Classic Chicken Francese sounds kinda difficult and ultra fancy, but don't let the name fool you, it's actually really easy to make. If you've got a pan and a lemon, you're basically halfway there.
All it takes is lightly coated chicken breasts pan-fried until golden, simmered in a buttery and citrusy lemon sauce that comes together in the same pan. No complicated steps, no hard-to-find ingredients, just a delicious dinner that feels elevated without extra work.
I'm telling you this recipe is one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make, and the fact that it is done in the same pan makes it even better. No crazy clean up after dinner, and the kids are gonna love it too.
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Recipe at a Glance:
- Cook Level: This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make in your life. Put that on record. It's so easy and just very, very good.
- Cook Time: Everything is done in one pan but in stages, so in total this will run you 25-30 minutes, give or take. This is also why I love meal prepping this!
- Taste: Buttery and lemony, with tender chicken with a hint of acid from the white wine.
- Best Served With: Top this over a bed of garlic herb mashed potatoes, or aside a bed of buttered noodles. You can also make this with herbed garlic bread or garlic string beans.
Tried and True Tips
- Use a dry white wine! I wouldn't use a cooking wine as it's usually loaded with extra ingredients and isn't as flavorful. Use a white wine that you would sip on.
- Use a meat cleaver or meat tenderizer to tenderize the meat. This helps work the muscle of the chicken and keep the chicken tender and juicy.
- Add more butter than you think when making the Francese sauce. The chicken will absorb the butter, and if you were to add pasta to this (or even rice), the starch will absorb the sauce.
- Keep the heat on a steady medium flame when pan frying or cooking the chicken to keep the chicken cooking evenly.
- If you want to thicken the sauce, use a slurry (equal parts cornstarch and water, shake in a mason jar), and pour it into the sauce.
Important Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast: Sliced thin, tenderized with a meat cleaver, and seasoned with a little salt and pepper.
- All-Purpose Flour: I swear by Bob's Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour, but if you're gluten free you can swap this for a gluten-free favorite or even almond flour.
- Eggs: Traditional chicken francese calls for an egg and flour dredge (or breading), but I like to simply use a flour dredge. If you wanted to use egg for the dredge, use two of them.
- Butter: No one was ever unhappy with the use of butter in a recipe, am I right? We'll use the butter to make the lemon, butter, and white wine sauce.
- Olive oil: We use a few tablespoons of olive oil to pan fry the chicken before building the Francese sauce.
- Lemons: In a few of my tests, and after a few times of making this recipe for my family, I've learned that you need just 1-2 lemons, not 4. Do not do 4.
- White Wine: The white wine gives the flavor a little more acidity, and also adds to the buttery, lemon sauce. I wouldn't use a cooking wine as it's usually loaded with extra ingredients and isn't as flavorful. Use a dry white wine you'd drink!
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Step by Step Process Photos
Step 1: Pat dry the chicken breasts and using a sharp slicing knife, fillet the breasts into thin pieces. Dip the chicken into the whisked egg and then into the flour. Coat well and set onto a plate. Repeat until all chicken is egg dipped and floured.
Step 2: Pan fry the chicken in a large frying pan coated with olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add more oil as desired. Lay the chicken into the pan, 3-4 pieces at a time, and let cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
Step 3: While the chicken is cooking, slice up two lemons into ¼" slices.
You could also slice the lemons into wedges too.
Step 4: To the skillet, add the rest of the butter to the pan and pour in the white wine, then add the lemon slices. Turn the heat to a low flame and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, flipping each piece of chicken occasionally to coat all sides. Serve as is or garnish with fresh rosemary.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- This recipe is classic with the lemon, butter, white wine sauce, but if you don't want to use wine, don't worry about it. Stick to just the lemon and butter.
- Throw in some red pepper flakes for added flavor and a little heat.
- Swap out the flour for panko, breading, or a gluten free flour.
- If you are dairy free, use dairy free butter that will melt! Miyokos butter will do just that!
Frequently Asked Questions
Swap the regular butter for some vegan butter. Lots of brands out there if you don't eat butter. For the flour, you can use almond flour instead of regular flour, or swap for gluten free flour.
This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days after cooking. If you want to freeze this, place in a airtight container and freeze up to one month, defrosting in the fridge overnight. To warm up, add all of the ingredients (sauce included) to a large skillet and heat on a low flame.
You can use a teaspoon of a thickener like flour, cornstarch, or tapioca starch to help thicken the sauce.
Hungry for More?
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Chicken Francese
Equipment
- 1 large pan
- tongs
- cutting boards two of them: one for the lemons, one for the chicken
- plates and bowls
Ingredients
- 3 large Chicken Breasts sliced thin, tenderized
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 large Eggs whisked
- 5 tablespoon Butter
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil avocado oil works well too
- 2 large Lemons thinly sliced
- ½ cup Dry White Wine
- Rosemary Garnish, optional
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Pat dry the chicken breasts and using a sharp slicing knife, fillet the breasts into two (which means to butterfly and separate)
- Dip the chicken into the whisked egg and then into the flour. Coat well and set onto a plate.
- Repeat until all chicken is egg dipped and floured.
For the Dish
- Pan fry the chicken in a large frying pan coated with olive oil and 2 tablespoon of butter. Add more oil as desired.
- Lay the chicken into the pan, 3-4 pieces at a time, and let cook for 5 minutes per side.
- Cook the chicken and set aside onto a separate plate. Meanwhile, add the rest of the butter to the pan and pour in the white wine.
- Layer the chicken breasts back in, and add the lemon slices. Turn the heat to a low flame and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, flipping each piece of chicken occasionally to coat all sides.
- Serve as is or garnish with fresh rosemary.
Sha Peace says
making this recipe is not only easy but pretty delicious too this is one of my son's favorite meals
Bridgette says
This was such an easy and delicous francese recipe. It was straightforward and that is great for me as I am super new to cooking in the kitchen.
Ellen says
What a great recipe!! I love that the sauce was not super heavy either. The chicken was flavorful and the leftovers were even better.
Morgan Peaceman says
Thank you for sharing!!
Agnes says
I’ve had chicken Francese at restaurants but never made it until now. This was such a great and tasty recipe. The step by step helped me a lot. I’ll be making this again soon. We paired with potatoes and some vegetables.
Steven D. says
A friend of mine sent this to me last week, and I had some time to make it yesterday night. It was delicious! I don't love a ton of lemon, but this one was balanced just right. I also really like the way the recipe is easy to follow. YUM!
Erica says
My hubby loves chicken francese and this recipe is so simple and it’s not hard to make! Comes out delicious!