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four breaded chicken breasts in cream sauce
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5 from 14 votes

Chicken Francese

Enjoy these delicious lightly breaded boneless skinless chicken breasts, pan fried to golden brown, then served in a lemon butter wine sauce with a hint of cream for dinner. Chicken Francese is not only quick and easy to make, but it is an incredibly delicious recipe.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 small or two large sliced horizontally to create 4)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter

For the sauce:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons freshly minced parsley amount varies based on preference

Instructions

Cook the chicken:

  • Prepare ingredients: Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl or flat-bottomed dish, whisk eggs and lemon juice together until blended. Place the flour and parmesan in a separate, but similar, dish. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
    preparing chicken for frying
  • Bread chicken: Lightly dredge the chicken in flour mixture and shake off any excess. Dip into egg batter, let excess batter drip back into the bowl. Dredge in flour again and shake off excess. Set on plate until each piece of chicken is ready.
    coating chicken breast in flour after egg wash
  • Fry chicken: In a wide skillet, heat olive and butter over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot but not yet smoking, add chicken to pan. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer cooked chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate and loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Discard any excess oil, leaving a thin layer and anything that stuck to the pan. Reduce heat to low.
    frying chicken breasts in pan

Prepare the sauce:

  • Add butter and garlic to pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a flat bottomed wooden spoon to release anything that may have stuck when cooking the chicken. Once garlic has cooked for several minutes and is fragrant, add lemon juice and wine. Stir well and cook for several minutes while it reduces. Stir in chicken stock and heavy cream. Stir well and cook until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust with additional lemon juice, salt and/or pepper if needed.
  • Add cooked chicken back to the pan and simmer gently until the chicken is heated through, about 4 minutes. During this time, turn the chicken over to coat in the sauce. Just prior to serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, spooning some of the sauce over each serving.
    breaded chicken breasts with lemon wine butter sauce

Notes

Nutritional info based on some of the cooking oil being drained off and all of the sauce being consumed.

Nutrition

Calories: 787kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 285mg | Sodium: 579mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1194IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 3mg