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 1/8″ 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
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 tsp garlic powder
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp Parmesan grated
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (divided...2 tablespoons for batter, 2 for garnish)
- 4 tbsp 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 1/8" to 1/4" in thickness.
- Cut each pounded chicken piece into halves, or thirds. Set aside.
- Pour the flour onto a platter or plate. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 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!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Awesome recipe. I follow exactly and it is fool proof and consistently perfect!
Hi Carrie!!! That is so wonderful to hear!! We are so happy that you had such great success with the dish!! And thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the awesome review! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Wow! This was absolutely delicious!! I’ve made this dish so many times, so many different recipes. But this one was the absolute best! I will never make it any other way. Followed the recipe exact and it was perfect!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Diane!! YAY!!! We are THRILLED you had such great success with our chicken francese recipe!! That fills our hearts with such joy!! And thank you so very much for letting us know and for the wonderful review!! That honestly means the world to us!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
Wow! Followed recipe exactly and it was so well written. From being able to make the chicken way ahead of time to instruction “DO Not reheat chicken in sauce, breading will fall off”. Not to mention it was absolutely delicious. I did clean the pan after my chicken sauté because remnants were dark. This is my new go to recipe for chicken francaise/francese.
Hi Sara! So very sorry for the delayed response here! We are so so happy you had such great success with our chicken francese recipe! Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the wonderful review! Please stay in touch!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Awesome recipe been looking for a restaurant tasting Francese for years, finally this is the one. Better than our local Italian place.
This is the best Chicken française I’ve ever made! The chicken came out perfect and I’ve been trying to get a creamy sauce and this recipe did it for me, when I took a taste I raised my hands in a glory dance it’s Delicious! This happens to be my favorite dish so I’ll be using this recipe forever! Thank You!!
Gentlemen, how would I make Chicken Francese for a crowd (maybe 10) a day ahead so I can heat it when we need ??
Hi Rose! Please forgive the late response here! Make the sauce ahead of time, no problem. You can make the cutlets in advance, too, and warm them for about 20 minutes in the oven to heat them and crisp them up a little. Heat the sauce seperately, and then pour the sauce over the heated cutlets just before serving. Hope this helps!! Let us know how it all turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley
Absolutely delicious! By far the best francese recipe out there.
Hi Matt! That is music to our ears! We are SO THRILLED you had such great success with our chicken francese! That is truly one of our all-time favorites, too!! Thanks so much for letting us know and for the FANTASTIC review! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Wow! Great recipe! Everyone I have made it for loves it! Thank you
Awesome!! That is so wonderful to hear!!! Thank you for letting us know!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This was without a doubt, one of the best recipes I’ve made.
I followed the recipe exactly how it was written.
Perfection! I served it with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
Mary!! So sorry for the delayed response!! We are THRILLED you had such great success with the chicken francese!! Sounds like a spectacular meal!!! Thanks so much for letting us know and for the wonderful review! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Delicious! This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Denise!! So so happy you enjoyed our chicken francese recipe! And thanks so much for letting us know and for the great review! We truly appreciate that so very much! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Made this recipe today exactly as written. It was pretty simple, I had just about everything on hand already, and it turned out restaurant quality. I served it to company and everyone thought it was amazing. I was pretty impressed myself, and I thought it turned out delicious. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be making this again!
Hi Michele! That is music to our ears! We are so so thrilled you hit it out of the park with the chicken francese!! So glad you and your guests enjoyed it so much! And thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the awesome review! That truly means the world to us!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
What a great recipe. My guests loved it. Loved the addition of the red pepper flakes. I absolutely love Chicken Francaise,
Might you have any suggestions for another type of sauce for that chicken. Love the way it fries up. Considering trying it with a marinara and mozzarella for a great chicken parm.
Hi Terry!! That is so awesome that you had such great success with the chicken francese!! Marinara and mozzarella would be great! Check out our Pork Chops with Capers Sauce…that would be a tasty sauce for the chicken, however, we’d recommend doubling the sauce recipe.
As you suggested ….tried the caper sauce (pork) on chicken tonight. Prepared the chicken as you would with Francese……it was awesome!!!! And pretty quick!
Thanks for the suggestion,,,,
That’s awesome, Terry!! So glad it turned out well and you enjoyed it! We’ll have to try that, too!!
Great recipes ,great writing and web page for cooking food with lots of flavor and classic recipes and lots of new dishes even suggest sides great job
Thank you, Scott!! That means the world to us!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
Excellent chicken francaise’ the
Best recipe I have come across I was hoping to have leftovers for another
meal but it was all gone! Prepared exactly as written Perfect!
Hi Lesley!! We can’t even begin to tell you how happy this makes us!! We are THRILLED you loved our chicken fancese recipe and THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting us know and for the wonderful review!! That truly means the world to us!! Stay in touch! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
Tried this tonight and it was fabulous! My husband and I both think it surpassed our fav restaurants version! Can’t wait to make it for the whole family!
Hi Nan!! That is so awesome to hear!! We are so excited that you and your hubby loved the chicken francese so much!!! Woo hoo!! And thank you so very much for letting us know and for the fabulous review! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Very flavorful and looks great too, I made double the sauce and served it with pasta. yummy!
Woo hoo!! We are so so happy you loved the chicken francese! And thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the wonderful review! That really means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This is the best chicken francaise recipe I’ve ever made and even ever had!!!
Nideen!! You just made our weekend!! We are SO THRILLED you had such great success with our chicken Francese recipe and thank you so much for letting us know and for the GREAT review! That honestly means the world to us!!! Please stay in touch!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley