Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese takes pounded chicken breasts and marries it together with bright, freshing lemon and a rich white wine-butter sauce. Flavorful, simple ingredients and 30 minutes are all you need!

Why this recipe works

Chicken Francese is much like chicken piccata where the chicken is first pounded to a thin, even thickness and then dredged in both egg and flour. Francese simply means “French-style”, both dishes are pan-fried and enjoyed as thin cutlets. 

Lemon and chicken make a great team, adding some acidity to the mix really elevates otherwise plain chicken breasts by adding loads of refreshing flavor.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CHICKEN – Pounding the chicken to an even thickness allows the chicken to cook evenly and quickly.

WINE – If you’d like to omit the white wine from this recipe, substitute it with chicken broth. If you are using wine, we recommend chardonnay.

LEMON – This is a very lemony dish. You can replace the lemon juice in the recipe with an equal amount of chicken stock if you prefer a more subtle flavor. 

How to Make Chicken Francese

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound to an even thickness, about 3/4-inch.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, garlic salt, and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast in flour mixture.
3. Whisk together eggs and water and place in a shallow dish or plate. Dip each dredged chicken breast in the egg.
4. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
5. Add each chicken breast to the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Remove chicken and set aside to keep warm. Add lemon slices to the pan juices. Cook for a minute or so per side.
7. Add lemon juice, chicken stock and white wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Whisk occasionally to loosen brown bits. Cook for 3-4 minutes to cook off some of the wine.
8. Place butter in the remaining flour mixture and turn to coat. Add flour covered butter to the skillet and allow to melt down, stirring occasionally to combine flour with sauce. Whisk and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
9. Add chicken back to the sauce in the skillet and heat through, about 2-3 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Chicken Francese pairs well with so many different side dishes. Try serving it over the top or alongside pasta for a filling meal, or opt for a side of crockpot mashed potatoes or au gratin potatoes with roasted vegetables.

More Chicken Recipes

• Garlic Chicken
• Chicken Marsala
• Marry Me Chicken
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Pretzel Chicken with Honey Mustard Dressing
• Lemon Chicken

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Chicken Francese

Lemon and chicken make a great team, adding some acidity to the mix really elevates otherwise plain chicken breasts by adding loads of refreshing flavor.

4.43 from 7 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 4 servings

30 minutes mins

Calories: 676

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 4 breasts
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon garlic salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon water
• ▢ ½ cup olive oil
• ▢ 8 lemon slices
• ▢ ½ cup lemon juice about 2 1/2 lemons worth of juice
• ▢ 2 cups chicken stock
• ▢ ½ cup dry white wine such as chardonnay
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons butter

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Large skillet
• ▢
  Meat mallet
• ▢
  Vinyl gloves

Before You Begin

• Pounding the chicken to an even thickness allows the chicken to cook evenly and quickly.
• This is a very lemony dish. You can replace the lemon juice in the recipe with an equal amount of chicken stock if you prefer a more subtle flavor.
• Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F on an instant read thermometer.
• Store leftover chicken Francese in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Instructions

• Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound to an even thickness, about 3/4-inch.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, garlic salt, and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast in flour mixture.
• Whisk together eggs and water and place in a shallow dish or plate. Dip each dredged chicken breast in the egg.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Add each chicken breast to the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
• Remove chicken and set aside to keep warm. Add lemon slices to the pan juices. Cook for a minute or so per side.
• Add lemon juice, chicken stock and white wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Whisk occasionally to loosen brown bits. Cook for 3-4 minutes to cook off some of the wine.
• Place butter in remaining flour mixture and turn to coat. Add flour covered butter to the skillet and allow to melt down, stirring occasionally to combine flour with sauce. Whisk and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
• Add chicken back to the sauce in the skillet and heat through, about 2-3 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1 breast) | Calories: 676cal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 228mg | Sodium: 1347mg | Potassium: 869mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

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