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If you’ve never had Chicken Francese, you’re in for a treat! Lightly breaded chicken, pan-fried to golden perfection, then bathed in a bright, buttery lemon sauce that’s totally irresistible.
A Reader’s Review
My family loves this recipe. I’ve used this 4 or 5 times and I’m doing it again! Great for the summer…the Lemon goes so well with everything! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
– Rob
Why You’ll Love My Chicken Francese
- Technique That Works: Dipping in flour before the egg gives you a crisp, clingy coating. A quick pan-fry locks in moisture and creates that perfect golden crust.
- Simple But Tastes Fancy: It tastes like a fancy restaurant meal, but it’s ready in under an hour, which is perfect for busy nights.
- Family-Friendly: My kids actually love Chicken Francese. The crispy breading mixed with the butter lemon sauce is to die for!
Ingredients Needed
- Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled works in a pinch, but fresh adds WAY more flavor. Start with less if you prefer it subtle.
- Stick with dry white wine. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio work best. If you don’t like cooking with wine, use white grape juice, apple juice, or chicken stock instead.
- Use any cut of chicken. Breasts, cutlets, or thighs all work. If using thick breasts, butterfly or pound them thin for even cooking.
How to Make Chicken Francese
Chicken Francese is a delicious chicken dish where the chicken is pan-fried and then cooked in a delicious lemon sauce. This recipe is simple with no weird ingredients or fancy steps.
- Season Chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a 14-inch skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and ground black pepper.
- Coat Chicken in Flour: Set up a dredging station by combining the flour and garlic powder in a medium bowl, and whisking the eggs in a separate medium bowl. Coat the chicken in the flour.
- Dredge in Egg: Then coat the chicken in the eggs.
- Cook Breaded Chicken: Add the dipped chicken to the hot oil and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side until golden brown and the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Wipe out the excess oil from the skillet with a paper towel.
- Make Sauce: Add the butter to the pan and melt it over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until it bubbles and gives off a nutty fragrance, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the wine and cook for 1 minute, until boiling.
- Season and Serve: Whisk in the chicken broth and lemon juice. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste, let simmer, then whisk until the sauce has thickened. Return the chicken to the pan and garnish with lemon slices and parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
How Do I Know When My Chicken is Done?
The most reliable way to check is with an instant-read meat thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the chicken—once it reads 165°F, the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Francese
- In the Refrigerator: Store the cooked chicken Francese in the fridge in an airtight container. It will last for up to 4 days.
- In the Freezer: I don’t recommend preparing this ahead or freezing it because the breading on the chicken won’t be crisp if it sits in the fridge or if it is frozen, then thawed.
- Oven Reheat: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Place the chicken on a pan and cover it with foil. Cook it for 10 minutes or until warmed throughout!
- Microwave Reheat: You can also reheat it in the microwave in 30-second increments until the chicken is heated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Chicken Francese Recipe
My chicken Francese has tender chicken breasts lightly breaded and pan-fried to golden perfection, then coated in a bright, buttery lemon sauce.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced in half
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour for dredging
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for the sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a 14-inch skillet over medium heat. Season 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts with salt and ground black pepper.
- Set up a dredging station by combining ¼ cup all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a medium bowl, and whisking 2 large eggs in a separate medium bowl.
- Coat the chicken in the flour first, then the eggs. Add the dipped chicken to the hot oil and cook for 6-8 minutes of each side until golden brown and the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Wipe out the excess oil from the skillet with a paper towel.
- Add ¼ cup unsalted butter to the pan and melt it over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk until it bubbles and gives off a nutty fragrance, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in ½ cup dry white wine and cook for 1 minute, until boiling.
- Whisk in ½ cup chicken broth and 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste, then whisk until the sauce has thickened. Return the chicken to the pan and garnish with parsley and sliced lemons, if desired. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Updated May 16, 2025
Storage: Store chicken Francese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, but skip freezing; it ruins the crispy breading. Reheat in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes or use the microwave in 30-second bursts until it hits 165°F.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chickenCalories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 29gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 280mgPotassium: 517mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 525IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
any substitutions for the dry white wine?
Hi Caron! You can use apple juice, chicken broth, or white grape juice instead of white wine.
Love your recipes!
My family loves this prep.
I’ve used this 4 or 5 times and I’m doing it again!
Great for the summer…the Lemon goes so well with everything!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Rob
It will flash a notice to “stay” or “next” on the right hand side of the video
…click stay and the recipe will continue
I used a whole lemon and it was way too lemony. I’m going to try half of a lemon next time.
Your video cuts out before finishing. NOT .!! Helpful.??
Had my daughter who has a tbl. She is leaning how to cook again. She did a great job ?. Recipe was delicious. Thanks for having recipes that she can understand. And she is leaning to measure things great reading and math lesson.
If I’m serving the chicken with pasta, should I make extra sauce to coat the pasta? Or do you think the sauce in the recipe is enough for the chicken and the pasta? Thanks in advance!
I think you might have enough, but it would depend on how much you would like on your pasta. You could make additional sauce just in case!
Absolutely love this! I make it probably every 2 weeks! This is one of my favorite dinners!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! My husband picked out this recipe from a Google search for his bday and it was a hit! No adjustments needed. I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out perfectly. I served it with fettuccine and a Caesar salad. Fantastic!
I love hearing this!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
very easy to do
My daughters loved this! My 9 year old did the dipping of the chicken and she loved helping. However, when I added the flour to the pan, it really thickened and when I added the white wine it did not boil because it was too thick. So, mine didn’t come out like a sauce. Any suggestions on what to do next time? Thank you!
Add chicken stock until you achieve the desired consistency. From what you wrote, it looks like you may have overlooked that ingredient.
You didn’t mention adding the broth after the wine. Did you add that as well!? Perhaps that’s why yours didn’t become a sauce
Thank you trying tonight my husband’s favorite hope it comes out great
In the recipe for the Chicken Francaise. Shouldn’t the egg mixture come before the flour dredge?
That’s actually a very common thought! In Chicken Francese, you dip the chicken in the flour first and then the eggs! BUT it’s commonly confused with Chicken Piccata where you dredge the chicken in eggs and then flour (just the opposite!). If you want to check out my chicken piccata, here is the recipe! Chicken Piccata