Chicken Francese is a STAPLE dish in many Italian-American restaurants and for a good reason. It’s kind of like a lighter chicken cutlet, battered only with flour and egg, served in a super delicious white wine lemon sauce. My version of the story adds in thinly sliced charred lemon — which truly makes the dish — and draws on the basic techniques I learned in culinary school to make a banger of a pan sauce.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Chicken Francese
I love this dish for a fun, quick, yet elevated weeknight dinner. It can also be dressed up to be a perfect dinner party main event served alongside roasted or mashed potatoes ~, a simple lemon pasta dish, and some veggies. The best part is that it reheats well! You can finish the chicken in the pan with the sauce (minus the final parsley garnish) and pop it into the oven to heat up right before you’re ready to serve.
🍲 Ingredients
Chicken breasts – halved and slightly pounded, to preference
Salt & pepper
Flour – for a light coating
Eggs – for the batter
Cream or milk – the secret to making it extra creamy.
Grated Parmigiano – also for the batter, can sub for Grana Padano or Pecorino
Lemon – one sliced, one zested and juiced
Shallot – sweet oniony flavor
Garlic – bc it makes everything better
Olive oil – for frying (can sub for your fav oil)
White wine – can sub for a 1tbsp of white wine or apple cider vinegar + more stock later
Chicken stock – can sub for veggie stock.
Cold butter– brings the sauce together at the end.
Fresh parsley – chopped for garnish
👩🍳 How to Make Chicken Francese
- Prepare the Chicken:
- Butterfly each chicken breast (slice lengthwise without cutting all the way through), then halve each piece.
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness.
- Season all sides with salt and pepper.
- Set Up Breading Station:
- In one shallow bowl, mix flour with salt and pepper.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, a splash of cream or milk, grated Parmigiano, salt, and pepper.
- Prep Aromatics:
- Slice the lemon, shallot, and garlic so they’re ready to use.
- Cook the Chicken:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat (enough for a shallow fry).
- Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, then in the egg mixture, letting excess drip off.
- Fry the chicken until golden on both sides (about 3–5 minutes per side).
- Transfer to a wire rack and keep warm.
- Start the Sauce:
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.
- Add lemon slices and cook over medium-high heat until lightly charred on both sides, then remove.
- Build the Pan Sauce:
- Add a bit more oil if needed. Sauté shallots and garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Pour in white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce by about ¾.
- Add chicken stock and increase heat to high. Reduce by half.
- Finish the Sauce:
- Stir in lemon zest and juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Turn off heat, add cold butter, and swirl until the sauce is emulsified.
- Reheat & Serve:
- Return chicken to the pan with the sauce. Top with charred lemon slices.
- Simmer for 1–2 minutes to warm through. Spoon sauce over chicken.
- Garnish & Enjoy:
- Finish with fresh parsley and extra lemon wedges.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Butterflying Shortcut: If you’re short on time, buy thin-sliced chicken cutlets or ask your butcher to butterfly the breasts for you.
- Even Cooking: Pounding the chicken to an even thickness ensures it cooks uniformly and stays juicy.
- Crispy Coating: Don’t overcrowd the pan—cook in batches if needed. This keeps the oil temperature steady and the chicken crispy.
🗒 Best served with
Starches:
- Creamy mashed potatoes or olive oil mashed cauliflower
- Simple risotto (like lemon, garlic, or herb)
- Buttery orzo or couscous
- Crusty bread to mop up the sauce
Vegetables:
- Roasted or sautéed green beans, asparagus, or broccolini
- Garlicky sautéed spinach
- A crisp arugula or mixed greens salad with a light vinaigrette
Bonus Idea:
- Serve it over a bed of angel hair pasta tossed with a bit of the lemon pan sauce for a full meal
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Let is cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great. They’re juicier but might take a minute or two longer to cook through.
Absolutely. Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for dredging. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free.
A: Chicken broth with a splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice works in a pinch. It won’t be quite as complex, but still delicious.
A: No, but it adds a beautiful depth and slight bitterness that really balances the richness of the sauce.
Chicken Francese
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin
- Salt & pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp cream or milk
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced
- ½ shallot, finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Olive oil for frying, can sub for your fav oil
- ½ cup white wine, can sub for a 1tbsp of white wine or apple cider vinegar + more stock later
- 2 cup chicken stock
- 4 tbsp cold butter
- Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Carefully butterfly (cut lengthwise but stopping before reaching the end) of each chicken breast, then slice in half. Pound out the chicken halves until thinned and even in size. Season the now 4 chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Grab two shallow bowls. Add flour, salt, and pepper to one bowl. Add eggs, cream/milk, Parmigiano cheese, salt, and pepper to the other bowl. Mix each bowl until well combined.
- At this point, I like to chop the sliced lemon, shallot, and garlic so that they are ready.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in enough oil for a shallow fry ~ think chicken cutlets.
- Once the oil is hot, coat each piece of chicken in flour and then the egg. Drip off the excess and place the chicken directly into the oil. After 3-5 minutes, or until golden, flip and cook the other side. Remove the chicken from the heat and place it on a wire rack. Keep it somewhere warm near the stove.
- Drain all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pan. Add the lemon slices and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook until slightly charred on both sides, then remove them from the pan.
- Add a touch more oil if needed then add in the shallot and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add in the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan of any fond. Cook until the wine has almost ¾ the way evaporated, then add in the stock.
- Bring the pan up to high heat and allow the stock to reduce by half. Then, add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper as needed.
- Turn the heat off, add the cold butter, and swirl to emulsify until the sauce. Add the chicken back into the pan, top with the charred lemon sliced bring up to a boil for 1-2 minutes, to heat back up the chicken. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and extra lemon wedges…ENJOY!!!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this!