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
Elizabeth says
Made this tonight for the fourth or fifth time and wanted to comment…it is officially a family favorite! My husband and two children were all in the kitchen wondering what smelled so good as I was cooking. I served this over angelhair pasta with a green salad and roasted broccoli. The best part is, there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for the winning receipe.
Nancy Durkin says
I made this! I can’t say enough about the inside out breading. I sacrilegiously added a few capers, and omitted the red pepper (personal taste.) It is a very satisfying dish that keeps chicken moist, and provides a heavenly coating. The sauce is perfect. For those of y’all craving Italian (even though this is), please go to they guys’ eggplant parm recipe, which uses the same technique.
Nancy Durkin says
I used to get this dish in an old Italian restaurant in Coney Island, Brooklyn, in the 1980s.They served it atop a big bed of sauteed spinach. The sauce dripping onto the spinach was heavenly. This recipe clears up the mystery of why it was always delicious. The “egg outside” method and the lemon are the kickers. I’ll be on vacation soon and will definitely do this.
P.S. – You offered the same “egg outside” method for eggplant, which I tried. It was the best I ever made!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Nancy! So sorry for the delayed reply! So glad you made the chicken francese and had such great success! That is definitely one of our all-time favorite dishes! xoxo
Becky says
Oh, yum yum yum yum!!! This was heavenly…and easy, rich and delish! The ONLY thing I did was to add some fried capers (squeeze the juice from them, let them dry out a bit, fry them in avocado oil so that they “flower” a bit, them toss them on top for a little crunch). Kris, I will come back to this recipe again and again!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Becky!! Woo hoo!! Sounds like you prepared the chicken francese perfectly….AND…fried capers!! YES!!!!! Sounds amazing and we can hardly wait to try that next time! Thank you so so much for sharing!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Pat says
So I have made this so many times because we love it and ever time I have company it gets requested. In fact I am preparing it this weekend for 25 guests at a birthday celebration for my grandchildren ! I love everyone of your recipes! I also thoroughly enjoy your videos and great sense humor! You need a network cooking show!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Pat! Woo ho!! That is music to our ears! We are thrilled you are having such wonderful success with the chicken francese recipe! And thank you so so much for your extremely kind words. It’s people like you that make us love doing what we do! Please stay in touch! Kris & Wsley
Renee says
Hi. we are feeding a HUGE crowd. the amount in the step by step ingredients do not correlate/change. only the amount of ingredients on the side. I am so afraid to use the wrong amount of egg/flour etc
Kris Longwell says
Hi Renee, how many people are you serving this to?
Susan says
Absolutely amazing! The egg on the outside is outstanding. Hubby loved it. Took short cut and bought thin cut chicken breasts. Bon Appetit!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Susan! YES!!! We are so so happy you made the chicken francese and you and your hubby loved it! Thin chicken breasts are a GREAT way to go! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the wonderful review. We appreciate that so much! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Deb P. says
This is the BEST recipe! It’s not hard and I love that I can make it ahead of time and clean up the kitchen and then serve an awesome and delicious meal! I serve mine with Angel Hair pasta, salad and bread. Always a winner! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Deb! Woo hoo! We are so so thrilled you are loving the chicken francese recipe! We love making this so much, too. And with angel pasta, salad, and bread sounds like the PERFECT dinner! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the wonderful review! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Mary Unger says
I have made this so many times it is too numerous to count! It is so delicious and I never tire of it. Directions are clear and perfect without any adjustments needed. Thank you, thank you.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Mary!! That is music to our ears!! we are thrilled you are enjoying the chicken francese recipe and having such great success with it! As always, we so appreciate you letting us know and for the wonderful review!! Thank you to the moon and back!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Donna Walters says
I made this tonight for my family and they absolutely loved this recipe. Very clear instructions and easy to make.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Donna! Yay! We are so so happy you made the chicken francese for your family and everyone loved it! That’s wonderful to hear! Isn’t that the greatest feeling? Woo hoo! Thank you so very much for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us! xoxo
Terry Dunham says
This recipe was amazing! I used sole instead of .
chicken and it was so delicious!
My husband and I really loved this dish.
Thank you for another great recipe.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Terry! Sole is an absolutely wonderful protein to use in this dish. Yum! Sounds heavenly! Thank you as always for sharing and for the GREAT review. That always means so much to us! Have a GREAT week! Kris & Wesley
Casandra says
Made this tonight. It was delicious!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Cassandra!!! Woo hoo!! So so happy you had success with the chicken francese! And thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the wonderful review! That means the world to us! Please stay in touch! xo Kris & Wesley
Milly says
This was awesome! First I watched the video twice bc I love you guys and you always make me happy! Then I felt prepared and it came out AMAZING! Little bit of work but so worth it! Made it with red bliss mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus! What a hit! New favorite for sure! Thank you
Kris Longwell says
Milly! So sorry for the delayed response but we can’t tell you how much this means to us! We are THRILLED you had such great success with the chicken francese! And served with bliss mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus sounds absolutely amazing! Thank you so so much for sharing and for you love and support!! That means the world to us! Please stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Rose says
5 Stars all the way!!
Kris Longwell says
♥️♥️♥️
Rose says
I made this recipe last night. I had a dinner party for 7 people and the guest of honor requested chicken francaise which I had never made before. I happened upon the ‘How to feed a loon’ link, watched the video and gave it a try.
It was absolutely delicious and got raves from everyone!! I prepped and cooked the chicken and made the sauce in the afternoon and refrigerated it. Then just heated the chicken in a casserole dish in a 350 oven and the sauce on the stove top.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was really perfect. Everybody wanted copies of the recipe and the very few leftovers to take home.
Thank you for making my party such a big success!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Rose! We can’t even begin to express how happy this makes us! Sounds like you executed the dish perfectly! Thank you so so much for sharing! And for the GREAT review! That means the world to us!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Arielle says
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of wine but in the video it calls for 1/4. Can you confirm how much?