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    Home » Recipes » Chicken Recipes

    Chicken Francaise

    Published: Feb 26, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

    132 shares
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    • Yummly
    5 from 44 votes
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pinterest image for 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.

    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 francaise with lemon butter sauce on white plate.

    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

    ingredients for recipe.

    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

    station for battering chicken
    • 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.
    collage showing how to prepare recipe.
    • 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.
    collage showing how to make recipe
    • 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.
    chicken francese in baking dish.

    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

    ingredients for 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

    collage showing 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

    how to make 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.

    chicken francaise with lemon butter sauce on white plate.

    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.

    Recipe FAQ’s

    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?

    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.

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    chicken francaise with lemon butter sauce on white plate.
    Print Recipe Save Saved!
    5 from 44 votes

    Chicken Francaise

    Chicken Francaise is a crispy golden brown egg-dipped chicken cutlet that is served with a lemon butter sauce. You're going to love this Italian-American classic.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American, Italian – American
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 851kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    Chicken Cutlets

    • 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

    Batter

    • 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

    Lemon Butter Sauce

    • 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
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Chicken

    • Place the chicken cutlets 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.

    Batter and Cook

    • Add the flour, salt and black pepper to one bowl and mix well.
    • Add the lightly beaten eggs, water, Romano cheese, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and chopped parsley to a bowl and mix all the ingredients together. This is the egg batter aka egg wash.
    • Add the butter and olive oil to a large frying pan on medium-high heat
    • 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.
    • 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.

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

    Notes

    How to make 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.
    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.
    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 851kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 371mg | Sodium: 1184mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1387IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. Jenny

      March 13, 2023 at 4:02 am

      That’s a great dinner recipe. The chicken came out fantastic. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks so much for this great dish.

      Reply
    2. Tristin

      March 12, 2023 at 5:58 pm

      5 stars
      An absolute favorite! My whole family loved this chicken recipe. It came out juicy and delicious.

      Reply
    3. Monica

      March 12, 2023 at 4:19 pm

      5 stars
      This chicken is melt in your mouth fantastic. I’m a big fan of chicken piccata but you’re right, this is even better. Will be making a lot from now on!

      Reply
    4. Enri Lemoine

      March 12, 2023 at 3:35 pm

      5 stars
      Dear Chef, I made your Chicken Satinbocac last week, and this chicken Francaise will be my chicken recipe for the week next week. Thanks for inspiring me to be a better cook.

      Reply
    5. Silvia

      March 12, 2023 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious. I never thought I could add cheese to an batter! And my family loves the lemon sauce. I will make this recipe again for sure.

      Reply
    6. Elizabeth

      March 12, 2023 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      This chicken dish sounds so fancy! I have not tried adding Romano cheese to my breading mix. Excited to give it a try!

      Reply
    7. Dani

      March 12, 2023 at 9:25 am

      5 stars
      Such a delicious recipe. Used gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour to make this dish gluten free. Everyone loved it and I will for sure make it again

      Reply
    8. Natalia

      March 11, 2023 at 5:15 pm

      5 stars
      Such a delicious recipe! This was my first time cooking chicken française. I followed the instructions in the recipe and the chicken came out perfect. I served it with a green salad.

      Reply
    9. Mikayla

      March 09, 2023 at 9:47 pm

      5 stars
      Practically melted in my mouth, the tenderizing and seasoning together make a great meal, saved leftovers for a sandwich the next day!

      Reply
    10. Anna

      March 09, 2023 at 8:07 am

      5 stars
      My husband absolutely loved this chicken dish and keeps raving about it! I think I will be making it for him on the repeat now 🙂

      Reply

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