Chicken Francese
on May 28, 2023, Updated Jul 14, 2023
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Chicken cutlets dipped in flour and then beaten egg are pan seared then finished with a quick lemony pan sauce. Super pretty and extremely delicious.
Chicken cutlets are dredged in flour and egg, which gives them the most terrific crust. The lemony sauce finishes them off so good, you’ll want to make sure you serve this with rice or maybe this simple red onion orzo to soak up every drop!
Asparagus with Vinaigrette or Steakhouse Tomato Salad would be great sides for this dish.
Table of Contents
Chicken Francese and Chicken Francaise are just two different correct spellings for the same dish. The dish is chicken cutlets dredged in flour, then dipped in egg, then fried in olive oil or butter or a combination. The chicken is finished with a sauce made from white wine, chicken broth, and lemons. Parsley is often sprinkled over the top. Beautiful and irresistibly delicious.
Chicken Francese is similar to Chicken Piccata, though chicken piccata is Italian, not French, and often made with capers. For piccata, if an egg dip is used, it comes before the flour.
Chicken Francese: Thin chicken cutlets dipped in flour and then beaten egg are pan seared then finished with a quick lemony pan sauce.
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Ingredients
- Eggs – The cool thing about this coating is that the eggs create outside of the crust.
- Whole milk – Thins out the eggs a bit, creating a crisp coating.
- All-purpose flour – Allows the egg coating to adhere to the chicken better.
- Boneless chicken cutlets – See the notes about slicing or pounding the chicken into thin pieces.
- Unsalted butter – Gives the chicken so much flavor.
- Olive oil – Also offers great flavor when cooking the chicken.
- Lemon – Thinly sliced lemons add citrusy flavor, color, and visual appeal to this chicken dish.
- White wine – Choose a dry wine to be part of this lemony sauce.
- Chicken broth – I like to use less sodium to control the salt in the sauce.
- Flat-leaf parsley – Adds color and freshness.
How to Make Chicken Francese
- Set up the breading station: In a wide shallow bowl, combine the eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl, blend the flour, salt, and pepper. Line a clean counter or a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Coat the chicken: Lightly dredge each chicken breast in flour, shake off any excess, then dip the chicken in the egg mixture turning to coat. Allow any excess egg to drip back into the bowl.
- Cook the chicken: Fry the chicken in batches for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and almost cooked through. As the chicken cooks, transfer it to the paper towel-lined surface. Add more butter and oil in small amounts as needed.
- Caramelize the lemons: Cook the lemon slices in the same pan for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until the lemon slices are slightly browned.
- Finish cooking the chicken: Return the pan to medium heat, whisk in a bit more butter and a bit of flour. Add the wine and then the broth and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer until the chicken has cooked through.
- Serve: Plate the chicken with the lemon slices on top, sprinkled with a bit of parsley.
Cooking Tips
- If you buy thin-sliced cutlets, you are all set to make this dish. If you buy regular chicken breasts, you can pound or slice them to a 1/3-inch thickness. To pound the cutlets, place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and use a rolling pin or another sturdy heavy tool to gently pound the chicken until it is of uniform thinness. If the chicken becomes too large and unwieldy, you can cut the breasts in half.
- Or you can slice the chicken breasts horizontally to create thinner pieces. Depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts, you may want to cut them into two or three slices horizontally. You want slices 1/3-inch thick.
- You will likely want to cook the chicken in batches during the initial cooking, so they have enough room in the pan.
- It’s fine to overlap the chicken pieces slightly in the pan when you finish cooking them in the sauce.
- Allowing the lemons to caramelize in the pan gives them some sweetness. You can eat them rind and all if you like! A little bit of lemon with bites of chicken provides a deep lemon flavor.
What to Serve With Chicken Francese
More Sautéed Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Piccata
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Parmesan Mushroom Garlic Chicken
- Chicken Milanese
- Chicken Marsala
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Chicken Francese
Chicken cutlets dipped in flour and then beaten egg are pan seared then finished with a quick lemony pan sauce. Super pretty and extremely delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 6 thin sliced boneless chicken cutlets (about 1/3-inch thick; see Note)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 lemon (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth (preferably less-sodium)
- ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- In a wide shallow bowl, combine the eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl, blend the flour with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Line a clean counter or a baking sheet with paper towels.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter with two tablespoons olive oil until the butter is melted and hot. Lightly dredge each chicken breast in flour, shake off any excess, then dip the chicken in the egg mixture turning to coast. Allow any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Fry the chicken in batches for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and almost cooked through. As the chicken cooks, transfer it to the paper towel-lined surface. Use up to another 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter as needed.
- When all of the cutlets are browned, pour out any excess fat. Add the lemon slices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until the lemon slices are slightly browned. Remove the lemons to a plate. Return the pan to medium heat, add a tablespoon more butter, and when the butter is melted, add a tablespoon of the flour you used to bread the chicken and whisk it into the butter. Add the wine and stir to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, then return the chicken to the pan (you can overlap the pieces slightly). Cook until the chicken has cooked all the way through and it’s hot, about 3 more minutes.
- Serve the chicken with the lemon slices on top, sprinkled with a bit of parsley.
Notes
-
- If you buy thin-sliced cutlets, you are all set to make this dish. If you buy regular chicken breasts, you can pound or slice them to a 1/3-inch thickness. To pound the cutlets, place the chicken breasts in between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and use a rolling pin or another sturdy heavy tool to gently pound the chicken until it is of uniform thinness. If the chicken becomes too large and unwieldy, you can cut the breasts in half.
-
- Or you can slice the chicken breasts horizontally to create thinner pieces. Depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts, you may want to slice them into two or three slices horizontally. You want slices ⅓-inch thick.
-
- You will likely want to cook the chicken in batches during the initial cooking, so they have enough room in the pan.
-
- It’s fine to overlap the chicken pieces slightly in the pan when you finish cooking them in the sauce.
-
- Allowing the lemons to caramelize in the pan gives them some sweetness. You can eat them rind and all if you like! A little bit of lemon with bites of chicken provides a deep lemon flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 504kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 41g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 196mg, Sodium: 831mg, Potassium: 752mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 709IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 2mg
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