Here I’ll show you the most delicious way to make the classic Chicken Francese!
This is an Italian-American beauty that is never going to leave your rotations. It’s one of those dinners that is quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but still fancy and delicious enough to serve for company. Follow me…
Chicken Francese
Chicken Francese follows the same method as many other sliced chicken breast recipes. The difference here though is the batter.
Chicken Francese Batter
The iconic step in this dish is coating the chicken in flour and then into egg. This gives the chicken the most gorgeous golden coating. To really take things up a notch I love stirring some parmesan through the egg. This not only adds a boost of flavour but also helps the batter crisp up too.
Pan-Frying
I fry the chicken in a combination of oil and butter. The butter adds flavour whilst the oil helps prevent the butter from burning. You want a fair bit of fat in the pan to help prevent the batter from burning. It’s also important to make sure you’re using a non-stick pan so the egg doesn’t stick!
Process shots: slice chicken in half (photos 1&2), coat in seasoned flour (photo 3), coat in egg and parmesan (photo 4), add to pan (photo 5), fry (photo 6).
Lemon Butter Sauce for Chicken
There’s a few different ways you can make the sauce, but in general it’s typically a buttery, lemony sauce. Here’s what I use:
Chicken Francese Sauce Ingredients
- Lemon – I use the juice and also slice them into thin rounds to garnish the chicken.
- White Wine – Helps deglaze the pan and adds a gentle background flavour.
- Butter – Adds richness to balance the sharper flavours in the sauce.
- Chicken Stock – Creates the base of the sauce.
- Chives – It’s more traditional to use parsley but I find chives add loads more flavour.
Thickening the sauce
Many recipes use a classic roux to thicken the sauce (stirring flour into melted butter), but I don’t find this necessary. Instead, I coat the butter in the leftover flour and whisk it into the stock. This creates a light, glossy sauce that coats the chicken perfectly.
Process shots: fry lemon slices (photo 1), remove (photo 2), reduce wine then stir in stock and lemon juice (photo 3), toss in flour (photo 4), whisk into sauce (photo 5), stir in chives then add chicken (photo 6)
Chicken Francese FAQ
How lemony is this recipe?
I’d say it’s fairly subtle as written, but you can certainly add more. Just work to taste!
Do I have to add the wine?
The wine does add a lovely flavour, but you can sub non-alcoholic wine or leave it out altogether.
How do I thicken the sauce?
The butter will emulsify with the stock and lemon juice and create a light glossy sauce. The flour coating will also help with this. Just keep simmering and whisking away.
Serving Chicken Francese
Here I’ve just served with asparagus and crusty bread, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken francese shall we?!
How to make Chicken Francese (Full Recipe & Video)
Chicken Francese
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Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- 2 Large Shallow Dishes
- Large Non-Stick Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
- Whisk
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2x 250g/9oz Chicken Breasts, preferably close to room temp
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Black Pepper, Garlic Powder
- 2 Eggs
- 20g / 1/4 cup Parmesan (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp / 15g Unsalted Butter
Sauce
- 1 large Lemon, slice 4 thin rings from the centre then squeeze 1 tbsp juice from the ends
- 60ml / 1/4 cup Dry White Wine
- 180ml / 3/4 cup Chicken Stock
- 4 tbsp / 60g Unsalted Butter, diced into small cubes (keep in the fridge until needed)
- 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Chives
Instructions
- Take two large shallow dishes. In the 1st combine the flour and seasoning and in the 2nd beat the egg and whisk in the parmesan.
- Lay two chicken breasts on a chopping board and horizontally slice them right through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts. Individually coat each of them in the flour then return to the chopping board.
- Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter to a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place the bowl with the egg next to the pan, then one by one coat the chicken in the egg, allow excess to drip off, then place in the pan. Cook each side for around 3 minutes, or until golden on the outside and just about cooked right through the centre. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate to one side.
- Add the lemon slices to the pan and fry for around 20 seconds each side, just until they start to soften and lightly colour. Remove from the pan (don’t rest on the chicken).
- Pour in the wine and rapid simmer for around 2 minutes, or until it has mostly evaporated, deglazing the pan as needed. Pour in the stock and 1 tbsp lemon juice (you can adjust this later) and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cubed butter to the leftover flour then toss coat. Add the floured butter to the pan and swiftly whisk until it blends into the stock. Add the chives and continue simmering and stirring until the sauce turns cloudy and thickens slightly to a glossy texture. Generously season to taste.
- Add the chicken alongside any resting juices and place then lemon slices on top. Baste in the sauce to warm it back through then serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
b) Wine – Important to reduce this down to burn off the alcohol, otherwise it’ll end up too pungent. Just use any cheap wine, you don’t need anything fancy! Sub non-alcoholic wine or just leave it out.
c) Consistency – The sauce will start off watery, but as the butter emulsifies and the flour blends into the sauce, it’ll thicken up. The end result shouldn’t be watery, but more of a light glossy sauce that coats the chicken nicely.
d) Lemon Slices – I only very quickly fry them, just to soften them slightly to help the juices leak out a little easier. I don’t recommend charring the slices or frying them until very soft, I find they end up bitter. I also don’t recommend leaving them to sit of the chicken for too long because the lemon pulp becomes soft and leaves the chicken with a bitter flavour.
e) Serving – Here I’ve just served with asparagus and crusty bread, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
f) Calories – Just the chicken and sauce, no sides. Slight overestimate as not all the flour and egg is soaked up.
Nutrition
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