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
Melissa says
Wow, this has always been a favorite dish of mine, but this recipe takes it up a few notches! I like the chicken ultra thin, as it cooks up so crispy and delicious! Topping it off with that heavenly sauce and all over linguine… simply yummy!
krislongwell says
Hi Melissa! We are so glad you like our recipe for chicken Frances! It is without doubt one of our all-time fav dishes, too. Thank you so much for letting us know your thoughts and success with the dish! Woo hoo! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Rhonda says
How do I make this for a crowd
krislongwell says
Hi Rhonda,
It depends on how big the crowd it, but you can certainly double, or even triple, the recipe. It actually re-heats quite nicely, so you can make this several hours in advance of serving. Hope this helps!
Jessica says
Curious – do you make the sauce ahead as well and reheat? Or leave the pan out and make the sauce as the cutlets are reheating? I never would have thought pre cooking would work for a recipe like this but it would be very helpful for feeding a large group. Thanks!
krislongwell says
Hi Jessica! Yes, you can absolutely make the sauce ahead, I’d just wait and add the butter just before serving. You can also make the cutlets ahead, too. Just re-heat in the oven. We don’t simmer the cutlets in the sauce, or at least not for too long, because it can make the breading pull away from the chicken. Just pour the warmed sauce over the heated cutlets, and you should be great!! Let us know how it turns out!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Cathy says
This is so easy and delicious!! I pounded split breasts and salted with kosher salt a few hours beforehand to add flavor, then dried with paper towels before dredging in flour and egg. So much easier than breaded chicken cutlets! Thank you for sharing!
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Martha says
It is obvious that you both have a true passion for what you do! Found you by accident and I’m so thrilled I did! Thank you so much! You’re making me look like I’m one heck of a cook! ❤️
SHERRY LYNN HILL says
Hi guys! I’m going to make this. Looks delish. What would you recommend serving with it? I saw one reader made pasta. What is it traditionally served with. Love you two. Everytime I get a notification in my inbox that a video is up, I watch right away. You both always cheer me up! My very best, Sherry
krislongwell says
So sorry for the delayed response!! We LOVE serving it with linguine, but a nice rice pilaf would be wonderful, too. Thank you so very much for your love and support. Means the world to us. We love you, too!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley
Jennifer says
Looks amazing, going to make it tonight! Thanks for a great recipe!
krislongwell says
Hi there! Thank you and we hope you had success with the dish. It’s definitely one of our all-time favorite dishes!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Sherrie says
We also like it with mashed potatoes on the side
Kris Longwell says
Oh yes! Doesn’t get much better than that, Sherrie! YUM!!
Rita says
This recipe looks amazing! Can I make it without breading the chicken? I’m on a low carb diet.
Thank you
krislongwell says
Hi Rita, sure, you could just sauté the chicken cutlets, and the pour the sauce over the top. They would be delicious, but not really the classic chicken Frances, which is the “egg on the outside” approach. But the sauce is to die for, so you’ll be good!! Let us know how it turns out. Best, Kris & Wesley
Sonja says
Delicious and easy!
krislongwell says
Awesome!! Thanks so much, Sonja! We are super happy that you enjoyed the recipe! Please stay in touch!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Tim says
Saw this just now, and am disappointed that I don’t have any chicken breasts. I’ll definitely be making this this week.we love piccata and know we’ll love this. Thanks so much.
Tim and Alan
krislongwell says
Hi Tim and Alan! You guys are going to love this dish. It would work with chicken breasts, too (pounded paper thin), but thin pork chops is the best. Let us know if you make it and how it turns out!! Thank YOU!!!!! Kris & Wesley
Tim says
I made this two evenings ago and it was great. Alan, the picky one, loved it more than I. I made some spaghetti to go along with it, and since I made more sauce than needed, I tossed the spaghetti in the skillet with the sauce, removed that and had the sauce to put over the chicken. AWESOME!! Thanks so much, Tim and Alan
Yuki says
Made this 2 weeks ago. I didn’t know what a great cook I was until this recipe . OMG so good. My hubby licked the plate. Thank you Loon’s
Michelle says
Another delicious meal. Made this for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved it. The sauce was delicious. Made recipe exactly as is perfection. I love your site. I love your recipes. The love you share with each other is evident in your food. So is your joy. This is by far my favorite food site! This is 5 stars but for some reason the fifth star won’t light.
krislongwell says
That is so awesome to hear, Michelle!! We are so thrilled that you are enjoying the recipes and are on board the H2FaL train! So much fun!! Thank you so much for staying in touch! You are the best!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
ALMA L WEINSTEIN says
I’ve made this several times and each time I love it more. It is a perfect recipe and we just love it. I had used another recipe for over 25 years and it is not even close to how good your recipe is. Thanks!
krislongwell says
Alma!! Wow! Thank YOU! So very, very glad you guys love it! It’s definitely been a favorite for us for a while now. Thanks so much for the comment. You are the BEST!! xoxo
Rick says
Had this tonight will do it again
krislongwell says
Awesome! So glad you liked it. That is definitely one of our favorite dishes. Thanks for letting us know, Rick! Best, Kris & Wesley
diane says
Can you make this and freeze it?
krislongwell says
Hi Diane, you can freeze this, but for best results, I would recommend serving it as close to preparation as possible. But yes, you can make this recipe ahead of time and freeze. Make sure to completely cool before freezing and then thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours then heat in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, or until heated and bubbly. If you go for it, let us know how it turned out! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Tamar says
We loved it, my husband is Italian and I made this at his request for Father’s Day, I was so nervous, but I followed the recipe to the letter and he said it was the best he’s ever tasted even in restaurants! I was so happy…..
Thanks so much
krislongwell says
Best news we’ve heard in a while. That’s so awesome! And thank you for letting us know. Stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Teresa Darrow says
Made this tonight – excellent – thank you so much!
krislongwell says
Teresa, so great to hear that you enjoyed it. Definitely one of our favorite dishes! Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Sarah says
Am I doing something wrong with the sauce? It’s like watery and not much flavor. Just tastes like watery lemony butter or something and isn’t thick at all, even after adding cornstarch also.
krislongwell says
HI Sarah, so sorry the sauce didn’t turn out so great. It really depends how much fat/oil is in the skillet when you add the flour to create the roux. I would try adding 2 (maybe even 3 tablespoons of the flour)…it should really be close to the same amount of fat (oil/butte) that is in the pan. Stir that for a couple minutes to create a roux. That will eliminate any of the flour taste. And then proceed from there. This is definitely one of those recipes that I taste as I go, and adjust seasoning accordingly. I think with these adjustments and maybe adding a pinch more salt, you’ll get great results. I’ve updated the recipe to include these tips. Try it again. I literally just made this again two nights ago for The Loon and I, and it was crazy good. Let me know if this helps, and if you give it another go. Thanks much, Kris.