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Italian Chicken Francese is an elegant Italian dinner option. Battered chicken breasts are pan-fried and then simmered in a buttery, lemon-wine sauce.
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I like to serve this dish with Spicy Italian Broccoli Rabe, Savory Mushroom Risotto, and a light, Italian Amaretti Peaches for a sweet finish.
CHICKEN FRANCESE VS CHICKEN PICCATA
Chicken Francese is very similar to Chicken Piccata in that both are boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmered in a buttery, lemon sauce.
Chicken Francese uses chicken that is dipped into flour first, then into the egg mixture, and finally simmered in a buttery, lemon sauce.
Chicken piccata is dipped into the egg first, then flour and simmered in a buttery, lemon sauce that also has capers in it. In my opinion, both are delicious!
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I like to slice them into thinner fillets and pound them until they are all evenly thick. They’ll cook more evenly this way.
- Flour, salt, white pepper, garlic powder
- Eggs and milk to make the egg wash to dip the floured chicken fillets into before pan-frying.
- Olive and butter – both to pan-fry the chicken and for the sauce
- Lemon, onion, garlic, fresh parsley
- Dry white wine – I used chardonnay.
- Chicken broth – use low sodium to control how salty your dish will be.
HOW DO I MAKE THIS RECIPE?
- Slice the chicken horizontally and use a meat mallet to make sure that the pieces are of equal thickness. This is important so that all the pieces cook evenly.
- Mix the flour, salt, white pepper, and garlic powder in one bowl and the egg and water in another.
- Dredge each chicken fillet in the flour and then the egg mixture.
- Saute the chicken until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add butter to the same pan and brown the lemon. This adds an incredible amount of flavor and doesn’t take that long. Please don’t skip this step.
- Saute the onions, garlic, and parsley.
- Add the wine, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Simmer until thickened.
- Add the chicken and lemon slices back to the pan. Turn to coat the chicken with the sauce and simmer until the chicken is hot.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES TO TRY
- White Chicken Chili
- Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
- Chicken Vesuvio
- Chicken Marbella
- Sticky And Spicy Sriracha Chicken Drumsticks
ITALIAN CHICKEN FRANCESE
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts are coated in flour and egg, then pan-fried and simmered in a buttery, lemon-wine sauce. This is a dish your family will ask for again and again.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally (4 total fillets)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped into a small dice
- 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Freshly minced fresh parsley
Instructions
For the chicken:
If the chicken fillets are not uniform in size (thicker in spots), wrap them in plastic wrap and pound with a flat meat mallet.
Place the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow dish.
In another shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together.
Dredge each chicken fillet in the flour mixture and then into the egg wash.
Lie the breaded chicken fillet in the hot skillet.
Repeat with the remaining 3 chicken fillets.
Cook until golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
For the sauce:
In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat.
Add the lemon slices in a single layer and cook until the slices begin to brown – about 3 minutes.
Remove the lemon slices to the same plate as the chicken.
Add the remaining butter into the pan. Toss in the onions and garlic, and stir to coat with the butter. Saute, stirring often, until the onions turn translucent – about 8 minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook for about a minute.
Whisk in the wine and simmer another 2 minutes.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Dish - Chicken
- Method: Pan-fry, simmer
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Italian chicken francese, Italian recipes, chicken, lemon, wine, boneless skinless chicken breasts,
