This Chicken Francese recipe is an absolute favorite of ours. It’s so flavorful and bursting with flavor.
Oh, it’s doesn’t get much better than this dish!
Delicious and beautiful, all at the same time!
HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC CHICKEN FRANCESE AT HOME
Watch us show you how easy it is to make this incredibly delicious dish.
It’s so good and a lot of fun to make!
OTHER CLASSIC CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY
The ingredients in chicken francese are simple and work beautifully together.
The simplicity of this dish is really what makes it shine. White wine and lemon and egg…doesn’t get much better than that!
THE EGG IS ON THE OUTSIDE
Chicken Frances is similar to Chicken Picatta, but the real difference is that “the egg is on the outside.”
You dredge in seasoned flour first, and then egg with herbs.
This is going to be good.
Make sure the chicken cutlets are nice and thin. You can easily place them in a large freezer bag and pound them until they are about an ⅛″ thick.
Then cook them in the olive oil until beautifully browned. You can keep them warm in a low-temp oven. Resist the urge to put the breaded cutlets in the sauce, this often causes the egg ‘breading’ to fall away from the chicken cutlet.
CHICKEN FRANCESE IS MADE WITH A WINE AND BUTTER SAUCE
And then the sauce. Oh, that sauce.
White wine, chicken stock, garlic…and some butter.
Divine.
IS IT CHICKEN FRANCESE, OR CHICKEN FRANCAISE?
This dish has French and Italian origins, but it is most commonly seen in Italian eateries. Learn more about the history of this amazing dish here.
The presentation is just beautiful, too.
Finish it with a squeeze of fresh lemon, and your guests will be so impressed!
Yes!
FINISH THE CHICKEN FRANCAISE WITH A SQUEEZE OF LEMON
If you enjoy this amazing Chicken Francese, chances are you’d also love our Pork Milanese!
And this amazing dish can literally come together in 30 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight meal. But impressive enough to serve to guests on a special dinner party. Serve with salad and crusty Italian bread. Just amazing. 100% Loon Approved!
CHICKEN FRANCESE FAQ’S
- How far in advance can the cutlets and sauce be made in advance? Yes! Prepare the cutlets and sauce as written and then re-eat the cutlets in a low-temp oven and heat the sauce in a saucepan on the stove.
- Is it okay to simmer the prepared cutlets in the sauce? We don’t recommend this. Often, the sauce will cause the cooked egg ‘breading’ to pull away from the cutlet. We recommend serving the cutlet with the sauce poured over the top.
- Is cooking wine for the sauce? We feel pretty strongly about this…if you wouldn’t drink the wine by itself, you shouldn’t cook with it either. This is a pretty straight-forward dish without a lot of ingredients, that’s why quality is so important.
- Can the sauce be frozen? Yes! For up to 2 months!
Now, it’s time to make this incredible Chicken Francese Recipe!
And once you’ve made the dish, take a picture and post to Instagram! Be sure to tag @howotfeedaloon and #howtofeedaloon!
Chicken Francese
Video
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, about 14 oz. to 16 oz. total
- 1 cup flour for dredging (you'll also need 2 tablespoon of the flour mixture later for the sauce...but we'll get to that later in the instructions).
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan grated
- 4 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (divided...2 tablespoons for batter, 2 for garnish)
- 4 tablespoon olive oil divided...2 tablespoons for sautéing the chicken, and then 2 more for the sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided...2 for sautéing the chicken, 2 for the sauce
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes more, to taste
- ½ cup dry white wine ie, Pino Grigio
- 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- Juice of two fresh lemons about 4 tablespoons
Instructions
- Place the chicken (one at a time) in a large freezer bag, and using the side of a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken to ⅛" to ¼" in thickness.
- Cut each pounded chicken piece into halves, or thirds. Set aside.
- Pour the flour onto a platter or plate. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and the 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Gently mix together with a fork. Remove 2 tablespoons to use later for the sauce.
- In a second small/medium-sized bowl, mix together the eggs, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture and then dip into egg mixture, fully coating.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. After the oil has heated, add 2 tablespoons of the butter.
- Place the coated chicken into the hot skillet, 2 at a time.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom.
- Flip and cook the other side until completely cooked through and nicely browned, about another 3 - 4 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and repeat with remaining chicken. (Cooked cutlets can be made 1 to 2 hours ahead of time. Re-heat in (350 F) oven 15 minutes before serving, or keep warm in oven (220 F) until ready to use.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
- Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the reserved 2 tablespoons of seasoned flour, and mix completely. Add another tablespoon of flour if too wet, should resemble wet sand. Stir and let cook for about 1 to 2 minutes (don't let it get dark brown).
- Add white wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat.
- Add the lemon juice. Stir until slightly thickened.
- Season with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir until melted.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Place cutlets on plates, or platter, and pour sauce over the top.
- Garnish with remaining parsley.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Sarah says
Delicious! One of my new favorite recipes. Loved the wine sauce. It came out good the first time even though I’ve never made anything like it before, but I will be making it again so I know next time it will be spot on.
Dee says
It’s my husband’s new fave chicken recipe. Way to go!
Kris Longwell says
Now that’s a major WIN!!! So glad you had such great success with the recipe and thank you SO MUCH for letting us know. We truly appreciate that! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Susan says
Had to make a quick change in a dinner party meal…… looked up chicken Frances
Recipes and saw this one….. easy to follow, loved Kris and Wesley preparing it and all the positive comments! So with little time to spare I decided to make it! It was a big hit! Delicious…… everyone’s plates were empty! The sauce was oh so good…… will definitely be making this again very soon!
Kris Longwell says
Hi there, Susan! You have no idea how happy it makes us to read a comment like this. We are THRILLED that you had success with our chicken Frances recipe and especially that you were a rock star when you served it! Awesome!! And thank you so much for letting us know. We truly appreciate that so very much!! Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Lauren says
This was the. Best. Ever. I mean EVER. I have searched for years for the best chicken Francese and have found good ones but never ever great ones like this. I loved watching your video and following along. This was a big big hit for my family! Thank you so much for sharing. There is just one problem!! We ran out of sauce because everyone was taking extra sauce with their chicken. Do you have any suggestions on how to make some extra sauce? I don’t know if it will come out right without doing the everything from scratch.
Thank you so much for sharing
Sandy says
Absolutely delicious! One of the best meals I’ve ever made!
Betsy Carmean says
I LOVE that I found you two and your recipes with videos!
Made this dish tonight and like everyone else said , it’s a WINNER!
You both are a hoot! will continue to follow you!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Betsy!!! AWESOME!! We LOVE that you found us and we found YOU!! So glad you had success with the Chicken Frances! That’s one of our favorite dishes for serving, too!! Thank you so much for letting us know, we truly appreciate that!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Rita Davis says
Absolu. tely loved it squeezed my lemons but forgot the juice it was still wonderful. Great new way to enjoy Chicken the step by step really helped me
krislongwell says
So so glad you enjoyed our chicken francese recipe, Rita! We really love it so much, too! And thank you so much for letting know. That really means the world to us!! Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Brigette A Zavala says
I’m looking forward to preparing this dish. I just discovered Chicken Francaise and am surprised I’ve never heard of it before yesterday. The Comments for your recipe have convinced me I need to make it. P.S. I love the sound quality in the video.
krislongwell says
thank you so much, Brigette!!! Let us know what you think of the dish. We hope you love it as much as we do! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Linda says
Can I prepare anything ahead? Love this recipe!
krislongwell says
Hi Linda! So sorry for the delayed response! Yes! Sauce can be made up to a day in advance. The cutlets can be made a couple hours ahead of serving. Re-warm the cutlets in a low-temp oven, then gently heat the sauce. Once ready to serve, pour the warmed sauce over the warmed cutlets. Best not to re-warm the cutlets in the sauce (the egg breading might come off). Hope this helps and let us know how it turns out!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Karen says
Holy cow this dish is to die for! I’ve made this twice in one week- it’s that good. My husband absolutely loved it and he’s picky about his Francaise. It is better than our favorite restaurants. Thank you for your awesome step by step instructions and your fabulous recipe!
krislongwell says
Wow! Wow! Wow! You just made us so happy!! We are thrilled your and your hubby liked our chicken Francaise! It’s one of our all-time favorites. And thank you so much for letting us know!! We truly appreciate that!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Pat says
Does it taste lemony from the lemon juice?
krislongwell says
Hi Pat, well, it does have a lemon taste to it, similar to a chicken/veal piccata. If you don’t like lemon at all, it may not be your favorite dish. But we think the balance of the sauce is really perfect. Hope this helps!
Mary Jo says
Hi I would like to make this for a large party of 50 people with other food. Can you advise how you would prepare ahead of time? I could make the sauce the day of but cooking up all that chicken will take a lot of time. Any thoughts would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
Mj
Jackle says
Mary Jo, did you ever receive an answer? I have the same question, another site said it can all be prepared ahead and even frozen and then cooked when you are ready to serve?
Kris Longwell says
We are so so so sorry we never replied to Mary Jo and for our delayed response to you, Jackle! We always do our best to answer any and all comments, especially questions, but some sometimes slip through the cracks! You can absolutely make this ahead of time. Just keep the cutlets and the sauce separate. Re-heat the chicken in a 300°F oven until heated through, and then gently warm the sauce on the stove. Serve the cutlets and pour the sauce over the top. Let us know how it turns out or if you have any other questions! Best, Kris & Wesley
Melinda says
I Love to cook – it’s a stress relief for me, and this recipe was so delicious! I served it with a kale salad (Greek style with feta and lemon Dijon vinaigrette) and my husband said he’d eat this meal again in a heartbeat…EVEN with the kale salad along with it Amazing the difference with the egg wash on the outside of the flour dredge…A+ Thank you!
krislongwell says
Hi Melinda! That is so wonderful to hear and sounds like you made a spectacular meal. I know what you mean about how cooking can be therapeutic! I feel the same way (this is Kris). And it’s always a big plus when the spouse loves what you make! Congrats on a big success!! And thank you so much for letting us know. Please stay in touch, Melinda!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Lee says
Hi Kris,
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe,I made the first time for my Italian friends, they said it was the best they ever had,I’m making it tonight for my husband, he loved it the first time.
I can’t wait to make it aging for my next dinner party.
Thank you.
Lee
krislongwell says
Lee, that makes us so very happy to hear. We are so thrilled you had success with this recipe! It’s truly one of our favorites, too. And thank you so much for taking the time to let us know. That means the world to us. Stay in touch! And all the best, Kris & Wesley
Lucy says
Just made this for dinner and it is such a delicious and light dish! I felt compelled to come back and write about! Even my 5y old was pleased. Thank you and keep up those great recipes coming. I will be checking in daily for inspirations and ideas!
Lynn says
This is a delicious recipe! Will be making this for Valentines Day!
krislongwell says
Hi Lynn!! So sorry for the delayed response!! Thanks for letting us know and we truly hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!! Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Vickie says
Could I use anything other than the wine?
krislongwell says
Hi Vickie, the alcohol cooks out during the cooking process, but if you want to omit the wine, you could go with a cooking sherry that you can purchase at the grocery store (in the oils and vinegar area), or you could just omit it completely. It does deepen the flavor, but the dish will still be delicious without it. Hope you enjoy it!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Clem says
Kris, thank you for this chicken francese recipe. Looking for easy, chicken recipes brought me here. It is the very best I have ever tired. It is quite rare that my wife have seconds when it comes to food. She watches how much she eats. Well, I was surprised when she had seconds of this chicken francese…as she showered it with praise. That brought me back here to start gathering more of your recipes. I found some Instant Pot recipes! Awesome! Again, thank you!
Clem says
I meant -> tried 🙂
krislongwell says
Hi Clem! That’s some of the best news we’ve heard in a while! So glad you and your wife enjoyed the chicken francese! We love it, too!! And thank you so much for letting us know and we are so glad you found us and we found you!! We’re certain you’ll like the Instant Pot recipes! They come together so quickly and are really delicious. Please stay in touch and give our best to your wife!! Cheers!! Kris & Wesley