This Chicken Francese recipe is lightly battered chicken cutlets, pan-fried to perfection, and served with a super easy and flavorful pan sauce with hints of lemon. It’s an easy-to-make and satisfying meal that even your picky eaters will devour!
What is Chicken Francese?
In Italian, the word “Francese” means French. So is Chicken Francese French or Italian?
Technically, this is an Italian-American dish, that is modeled after a traditional Italian dish of veal “indorato” which means “encased in gold”. When Italian immigrants couldn’t get their hands on the more expensive meat, they made it with chicken cutlets instead.
While it’s not entirely clear why the Italian American immigrants added “french” to the name of the dish, there’s some speculation that people in those times thought that calling something French made it seem fancier.
Basically, Chicken Francese is a simple chicken dish made with thin cutlets that have been breaded in egg and flour and fried until golden brown. A tasty sauce is made from pan drippings and a bit of chicken stock, wine, and lemon juice.
It’s so easy, and completely delish! You are going to love this gourmet chicken recipe so much. Maybe even as much as you will enjoy making Chicken Piccata or my reader-favorite Tuscan Chicken recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Restaurant Worthy Meal – This is a gourmet dish that’s on so many fancy restaurant menus! The thing is, it’s really not very difficult to make, and it uses very minimal ingredients. How they get away with charging so much for it is their business I guess, but I think my version of this classic Italian chicken dish is better than anything I’ve had while eating out.
- Fresh Ingredients – Because Chicken Francese uses so few ingredients, it’s really important that they are all fresh and delicious!
- One Pan Meal – I’ve you’ve been here before, you might already know that I love making pan-fried chicken meals that are done all in one pan. This is my new favorite.
Key Ingredients In Chicken Francese
Here’s what you need to make this deliciously simple Italian Chicken dish:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin cutlets are one of my favorite things to cook using this stovetop method. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder: Less is more when it comes to classic Italian food. These three seasonings are all you need to make this dish delicious.
- Flour and egg: A light breading is made with seasoned flour and two beaten eggs.
- Oil and Butter: I like to pan-fry chicken in both! this is how you get the best crust on the meat.
- Stock and Wine: The sauce for our Chicken Francese can be made with only chicken stock or a combination of stock and wine.
- Lemon: Only freshly squeezed lemon juice, please! This adds a tangy note to the sauce. I also like to serve the chicken with fresh lemon wedges.
Tip!
Add a handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese to the flour if you want to give the chicken even more flavor!
How To Make Chicken Francese
- Pound the Chicken: Place the chicken pieces on a cutting board, then cover them with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken until each piece is ½ cm or ¼ inch thick, and all of the pieces are pounded to the same thickness. Then season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Get the Pan Ready: Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet, and heat to melt the butter.
- Dredge Chicken: Meanwhile, combine 4 tablespoons of flour with the garlic powder in a shallow dish, and season with the remaining salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, whisk the eggs. Dredge the chicken first in the flour, and then in the egg. Only do half of the chicken to start, we’ll be cooking it in two batches.
- Pan-Fry: Immediately after dipping in the egg, add the chicken cutlets to the hot skillet, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and fully cooked. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F/74C° when checked with an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Start the Sauce: To the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Whisk to combine.
- Finish the Sauce: Add the chicken stock and white wine (if using) to the skillet. Deglaze the pan, scraping off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. There is so much flavor in those little bits! Let the sauce simmer and reduce until it’s thickened, and the consistency of heavy cream. Stir in the fresh lemon juice, and taste. Add any needed seasonings to perfect your sauce.
- Add Chicken: Add the cooked chicken to the sauce, remove from the heat, and spoon the sauce over the cutlets before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
Tip!
Wondering how to use a kitchen thermometer to be sure that your chicken is fully cooked? I have you covered!
Chicken Francese Recipe Tips
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients! This recipe is beautiful because it’s simple, and with simple recipes, it’s so, so important that all of your ingredients are the best possible. The chicken stock should be homemade or high quality, and fresh lemon juice is a must.
- Flour then egg. The dredging process for this recipe is different than many other fried foods. Remember to dust the chicken cutlets with flour first, and dredge through the egg just before adding to the pan.
- For extra lemon flavor, add lemon wedges to the pan while you simmer the sauce. You’ll pull the juice and the oils from the lemon, and the sauce will have a stronger flavor.
- To make the sauce creamier, add ¼ – ½ cup of heavy cream to the sauce at the very end.
- Cook with or without wine. Chicken Francese is amazing when made with just stock as the base of the sauce, but adding a dry white wine will make it even better. I recommend using half stock and half wine for the best sauce.
Storing Tips
Enjoy leftovers for up to 3 days! Keep everything stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
This dish is really best enjoyed fresh. That said, you can freeze Chicken Francese if you would like. I suggest storing the sauce separately from the chicken cutlets and warming them separately before combining them to serve.
Chicken Francese Variations
There are many recipes here that are similar, but slightly different than this one. Try something new next time!
- Chicken Piccata is another Italian chicken recipe. In that one, the chicken is breaded with flour only, rather than the flour and egg coating in Chicken Francese. The sauce is also tangy and lovely with the addition of capers.
- My Lemon Chicken is also breaded with flour only, and it has a similar sauce, but with the addition of heavy cream to make it thick and extra rich.
- Chicken Stroganoff is a pan-fried chicken recipe with an Eastern European spin, in a creamy sauce with lots of mushrooms.
What To Serve With Chicken Francese
Choosing which sides to serve with your homemade gourmet chicken Francese doesn’t need to be difficult! This chicken is delicious, with a mild flavor, so it will pair well with many different vegetables and starches.
- I love serving this chicken with creamy Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccolini. I feel like it’s a very authentic way to enjoy Italian dishes with chicken.
- You might also enjoy chicken Francese with pasta on the side. Simple Olive Oil Pasta with garlic or Creamy Lemon Pasta would be my choice.
- As a bonus, serve up a fresh batch of copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks or a Caesar Salad with homemade dressing.
FAQs
Generally, Chicken Francese is made with a coating of egg and flour, so it is not gluten-free. The good news is that if you make it yourself, the recipe works really well with all-purpose gluten-free flour!
For this recipe, you should choose a dry white wine. You want to avoid a sweet wine, but the wine doesn’t need to be expensive. The flavor of the wine will actually be concentrated when you cook it, so the difference between expensive wine and a cheap one won’t be noticed.
Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you should slice each one into two or three thin pieces. To do this, Place a chicken breast on a cutting board, and hold it in place with the palm of your hand. Using a sharp knife, slice through the breast parallel to the cutting board.
Chicken Francese has such great flavor for being such a simple recipe! It’s ready so quickly, you can even make this one on these extra busy weeknights. Be sure to Pin it!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chicken Francese
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, sliced into cutlets and pounded with a meat tenderizer
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken stock or half chicken stock and half white wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces on a cutting board and cover them with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken until it’s ½ cm or ¼ inch thickness. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper on both sides.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
- In a shallow bowl combine 4 tablespoons of flour with garlic powder, and season with the remaining salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, whisk the eggs.
- Dredge the chicken in flour, then in the egg mixture
- Immediately transfer chicken to the hot skillet. Work in 2 batches. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely browned and fully cooked. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F/74C°. Remove the chicken onto a plate.
- To the same skillet, melt the remaining butter, and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Whisk until combined
- Then add the chicken stock (and wine if using). Deglaze the pan, and scrape off any bits stuck of the bottom of the pan using a whisk. Simmer the sauce and reduce until it reaches a thicker consistency, similar to heavy cream. Taste it, add in the lemon juice, and adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, remove from heat, and spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and extra lemon wedges.
Notes:
- For extra lemon flavor, add lemon wedges to the pan while you simmer the sauce. You’ll pull the juice and the oils from the lemon, and the sauce will have a stronger flavor.
- To make the sauce creamier, add ¼ – ½ cup of heavy cream to the sauce at the very end.
- Cook with or without wine. Chicken Francese is amazing when made with just stock as the base of the sauce, but adding a dry white wine will make it even better. I recommend using half stock and half wine for the best sauce.
- To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Cristin Murphy says
I’m looking for a chicken dish for tonight and I think I will try making this excited to see how it turns out.
Theresa says
I am sure this is a fantastic recipe, wondering unless I am to assume as i dont see it in the recipe….. lemon juice = 2 tablespoons. Don’t see but assume just put into the sauce? Mention ingredient but not when to add
Diana says
Thanks Theresa for the heads up! I just added it to the instructions. You add the lemon juice at the very end as you want it to brighten up the sauce (not cooked).
Morgan E says
This is my kids’ favorite! I am so happy I found this recipe, it is perfect!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so happy to hear that your kids loved this, Morgan! Thank you for the kind review!
Sharina says
This chicken francese is a must-try! It was so delicious and full of flavor. The chicken was so tender and juicy. We’ll definitely have this on repeat.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you for taking the time to write this wonderful review, Sharina! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Andie says
I love ordering this at restaurants and never attempted to make it, but it really was simple to make, and it turned out so good! Thank you!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
You’re welcome, Andie! I’m so glad you are able to enjoy this at home now too!