Chicken Francaise

Name: Chicken Francaise Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 10 oz chicken breast - boneless skinless (2 cutlets - 5-6 ounces each); ½ cup flour; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp olive oil (-for frying); 2 tbsp unsalted butter (-for frying); 2 large eggs; 3 tbsp water; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp Romano cheese (-grated); ½ tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp onion powder; 2 tsp fresh Italian parsley (-finely chopped); 2 cloves garlic (-finely minced); ¼ cup dry white wine; ¾ cup chicken broth; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 4 tbsp unsalted butter (-divided: 2 tbsp to saute the garlic and 2 tbsp to thicken the sauce.); 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (-to roll butter in to make beurre manie.); ½ tsp Italian parsley (-finely chopped)

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You might think that Chicken Francaise is a classic Italian dish, but the truth is this crispy golden brown egg-dipped chicken cutlet is an Italian-American creation. Served with a lemon butter sauce, this dish is similar to chicken piccata but takes deliciousness to a whole new level.

Chicken francaise with lemon butter sauce on white plate.

Originating in upstate New York, this dish was originally called Chicken French. And came to be known as Chicken Francaise or Chicken Francese (depending on the spelling), which means “French” in Italian.

Chicken Francese is such an easy dish to make and never ceases to amaze my friends and family. It can be made ahead of time and reheated when its time to serve, which makes it one of my favorite chicken recipes.

Table of Contents:

Ingredients

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Chicken Francaise. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Simple Ingredients

chicken breasts
eggs
all-purpose flour
unsalted butter
olive oil
Romano or parmesan cheese
garlic powder
onion powder
salt and black pepper
Italian parsley

How to prepare chicken breasts

The key to making the perfect Chicken Milanese is in flattening the skinless breasts (which also tenderizes them) with a meat mallet. This makes the chicken breast tender and helps in the cooking process, keeping the breast moist and flavorful.

The chicken breasts should weigh between 4-5 ounces each.

Flattening out chicken breast covered in plastic with a meat hammer.

Place the boneless skinless chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound the chicken until the cutlets are about ¼ inch thick.

*If any of the chicken breasts are thicker than half an inch, use a sharp knife to split the chicken breast in half. Think of it as butterflying the breast. You’re just going to cut all the way through to make two cutlets out of one large breast.

How to Make Chicken Francaise

Add salt and pepper to the all-purpose flour to a wide bowl or container and mix well.
In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs with water, then add the flour, romano cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and chopped parsley. Whisk until well blended.

Dredge the chicken breast in the seasoned flour, fully coating the breast.
Dip the floured chicken breast into the eggwash mixture and completely coat the cutlet.

Add olive oil and butter to a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
When the pan is hot, add the battered chicken breasts to the hot pan. Cook for 2 -3 minutes per side until the cutlet is golden brown.

Place the prepared chicken breasts onto a baking sheet or casserole and place them on the middle rack of 350 degree preheated oven to finish cooking while you make the lemon butter sauce.

*The sauce will only take 5 minutes to prepare, which is all the time the chicken needs to finish cooking.

Can it be made ahead of time?

Yes, they can. The cooked cutlets can be made 3-4 hours ahead of time and kept refrigerated until ready to serve. To reheat the Chicken Francese, place them on a baking sheet in a 350 F oven for 15 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Lemon Butter Sauce Ingredients

This sauce is also known as a lemon beurre blanc and is made with simple ingredients, butter, lemon juice, white wine, chicken broth, garlic, butter and flour (beurre manie), and Italian parsley.

How to Make Lemon Butter Sauce

Add two tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one minute.
Add the chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice to the saucepot and bring to a light boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the beurre manie (the butter pieces rolled in flour) to the pan and whisk it to thicken the lemon butter sauce.
Taste and reseason with salt and pepper if necessary and add the chopped Italian parsley to the sauce.

Chef’s Secret

I did not use this method when making this sauce, but when making a lemon butter sauce, I will usually add one-half a teaspoon of brown sugar to the pan when sauteing the garlic. This cuts the acidity and adds more flavor to the sauce. It does not make it sweet.

How to make a Beurre Manie

Take pieces of butter and roll them in flour, pushing the flour into the butter. The butter should be just a little soft.

This method can be used to thicken any pan sauce or entree that is saucy.

Completed recipe with lemon butter sauce on white plate.

Remove the chicken Francaise from the oven and serve with the lemon butter sauce.

Serving Sides

Serve with your choice of rice, risotto, or mashed potatoes. I like serving a green vegetable with this dish. Asparagus, green beans, or sauteed spinach would go very well, as would a tossed green salad.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between Chicken Francese and Chicken Francaise?

The big question is, which spelling is correct? Is it Francaise or Francese? As it turns out, both spellings are correct. This flavorful dish was first served at an Italian-American restaurant in Rochester, New York, as Chicken French. This is not a classic Italian or French dish.

What is Francaise sauce made of?

The Francaise sauce is basically a lemon beurre blanc with an Italian twist adding garlic to the sauce. It can, however, be made in many different ways, with the key ingredients being butter, white wine, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Garlic or shallots can be added, as well as heavy cream and fresh herbs and spices.

Can chicken Francese be made ahead of time?

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