Chicken francese is a simple yet delicious dinner made of juicy thin-sliced chicken breasts that are seared, then smothered in a lemon and white wine butter sauce. Made with simple ingredients, in one pan, and in less than 45 minutes, including prep time!
This is one of my Chicken recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
We’re right in the thick of the holiday season, and time is short for everyone, so we all need a delicious, easy, and quick dinner!
And if you’re looking for a recipe to make on a busy weeknight, that is bursting with flavor, and tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant… boy do I have the recipe for you. Chicken francese.
Tender and golden brown chicken breasts are smothered in an absolutely mouthwatering white wine and lemon butter sauce.
Plus, parts of it can be prepped ahead, leaving you with a meal you can get on the table really quickly!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Quick – chicken francese is perfect for a busy weeknight, especially if you prep ahead (tips listed further down on the page).
- Delicious – the simplicity allows the clean and bright flavors of the white wine, lemon, and butter to really shine through.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Chicken – I use thin-sliced chicken breasts, but if you can’t find those, or would rather use regular boneless skinless chicken breasts, I’ve detailed how to use those in the recipe card.
- Flour – nothing fancy, just all purpose flour.
- Salt and pepper – I keep the seasonings simple so the other fresh flavors can really shine.
- Eggs – this recipe was tested with large eggs.
- Milk – I like the richness of milk in the egg wash, but water will also work just as well.
- Olive oil – this is for cooking the chicken, but you can use avocado oil instead if you’d like.
- Lemon – just the slices.
- White wine – dry white wine adds a great flavor, but I’ve shared an alcohol alternative in the “variations” section of the post below.
- Chicken broth (not pictured above) – I prefer to use reduced sodium, so that I’m in control of the salt level.
- Parsley – this is just a garnish, so it’s optional, but I really like the pop of color and freshness.
How to make weeknight chicken francese:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Season the flour. I like to season multiple layers in a dish, and adding salt and pepper to the flour adds a little bit of extra flavor.
- Dredge chicken. A shallow bowl or pie pan is great for this.
- Dip in egg wash. Don’t do this until right before you’re ready to cook the chicken.
- Cook. You’re looking for the chicken to be fully cooked, then remove it to a wire cooling rack.
- Sear lemons. This adds a depth of flavor, but you can skip it if you’d like.
- Make roux. A roux is a mixture of a fat (butter in this case), with flour, that’s used to thicken sauces.
- Make sauce. There’s not too many ingredients in this sauce, so it comes together quickly.
- Finish. Add the cooked chicken back to the sauce, top with lemon slices, and garnish.
Helpful Tip!
After searing the chicken in the skillet and draining the remaining oil, don’t wipe the skillet out. All those browned bits on the bottom of the skillet add so much flavor to the sauce. However, if you have burned, black bits, those should be discarded.
Variations of this recipe
- Chicken – instead of chicken breasts, this recipe can be made with boneless skinless chicken tenders.
- Butter – if you want to use salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt used in the sauce.
- White wine alternative – if you’d rather not use alcohol, you can substitute the wine with 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and add it when you add the salt and pepper to the sauce.
- Garlic – while not traditional in chicken francese, feel free to add 2-4 cloves of minced garlic to the melted butter, before adding the flour.
FAQ’s
They are very similar, but there are two main differences. First, in chicken piccata, the chicken is only dredged in flour, as opposed to the flour and egg wash breading in chicken francese. Secondly, piccata has capers, and francese doesn’t.
I like to serve it with some mashed potatoes (to top with the amazing pan sauce), and a roasted vegetables (such as roasted asparagus or roasted brussels sprouts).
Making chicken francese ahead of time
This recipe tastes best when made fresh, so I don’t advise making it ahead.
However, you can prep ahead to cut down on time.
- Chicken – if you’re using regular chicken breasts, they can be sliced and stored in the refrigerator for a day or so.
- Flour – the flour mixture (flour, salt, pepper) can be combined and stored at room temperature.
- Lemon – the lemon can be sliced and stored in the refrigerator.
- Parsley – this can be chopped and stored in the refrigerator.
Storage
Leftover chicken should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3 days.
Keep in mind that the breading can get soggy the longer it sits, so I wouldn’t plan this for a meal prep idea.
More One Pan Chicken Recipes:
My Favorite Skillet!
This pan is definitely not cheap, but I wanted to be transparent that this is the pan I most often use in my kitchen. However, you can use any large skillet/pan; I just recommend at least 10-12″ in diameter and/or a 3 quart capacity.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts ** see chef tip #2
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp milk water will also work
- 3 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
White wine and lemon butter sauce
- 1 whole lemon seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup dry white wine such as a chardonnay
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare
- To a shallow bowl or dish, add 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir to combine.
- In another shallow bowl or dish, add 2 large eggs and 2 Tbsp milk. Use a fork or whisk to combine well.
- Line a baking sheet with a paper towel and top it with a wire cooling rack. Set this nearby the stove, as this will be where you put the chicken after cooking.
Bread chicken and cook
- Heat a large skillet or pan over a heat in between MED and MED HIGH.
- While pan is heating up, dredge 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts (one at at time) in the flour, turning to coat both sides.
- Add 3 Tbsp olive or avocado oil to hot pan.
- Transfer the flour dredged chicken breasts to the egg mixture (one at a time), turning to coat. Add to hot pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
- Remove chicken breasts to the wire rack you prepared earlier.
Make sauce
- Discard any remaining oil, then place skillet back on the stove over MED heat.
- Add the slices from 1 whole lemon to the hot skillet and cook for about 30 seconds per side. Remove lemon slices to the wire rack with the chicken.
- Add 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, and once melted, add 2 Tbsp all purpose flour and whisk well to combine. Cook for about a minute, to get the taste of raw flour out.
- Slowly pour in 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth and 1/4 cup dry white wine, whisking as you pour, and then whisking very often until mixture simmers.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and whisk another couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Finish and serve
- Add the chicken and lemon slices back to the skillet, spooning some sauce over the chicken.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and serve hot.
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Chef Tips
- This recipe makes 4 thin chicken breasts, which you’re free to divide up into as many servings as you’d like.
- If you only have full-size chicken breasts, you can turn 2 of them into 4. You’re going to slice the regular chicken breasts in half from right to left, opening them like a book. This is a good photo tutorial, although I don’t usually pound the chicken. The reason for using thinner cuts of chicken is that the chicken cooks quicker and more evenly.
- You’re looking for chicken breasts that are somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. If your thin-sliced chicken is still too thick, you can gently pound them until they’re the right thickness.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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