorite chicken dishes include slow cooker chicken breast, Greek chicken and this delicious chicken francese.
Whenever I see chicken francese on a restaurant menu, I have to order it. I just love that combination of crispy chicken in a light lemon sauce. I’ve learned to make this dish at home, and I have to say, I think my version is even better than what you’d get at a restaurant!
What is chicken francese?
Chicken francese is a derivation of a traditional Italian dish that was originally made with veal. It is an Italian-American creation popular in the New York region. It consists of battered chicken cutlets in a lemon, butter and white wine sauce.
How do you make chicken francese?
This dish starts with chicken breasts, which are dredged in seasoned flour and coated in egg. The chicken breasts are seared in olive oil until golden brown. Remove the chicken breasts from the pan, then cook some lemon slices until they’re browned. Remove the lemon slices from the pan, then add wine, chicken broth, lemon juice and butter. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until thickened. Garnish the chicken with the cooked lemon slices and fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect chicken
- This dish works best with either chicken cutlets or thin sliced chicken breasts. You can buy chicken breasts that are already cut thin, or you can make your own by slicing thicker chicken breasts in half lengthwise. You can also make this dish with chicken tenders.
- Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice, it has a much better flavor than the bottled stuff.
- Use a white wine that you wouldn’t mind drinking, such as a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Chicken francese is best served immediately. You can store any leftovers in the fridge, but the coating on the chicken may soften over time.
Chicken francese variations
While this chicken is delicious as-is, sometimes I add other ingredients depending on what I have on hand.
- Herbs: Instead of parsley, try an herb with a bolder flavor such as fresh rosemary, thyme, basil or tarragon.
- Sauce: Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce for a different flavor.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add some veggies to this dish such as sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, onions or zucchini.
- Cheese: Top your chicken with some shaved parmesan cheese, or add finely grated parmesan to the seasoned flour mixture.
I like to serve this dish over pasta or mashed potatoes, with a green vegetable on the side. It’s a great way to turn ordinary chicken breasts into something extraordinary.
More chicken recipes to try
- Chicken and Green Beans
- Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Chicken Casserole
- Braised Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes
Chicken Francese Video
Chicken Francese
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts thin cut
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter divided use
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
For the chicken
- Place each piece of chicken in between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with the flat end of a meat mallet to create thin cutlets.
- Place the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined.
- Place the eggs and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg.
- Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in the pan.
- Cook for 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
For the sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the lemon slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until lemon slices have browned. Remove the lemon slices from the pan.
- Add the rest of the butter to the pan, and cook until melted. Add the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the white wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes or until sauce has just thickened.
- Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then top with cooked lemon slices. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve immediately.
Nicole says
Can I make this without the wine? I’m pregnant so I’m a bit iffy on using alcohol with cooking.
Sara says
Yes that’s fine just use chicken broth!
Nick says
Came out delicious. Even my picky kids liked it. However 40 minutes is not really accurate. It’s well over an hour to prepare. I will make it again, but please be more realistic with cooking time.
Marie Borrelli says
Outstanding! thank you for sharing another great recipe. You are top shelf!
Mike says
Hi – if using the heavy cream, at what point should that be integrated in the sauce mixture? Also can we use a cast iron skillet or will that get too hot for both the chicken and the sauce?
Sara says
Cast iron is fine, and you can add cream when you add the chicken broth.
Helaine says
Wonderful sauce. Better than the restaurant. Pretty easy recipe, not too many ingredients needed. Will definitely make this one often.
Susan says
This recipe is fine dining restaurant quality, absolutely delicious. My husband loved it! Tagged this one for my next party.
Brittany says
Love this recipe! It’s my husband’s favorite dish so I made it and he loves it! My 11 month old loved it too! My husband is a cook and he was asking me for the recipe cause he loved it so much.Had to double the sauce only because my husband likes extra to put on his pasta but I will definitely be making this again!
Dkato says
This recipe is just like my mom use to make. Never used garlic in Francese! Delicious 👍thank you
Wendy says
So yummy!!!!! I have been trying to replicate this dish, since the one place around here that offered it closed. I doubled the sauce, as this recipe didn’t provide us enough of it. I also used white cooking wine, as I preferred it over regular wine. It was outstanding! And, the closest I ever came to duplicating the original restaurant dish. SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND THIS RECIPE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Red says
This turned out delish! It needed garlic, so I added that. My only real complaint is this recipe doesn’t make nearly enough sauce, I had to double it, almost triple the amount.
Susanne says
Thanks for sharing. Wonderful! Followed as written and had better than restaurant quality food . I’m not a wine drinker so I just used a 3 dollar Chardonnay from Walmart and it worked just great … I wondered if it would affect the quantity but it didn’t !
Susanne says
*quality
Vanz says
This is sooo good. I did not hesitate to put garlic and capers.. and it turn out awesome
neilla says
Taste so good! Not really fan of capers and the kids doesn’t like them too! But this was a hit with the kids! perfect sauce. Only thing i changed was baking it for 30 minutes at 350 degree. I only lightly fried the chicken for 1 minute each side. ❤️
Kristen says
Followed to a tee, Easy and delicious!
Tyra says
Excellent! A hit with the whole family—3 teenagers and the husband! Took the advice of another and added capers when I served it (to those who liked capers). Served over mashed potatoes and served with green beans . Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Sarah says
What can I replace wine with? Or is it
Possible to omit it entirely?
Sara says
It’s ok to omit it!
Pam F says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I don’t drink,so plan to replace it with chicken broth.
Julia says
Leaving the wine out or substituting it for something else changes the whole dish and flavor it should be left alone.Alcohol burns off when heated and you can never get drunk or even smell it.I have been an Excecutive Chef for 40 years at one of the worlds famous Restaurant Windows of the world and have been trained in a London Cooking College to know and understand this.
World cooking expert.
Julia DeCarlo NYC
Jen says
I was so pleased with how great this recipe came out! Sauce was so flavorful!
Mizy says
It was so good, thank you! Added capers for more flavor
Lady Love says
Made it today. I only added garlic. It was delicious. Loved it.
Donna says
Delish😃, I added capers and I substituted flounder , yummy
Andrea M says
This recipe was delicious ! My daughter loved it & my fiancés said it was better than the restaurants .Thank you for sharing this recipe . 😋
Nancy Jorgensen says
Delicious!! Followed the recipe to a T…perfect. As good as what I remembered from NJ Italian restaurants as a kid. So glad I tried it.