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You are here: Crunchy Creamy Sweet / Recipes / Dinner

Chicken Francese

Published: Aug 12, 2019 · Modified: Jan 18, 2021 by Anna 9 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

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Chicken Francese - pan-fried chicken with buttery lemon sauce. This fancy dish is quite easy to make at home! 

This easy dish gives my French Onion Roasted Chicken a run for the money. It's as easy to make as my Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken!

Close up on Chicken Francese in sauce in pan.

I recreated one of the fancier restaurant dishes in my own kitchen. It's as close to the authentic Chicken Francese (aka French Chicken), yet still incredibly easy to make at home. This dish features flour and egg coated chicken, fried in the pan and serve with lemon butter sauce. It's flavorful, tangy and delicious! It can be served with pasta, potatoes or rice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • egg
  • milk
  • flour
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • butter
  • chicken stock
  • white wine (optional)
  • lemon
  • cornstarch
  • shallot
Chicken Francese ingredients on marble board.

How to make Chicken Francese?

  • Start by cutting the chicken breasts in half to make 4 cutlets.
  • Dredge each cutlet in flour, then in egg and milk mixture.
  • Fry in oil and butter combo until done and golden brown. Set aside to make the sauce.
  • Wipe the pan, add more butter and saute chopped shallot.
  • Add lemon juice and lemon slices. Simmer for a few minutes.
  • Add chicken stock and cornstarch mix and simmer until the sauce thickens.
  • Place chicken back in the pan and simmer for 2 minutes to heat it up.

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What to serve with it?

  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • Perfect Fluffy Rice
  • Easy Mashed Cauliflower (for low-carb option)
  • Lyonnaise Potatoes
  • spaghetti noodles
Three Chicken Francese pieces in stainless steel pan.

Variations:

  • use gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour; the sauce is made with cornstarch so it's already GF.
  • skip the wine for a non-alcoholic version
  • add heavy cream to make the sauce even richer in taste

 More easy chicken skillet dinners:

  • Garlic and Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
  • Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
  • Honey Lemon Chicken
  • Creamy Mushroom Garlic Chicken
  • Lemon Pepper Chicken
  • Skillet Chicken Thighs
  • Chicken Paprikash

For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Dinner category.

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

Close up on Chicken Francese in sauce in pan.

Chicken Francese

Author: Anna
Pan-fried chicken with buttery lemon sauce. This fancy dish is quite easy to make at home! Serve it with mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, noodles (spaghetti or fettuccine) or mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option.
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 4 people
Calories 324 kcal
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Ingredients
 
 

for the chicken:

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

for the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 4 lemon slices
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup white wine optional
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup chicken stock

Instructions
 

  • Cut each chicken breast lengthwise, to make 4 cutlets.
  • Season each cutlet with salt and pepper.
  • Place flour in a shallow dish. Whisk egg and milk in another shallow dish.
  • Dip each chicken cutlet in flour first, then in egg mixture.
  • Heat up oil and butter in a pan.
  • Fry each cutlet until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Place on plate and set aside.
  • Wipe the pan with paper towel.
  • Add butter to pan and let melt.
  • Add shallot and saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add lemon slices and let caramelize. Remove them onto a plate.
  • Add white wine, if using, and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add lemon juice and simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Mix cornstarch and chicken stock and pour the mixture into the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
  • Place chicken back in the pan with sauce and let everything heat up.
  • Serve chicken with sauce and lemon slices, over potatoes, rice or pasta.

Notes

To make the sauce creamy, add ¼ cup of heavy cream while simmering. 

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 357mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment with rating below!

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Comments

    5 from 7 votes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Jola says

    November 20, 2024 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    I wanted to do something unconventional for my guests today. I used this recipe and delighted everyone

    Reply
  2. Robert Cochrane says

    March 19, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent dish! Very flavorful but not overpowering. not a dish to try and prepare if you're in a hurry. I made chicken and garlic rice pilaf to serve the chicken on. A great compliment to the chicken. Looking forward to serving this to guests. Thanks for the recipe, Anna!

    Reply
  3. Teisha says

    May 21, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    Great recipe! I made this tonight and it was incredible! My boyfriend raved about it, will definitely use this again. The recipe is easy to follow and taste great!

    Reply
    • Anna says

      May 23, 2020 at 10:48 pm

      Thank you so much, Teisha! I am so glad it was a hit!

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    August 12, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    5 stars
    Easy enough to do and delicious enough to do again! Loved this.

    Reply
  5. Kristyn says

    August 12, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    5 stars
    This chicken looks incredible!! We love chicken dishes & I love trying new recipes! Can't wait to make it for my family!

    Reply
  6. Beth Pierce says

    August 12, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    Love how easy this was, yet packed with flavor! Adding to my dinner line up to enjoy again later in the week!

    Reply
  7. Krissy Allori says

    August 12, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like a great idea for the next time I have a dinner party

    Reply
  8. Trang says

    August 12, 2019 at 3:02 pm

    5 stars
    Great date night recipe idea!

    Reply
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Hi! I'm Anna!

Thank you for stopping by! Here you will find easy and delicious recipes for busy people. My recipes are made with everyday ingredients and all of them are family-approved!

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