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    Home » Recipes

    Easy Chicken Francese Recipe

    Published: Sep 16, 2016 / Updated: Sep 5, 2018 / 23 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Tender chicken breast is coated in parmesan cheese and fried to golden perfection in a buttery lemon sauce in this Chicken Francese recipe. You can make this restaurant favorite at home in under half an hour!

    easy chicken Francese on a plate with pasta and parsley garnish
    Photos updated 6/18

    I don't know about you, but butter, lemon, and fried cheese always sounds good to me. I often order Chicken Francese (also known as Chicken Française) when I go to my favorite Italian restaurant.

    It's pretty much the only time I will ever order chicken in a restaurant other than Raising Cane's chicken fingers (OMG so good).

    Sadly, my favorite Italian restaurant isn't in the country I live in, so I sometimes have to make do and make my own version of this dish. It isn't exactly the same, but that's ok.

    My version is quick and easy and hits the spot!

    The Francese sauce is made without wine (I used chicken broth instead). You could always use white wine instead if you wanted to.

    What's the difference between Chicken Francese and Chicken Piccata?

    Chicken Francese is quite similar to chicken piccata, but the chicken is coated in parmesan instead of breadcrumbs, and the sauce doesn't have capers.

    skillet with parmesan-crusted chicken breasts

    How to make Chicken Francese

    Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise; sprinkle them with garlic powder and salt & pepper. Dredge them in flour, followed by eggs, and then the grated parmesan cheese.

    Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until the parmesan crust is golden. Take chicken out of pan.

    Add the sauce components and let the sauce bubble for a couple of minutes; add the chicken back into the pan and simmer until it's cooked through.

    This dish makes really tasty leftovers, but it really is best served right away before that crust softens up too much.

    Chicken Francese is ideal for a busy weeknight and is sure to become a family favorite. 🙂

    plate with chicken Francese with fettuccine and a fork and knife

    Funny story (ok, it's not hilarious or anything, or related to this Chicken Francese recipe).

    I've been meaning to post a mashed sweet potatoes recipe because, you know, fall and Thanksgiving and stuff. The only sweet potatoes I could find yesterday were fairly pale, but I didn't think anything of it.

    I cut into one today and I'm like "oh sh*t... they're not orange... they look like normal potatoes". So I do a little research and realized that there are different varieties of sweet potatoes. They aren't all orange.

    Well color me surprised! You learn something new every day I guess.

    What to serve with Chicken Francese?

    You can't go wrong serving Chicken Francese with pasta or mashed potatoes

    Anyway, do you love lemon Chicken Francese as much as I do?

    Tried it? Have questions?

    Let me know in the comments below!

    This easy Chicken Francese recipe is made with tender parmesan-crusted chicken breasts. The lemon butter sauce can be made with no wine, and it goes wonderfully with pasta or mashed potatoes!

    Chicken Francese

    Tender chicken breast is coated in parmesan cheese and fried to golden perfection in a buttery lemon sauce in this Chicken Francese recipe. You can make this restaurant favorite at home in under half an hour!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian American
    Servings 4
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 chicken breasts
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • 1/4 cup flour for dredging 
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese*
    • 1 (10 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt & pepper and garlic powder. 
    • Prepare 3 bowls - one with the flour, one with the egg (whisk it), and the third with the parmesan.
    • Add the olive oil to a skillet on medium-high heat. One by one, coat each piece of chicken with the flour, then the egg, then the parmesan, and add each piece to the skillet. Cook each piece for 3-4 minutes per side or until the crust is golden (the chicken may stick a little so I gently/slowly lift it up using tongs). Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
    • Add the chicken broth and lemon juice + zest to the pan and simmer it for a couple of minutes, scraping up the brown bits.
    • Add the butter, and once it melts, add the chicken back in the pan. Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the sauce is slightly reduced and the chicken is cooked through (you may need to turn the heat down a bit). Season with extra salt & pepper if needed, and sprinkle the parsley on top.

    Notes

    • If your chicken breasts are particularly thick, I suggest increasing the parmesan to 1.5 cups.
    • Here's a shameless plug for the awesome lemon zester I used to make this recipe. 🙂
    Keyword easy Chicken Francese recipe
    Author Natasha Bull
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    1. Ben says

      February 8, 2022 at 7:26 PM

      I’ve made this a bunch of times, different amounts of olive oil, different levels of heat, and the coating always sticks to the pan at the first turning. Maybe I just have crappy cast iron lol. But would appreciate any thoughts/tips.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 8, 2022 at 9:05 PM

        Hi! That could for sure be part of it. It can be really tricky to get those factors right with certain pans, unfortunately. I've actually had that happen before, too... especially when using stainless steel. I try to turn it very slowly and sort of maneuver the spatula underneath the chicken so it slowly peels off the pan vs. being lifted off in one go. I'm going to be re-testing this recipe at some point here (this one was developed way back in 2016 and is due for an update), and I'm going to see if I can add some troubleshooting tips to the blog post.

        Reply
    2. Natalie says

      May 8, 2021 at 10:08 AM

      So I had to have done something wrong on the last step. The top part of the chicken was really crispy. Good, but when I did the last step it made the bottom of it taste like it was boiled.. should I be using a bigger pan so the liquid doesn’t get so high?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 8, 2021 at 10:15 AM

        Hi Natalie! Yes, I think that would definitely help a bit. I would say you didn't do anything wrong. I think I may look into tweaking this recipe a bit to see if I can eliminate that issue... like perhaps not have the chicken finish cooking in the sauce and just pour it over right at the end since the coating does tend to soften up quite fast.

        Reply
    3. Victoria says

      February 16, 2021 at 4:45 PM

      Delicious! I have been trying to find new recipes to make chicken tasty without the heavy breading because I recently have been having bad acid reflux. My husband loved it to. Will definitley be a weekly staple!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 16, 2021 at 5:08 PM

        Thank you!! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    4. Anna Wright says

      January 20, 2017 at 10:37 PM

      This is an incredibly creative recipe. Look splendid too. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    5. Joanne : No Plate Like Home says

      November 6, 2016 at 6:00 PM

      Your pix are fabulous! Recipe sounds good! I found purple sweet potatoes once! Looked like sweet potatoes on the outside and were PURPLE inside. They tasted good too.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 7, 2016 at 2:38 AM

        Thanks joanne! I'd love to try the purple ones.

        Reply
    6. Joanne says

      October 8, 2016 at 7:43 PM

      We found purple sweet potatoes in Hawaii and they were so good! I could not believe the inside was dark purple!
      This chicken sounds good. I make something similar with Panko bread crumbs. I love the crunch.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        October 8, 2016 at 7:45 PM

        Thank you!! Oooh I had no idea purple sweet potatoes existed either haha.

        Reply
    7. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

      September 20, 2016 at 2:45 PM

      Love this recipe Natasha and so will my husband Tom. Can't wait to give it a try.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 20, 2016 at 3:25 PM

        Thank you! I hope you guys like it 🙂

        Reply
    8. Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says

      September 18, 2016 at 4:41 PM

      Love this for its simplicity. My kids seem to only like simple flavors. Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 18, 2016 at 5:25 PM

        Thank you! I hope they like it 🙂

        Reply
    9. Stephanie | The Foodie and The Fix says

      September 18, 2016 at 2:58 PM

      I've never made my own Chicken Francese before but I've certainly eaten my fair share 🙂 These photos are making me so hungry! Btw, I recently moved to Alaska and there have been plenty of times that I have only been able to get yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes (labeled Japanese Sweet Potatoes here) and not orange ones - I knew there were different varieties, but like you, I feel the need to get the pretty orange ones for blog posts!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 18, 2016 at 5:24 PM

        Thanks Stephanie!! That is interesting. I guess maybe it's because we're up so far north??

        Reply
    10. Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says

      September 18, 2016 at 12:36 PM

      Hello deliciousness! This sounds so amazing! I love chicken piccata but haven't made chicken Francese before... that's gonna have to change soon! (And no, that would not be a happy surprise to have a non-orange sweet potato if you're trying to photograph it!) Pinned!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 18, 2016 at 5:25 PM

        Thanks Kathryn 🙂 And thanks for pinning it! Let me know if you do try it.

        Reply
    11. Alida | Simply Delicious says

      September 18, 2016 at 1:06 AM

      This recipe is right up my alley. Butter, cheese and lemon are all constants in my kitchen. 😉 Us South Africans have always only had white sweet potatoes until probably 3 years ago when the orange variety was introduced. In Afrikaans (one of our official languages), they are called Soet Patats and they are often cooked in mountains of butter and sugar. So good!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 18, 2016 at 9:49 AM

        Thanks Alida! That is really interesting re: the orange variety just being introduced. A mountain of butter and sugar sounds good to me! 😀

        Reply
    12. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

      September 16, 2016 at 6:12 AM

      You definitely can't go wrong with butter, lemon and fried cheese. Just 3 of them alone would be fantastic, forget the chicken, lol 😀 Interesting little point about sweet potatoes. No matter what the colour, so delicious!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 16, 2016 at 8:05 AM

        Haha agreed. Thanks Dawn!

        Reply

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    Natasha Bull, founder and author of Salt & Lavender, in the kitchen

    Hi! I'm Natasha. Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!  Read more...

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