Chicken Francese or Francaise is a classic dish that you'll find in almost any Italian restaurant on the east coast of America. If for some reason you don't see it on the menu, ask for it, and the chef will almost certainly make it for you. It's a delicious dish bursting with fresh lemon flavor that's sure to impress. And not only does it taste good, but making it allows you to brush up on some essential Italian cooking techniques.
For this dish, you will need thin chicken cutlets.
If you're up to it, fillet chicken breasts and pound them flat. Alternatively, most stores sell thinly sliced cutlets.
Thin cutlets are important in a lot of Italian dishes.
I wouldn't dream of making a dish like chicken sorrentino, chicken valdostana, or chicken Milanese without thinly sliced chicken cutlets.
The ingredients for chicken Francese are fairly straightforward. Shown above are parsley, eggs, butter, lemons, thin-sliced chicken cutlets, and flour. You will also need dry white wine, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
How to make Chicken Francese with step by step instructions
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Slice 1 lemon into thin slices as shown.
- Set up a chicken station with a plate of thinly sliced cutlets, a bowl of flour, and a bowl of 4 beaten eggs.
- Heat a large flat pan to medium-high. Let the pan get hot then add a bit of butter and a tablespoon of oil. As you fry batches add a touch more oil and butter as required.
- Working quickly, season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, dredge in flour and shake off excess, and coat in the egg wash. Add the cutlets to the hot oil/butter and fry until golden (about 3 minutes per side).
- Do not move the chicken in the pan, it will release on its own in a few minutes after it forms a crust. Do not crowd the pan, work in batches or use 2 pans for best results.
- Place the cooked cutlets on paper towels to drain and lightly tent with foil to keep warm or place in an oven on the lowest setting (170f).
- Wipe off any excess oil in the pan and add in the lemons. Sear them for 10 seconds then add a ½ cup of dry white wine, 1 cup low sodium chicken broth, and the juice of half a lemon.
- Turn heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce slightly thickens (about 3-4 minutes).
- Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into thin slices and toss in flour. Turn heat to medium-low, then add the floured butter pieces to the sauce.
- Stir the sauce to incorporate the butter. If the sauce is not thick enough just add a bit more flour (just a teaspoon or so, don't overdo it!) and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
- Taste test the sauce. Season the Francese sauce with black pepper and more salt and lemon juice if required.
- When satisfied with the taste and consistency of the sauce add the chicken into the pan and gently coat with the delicious sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Enjoy!
What to serve with Chicken Francese
A side of rice or Italian bread to mop up the sauce works well. You'll also want some green sides like these:
- The best green salad - A delicious green salad inspired by Via Carota in Manhattan.
- Sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic and oil - Garlic, olive oil, and a touch of hot red pepper.
- Italian broccoli - Tender florets with garlic and olive oil.
- Sauteed garlic spinach - Easy side dish that pairs well with almost any chicken dish.
Top tips
- Thin Cutlets - Use filleted cutlets that are pounded out nice and flat for the best results. If you don't want to do it, buy thinly sliced cutlets right from the store. It is 100% not recommended to use full chicken breasts.
- Work quickly - After seasoning the cutlets, dredge them in flour and egg wash, then get them right into the pan. Working with a large pan or 2 might be the best option.
- Keep the chicken warm - Set oven to the lowest temperature it will go(~170f) and place the cutlets inside to keep warm. After you make the sauce, just coat the chicken and serve.
- Pan - Getting the chicken to not stick can be a challenge ( adding it to a hot pan with enough butter/oil and not moving it can help). If you want to use a non-stick pan go for it! With a non-stick pan, you will have a much easier time getting the chicken to hold its batter and release from the pan.
- Sauce - To get the perfect sauce consistency, use an adequate amount of flour to thicken. If you still have a thin sauce after rolling the butter in the flour and mixing it in, just use 1-2 teaspoons more flour. When adding flour make sure to cook it for at least a few minutes to not have any raw flour taste. Alternatively, 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 ounce of water can be used to make a slurry. Mix and pour the slurry into the sauce right at the end. Let it thicken and serve.
Leftovers
Chicken Francese is best eaten right away, but it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat it in the oven on 325 covered, until warm.
Substitutions and additions
Shrimp, pork, and veal all are delicious Francese style.
Adding mushrooms is a nice touch. Some chopped green onions work well too.
Add in some capers, for a nice kick, but then you basically have chicken piccata😉. Either way, these are all nice additions.
More thin-sliced chicken breast recipes
- Creamy sun dried tomato chicken - Thin cutlets with sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and white wine.
- Chicken parmigiana - Breaded and fried cutlets with mozzeralla, garlicky tomato sauce, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Chicken pizzaiola - Chicken with peppers and mushrooms in a pizza-style sauce.
- Chicken with capers and tomatoes - pan-seared cutlets with capers, tomatoes, and garlic.
- Chicken marsala - Classic dish with mushrooms in a marsala brown sauce.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken cutlets thin sliced
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 2 large lemons 1 lemon sliced plus juice of half lemon
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare frying station with chicken, a bowl of flour, and a bowl with beaten eggs.
- Heat a large pan to medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge chicken into flour, shake off excess and dip into egg. Add a bit of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to pan and fry the cutlets. Do not crowd. Work in batches. Use more oil/butter as required for subsequent batches.
- Fry cutlets for 3 minutes per side, then place on paper towels to drain.
- Add sliced lemons to the pan and cook for 10-15 seconds. Add in the white wine, chicken stock, and the juice of half a lemon. Turn heat to medium-high and bring sauce to boil for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium-low and add small butter pieces rolled in flour (2 tablespoons worth). If the sauce is too thin add a touch more flour (~1 teaspoon) and continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add a nice bit of black pepper and if necessary adjust salt and/or lemon juice amount.
- When satisfied with the sauce's taste and consistency return the chicken to the pan and gently coat with the sauce and heat through for 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped parsley on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use thin-sliced chicken cutlets for best results.
- After frying, keep chicken cutlets warm in oven at lowest temp (~170f).
- Use a nonstick pan to avoid sticking.
- Use a touch more flour (~1 teaspoon) or a slurry of cornstarch (1 teaspoon mixed with 1 ounce water) to thicken sauce to desired consistency. Make sure to cook sauce for a few extra minutes after adding either in.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in fridge. Reheat in oven at 325f covered until warm.
This is a fantastic recipe and the dish turned out amazing. The flavor of the lemon-white wine sauce on the chicken is so good. Thank you!
Hi Ashley! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!
I've been searching for a good chicken francese recipe for some time now. Made this tonight, search is over. This is absolutely the best I've ever had. Thanks!
Hi Linda! Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it!
Can I make at least 30 minutes ahead of time and keep warm?
Absolutely! Hope you enjoy it!
Is it possible to make this ahead and freeze it. Was thinking for Christmas Eve
Hi Kathy, you can but the egg coating might come off and it won't be as good as it would be if made fresh.
Hi thanks
Mine turned out bitter. Very lemony any way to down play the lemon taste
Hi Kathy, I'm sorry to hear this didn't come out the way you expected. As for the bitterness, it could be that the lemon was browned too much, or the wine that was used (I recommend using a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio for this one.) As far as playing down the lemon taste, lemon is one of the main components of the dish. If you want to not include the lemon slices and add lemon juice only that may be a way to play it down but Francese is known to be a lemon-forward dish.
The dish itself was fantastic but I had a hard time thickening the sauce because I wanted to pour it over angel hair.
Hi Martha. It depends I guess how thick you want the sauce. I would just use a bit more cornstarch next time. I'm glad you liked it though!
Everything looked perfect but the sauce was so bitter it ruined the meal. I don’t know where it went wrong, maybe the wine but I let it reduce for plenty of time. Tried to add more butter and cream but it was no help 🙁 any ideas?
Hi David. Maybe too much lemon juice or possibly the lemon slices were browned too much in the pan? What wine did you use? I recommend pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc for dry white wine. Not sure if it will help you but I have a full video making this recipe on my Youtube channel. https://youtu.be/Zt2LKvhHzyY I hope this helps. I want to get to the bottom of this for you.
David, I can tell you it was the lemon slices. I have done it myself Don' t cook the lemon slices for more than a few minutes also use less slices It is the white part of the slice that turns it bitter
First time making this dish, are the lemon slices supposed to be removed after the 10-15 seconds in the pan? My sauce also turned out pretty bitter. But I saved it with a little stevia and more salt and butter haha.
Maybe just skip the lemon in the pan process, and squeeze some juice in if you're worried about bitterness. I make this one on my YouTube channel and do sear the lemons if you want to see how I do it. Thanks for the comment.
Love this recipe! Comes out perfect every single time! My family loves it!
That's awesome Barbara! Thanks for the feedback!
Love this recipe!!! So flavorful, I made it with fettuccine and poured the sauce over it with fresh parsley!!!
Thanks for the feedback. Really glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe. It came out perfect the chicken was golden and the sauce thick with lots of flavor from the lemons.
Hey Marie, This is one of our favorite dishes and I'm so glad it turned out to be a hit for you!
If making Chicken Frances for Christmas (1/2 aluminum deep pan) how many days in advance can I make it and how long can I freeze it after cooking.
Hi Maria. If you freeze it you can make it now. If you just want to refrigerate I would do it max 3 days in advance. To reheat, just thaw and heat in the oven at 325f until warm. You might need to make some more sauce for it. Hope you enjoy it!
Love this recipe! I took chicken out this morning so I am making it tonight!
Hi Pamela. Hope you enjoy it once again!
Another 5 Star homerun. There wasn’t a bite left!! So good!
Thank you, Rich. No leftovers is a good sign! Appreciate your comment.
My daughter wanted chicken Francese
For her celebratory dinner ( earned her MS degree) I love your style of demonstrating just how easy anyone can make a delicious mess as l. I love everyone of your recipes. You explain everything so simply yet throughly so that anyone can make a delicious meal from those just starting out to veterans in the kitchen.
I wouldn’t change a thing this was delicious.
Hi Margaret, congratulations to your daughter on earning her MS degree! I really appreciate your comment and feedback and so happy you're enjoying the recipes!
I make this all the time. My recipe is the same except I don't add egg. I flour chicken and sauté in butter and oil and it never sticks to own. So delicious.
Hi Lina, thanks for the comment and happy you like the recipe!
Are the nutrition facts for a serving or the whole recipe? If it’s for a serving then how much for one?
Hi Ayla, the nutrition information is for 1 serving.
One of the best I’ve ever made!
Thanks, Denise! I'm happy you liked it!
Made it last night it was the best my family loved it. You are the best Thanks, Jim. I make all of your recipes and they are all great.
Hi Jeanette, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm happy you and your family enjoyed the francese!
I’ve become obsessed with the Sip and Feast YouTube channel since I learned how to watch YouTube on my tv. This was the first recipe I made and I loved everything about it except for the bitter flavor others mentioned. Next time I’ll leave out lemon slices in pan and will just use the juice. I’ll be back to leave a 5 ⭐️ review!
Ps- I’m building my Christmas meal around your channel! Thanks Jim and family for the inspiration!! ( I’m a native Long Islander living in Maine)
Hi Marybeth, I'm sorry to hear this didn't come out the way you expected. It could be that the lemon was browned too much, or the wine that was used (I recommend using a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio for this one.) Hopefully you have better results next time!
I was careful not to over fry lemons and turned out very good, I love any dish with lemons. Good recipe thanks Jim.
Hi Maria, so happy you enjoyed this one and really appreciate the comment!
This was so good and very easy to make. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
Hi Sandy, so happy you enjoyed and thanks for the comment!