Easy Classic Chicken Francaise

This is a dish my wife orders every time we visit an Italian restaurant that has it on its menu. You don’t always see it on the menu, as piccata, for the busy restaurant line cook, is easier to make.

At home we can confidently make this dish because we can take our time to make it right. In this dish you are essentially making chicken piccata, just adding one more step of an egg, parmesan, and parsley dredge and eliminating the capers.

Chicken francaise looks elegant on your table on a platter with sauce drizzled over the top, decorated with lemon slices on top or alongside and a sprinkling of parsley. It is perfect for a dinner party, a date-night dinner, or a special treat any night of the week for your family.

As with my piccata recipe, I’ve made detailed instructions for you to make the recipe perfect. It may seem you are doing more reading than cooking, so print the recipe and place it where you are working so you can reference it.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Francaise Recipe

Chicken Francaise is a classic dinner staple in every Italian restaurant. Sauteed chicken in a wine, butter, and lemon sauce seems simple, but it does require some technique to get it right.

Follow this recipe and it comes out perfect every time. Make sure to read the detailed steps in the recipe to achieve that perfection!

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts: Fillet the chicken breasts into cutlets for a balance of sauce and chicken ratio. Place them under plastic wrap and pound with a mallet from the thick end to the thin end until an even 1/4-inch thick.
• All-Purpose Flour: Standard unbleached all-purpose flour protects the chicken from drying out as it sautes. Leaving some flour in the pan also helps thicken the sauce later, so do not wipe out the skillet after sauteing. (Gluten-free option: Use a 1:1 ratio of gluten-free baking flour and rice flour, or a 2:1 ratio using cornstarch mixed with one of the flours.)
• Eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Parsley: Whisking grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh parsley directly into your eggs creates a flavorful dredge. This coating gives the dish its classic look and taste.
• Unsalted Butter and Olive Oil (for Sauteing): Combining olive oil and butter provides a high smoke point that prevents burning during sauteing. The butter also helps the cutlets achieve a gorgeous golden brown color.

Sauce Ingredients

• Dry White Wine: A dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc deglazes the pan and loosens the flavorful browned bits. The acidity also counterbalances the rich butter. (Substitutions: Double the chicken stock for a non-alcoholic version, or use dry white vermouth if you ran out of wine.)
• Unsalted Chicken Stock: Chicken stock adds body, savory depth, and volume to the sauce. Always use unsalted stock to manually control the salt content as the sauce reduces and liquid evaporates.
• Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice: Always use fresh squeezed lemons for a crisp, sharp acidic flavor and a beautiful garnish. Bottled lemon juice contains preservatives that can turn bitter or metallic when heated.
• Cold Unsalted Butter (Pan Finish): Cold unsalted butter is critical during the emulsification stage. Swirling cold butter into the sauce off the heat keeps it from breaking and separating.
• Fresh Parsley & Lemon Slices: Chopped parsley adds a vibrant green color contrast to the finished dish. Serve with whole lemon slices on top or lemon wedges alongside the chicken.

Tips for Success (What Makes This Chicken Francaise Perfect)

Pat the Chicken Dry

Pat the chicken dry before dredging it in flour so the moisture does not turn the flour into a paste. Season the chicken directly with salt and pepper, then pat off any excess moisture before dredging and placing it into the hot pan.

Why the Cold Butter Matters

Monter au beurre is the classic French technique used to emulsify the sauce. Warm butter releases its fat instantly and causes the sauce to separate, whereas cold butter taken straight from the fridge melts slowly off the heat to create a glossy, unified sauce.

How to Control Your Salt

Always use unsalted stock and butter so you can control the salt level manually. Since reducing liquid concentrates flavor and salt, seasoning the chicken cutlets directly before cooking allows you to taste and adjust the sauce safely at the very end.

Prep Everything in Advance

Have all your ingredients prepped and measured before you start cooking. Taking a few extra minutes to set up your station prevents missed steps and ensures a smooth, stress-free process from start to finish.

Make-Ahead instructions

Prepping Cutlets: You can filet the chicken into cutlets, pound them and store them flat in an airtight container separated by layers of parchment paper up to 24-hrs ahead of time. Do not season or dredge in flour until sauteeing.

Partial or advance cooking: A time saver here can be sauteeing the cutlets 30 minutes prior to making the sauce. Store on a covered dish at room temperature. Build the sauce before serving. I have sauteed the cutlets the day before for a dinner party. Season the chicken and dredge in flour then saute the cutlets. Allow them to come to room temperature and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge 30 min before adding to the sauce in the pan and allow them to warm in the sauce. However, you will lose some of the flavor you left in the pan the day before.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my sauce break or come out oily?

Sauces break when butter is added over direct, high heat or if the butter was not cold directly from the fridge. You can try to fix this by adding a splash of cold chicken stock and whisk it vigorously until it comes back together.

Can I use store bought chicken cutlets?

Absolutely. This is a time saver however, may cost you a few more dollars. Lay them on your cutting board and check they are even thickness. You may need to pound them.

What if the sauce is too salty?

The simple fix is to toss out the sauce and start over. Simply wash your pan or grab another one and rebuild your sauce using unsalted ingredients, salting at the end to taste. The only loss is the flavors left behind when you seared the cutlets.But, you saved the dish.

How do I make this for a crowd?

Ok, this can be done. I have done it. Saute as many cutlets as you need and place them on a covered platter. Then, multiply the sauce recipe for as many cutlets you made and build the sauce. Then, in small batches, transfer the chicken to the sauce, coat the cutlets, then put them back on the platter. Then, pour the remaining sauce over the platter and garnish. This especially works great if you are using chafing dishes if you made the chicken the night before.