Chicken Francaise

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.

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.

Ingredients to make Chicken Francaise

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.

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 and mix well.
• 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 chicken Francese 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.

Ingredients to make Lemon Butter Sauce

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.

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

What should I serve with Chicken Francaise?

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.

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