We’ve made this Chicken Francese recipe so many times we’ve perfected it! Tender chicken breasts simmered in an easy, addicting lemon sauce!
Serve this easy chicken dish with Creamy Mashed Potatoes or these Crispy Homemade French Fries on the side! If you like rice as a side dish, try our Spicy Mushroom Rice instead. Just make sure there’s something to soak up all the sauce!
Why This Is The BEST Chicken Francese Recipe
We’re pretty much experts on easy chicken dinners around here. Our boys love chicken and so do we, so we find ourselves making it ALL the time. Not just for dinner but for lunch and even snacking on. There’s usually a plate of marinated grilled chicken in our refrigerator at all times for lunches, fast dinners and to add to salads.
So, this Chicken Francese recipe is one that we’ve been making for a long, long time. It’s a super easy chicken recipe that can be on the table in just about 20 minutes. The other bonus is that we always seem to have the ingredients on hand, so there’s never a need to run to the store.
Now, why do we think our Chicken Francese recipe is the best? It all comes down to the sauce. Yes you have to make sure that you coat the chicken properly and simmer it in the sauce until it’s almost fork tender. BUT the sauce is what it’s all about.
One of our friends kids calls this “that delicious brown sauce” and there’s really no other way to describe it. Delicious sauce with the perfect amount of lemon and white wine and just the right thickness to coat the chicken. Simple ingredients with just the right ratio.
Tips For Making The Best Chicken Francese
Just a few ingredients go into this classic dish, so make sure each one is the best you can find. For instance, use fresh lemon juice, not the stuff from the bottle. Find the best store bought chicken stock you can find, or make your own and freeze it for recipes like this. And as far as the wine goes, it doesn’t have to be really expensive wine, just a good quality wine that you like drinking.
Don’t buy cooking wine from the grocery store! It’s really not even close to the same flavor as real wine and it will make this chicken recipe taste subpar at best.
Also try and grab the best quality chicken you can find. The actual chicken that you use makes a difference in the flavor, too! And in this case, bigger is not always better. Sometimes those crazy big chicken breasts you see at the grocery store all pumped up with growth hormone and when the chicken is cooked it’s has a rubbery texture.
You’ll notice this more if you’ve had a chance to buy quality, organic chicken from a farm or a good brand from the store. Unfortunately, once you go this route you really won’t be able to go back!
Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Fresh lemon juice and lemon slices
- White Wine
- Butter
- Chicken Stock
- Cornstarch
- Seasonings
Can You Make This Chicken Dinner Ahead Of Time?
The answer is yes, but it’s better if you make it right before serving. The sauce is the most delicious when made fresh, when reheating the sauce can tend to “break” a little. That means that the butter can separate from the rest of the ingredients making it seem a little greasy.
Even reheated though, this chicken is absolutely delicious, so don’t be afraid to make it ahead of time if you need to. You can reheat these chicken breasts in the oven at about 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. When you take the chicken out of the oven, just give the sauce a quick stir to mix it back together again and you’ll be good to go.
Microwaving is another option but the chicken breasts can get a tough in the microwave so if you’re going for this reheating method, cut the chicken up into pieces before you heat it up.
Can You Freeze This Chicken Recipe?
Definitely. Make this Chicken Francese recipe in larger batches if you’d like for meal prepping and freeze it. Defrost the chicken in your refrigerator and then reheat it in the oven following the instructions mentioned above.
This is a great dinner recipe to take to a friend’s house or to bring to a potluck, we even make it for dinner parties. Everyone seems to love it and it doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours making it!
PIN IT!
Looking For More Easy Chicken Recipes?
- Creamy Chicken Marsala
- 15 Minute Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets (Oven instructions too!)
- Crock Pot Sticky Chicken Legs
- Easy Chicken & Broccoli Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
Chicken Francese
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeTender chicken breasts simmered in an addicting lemon sauce with a splash of white wine! This is going to be your new go to chicken recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Fresh Black pepper
- Flour (for dusting the chicken)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon whole milk or heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Season the chicken breast generously, on both sides, with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. If your chicken breasts are very thick, slice them in half horizontally first.
- Add the flour to a shallow plate or bowl, then add the eggs to another bowl and beat them with the milk or cream.
- Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, tapping off the excess and place on a plate. Once the chicken breasts have been coated in the flour, add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off and then place into the hot skillet. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and then remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and cover with foil.
- Carefully pour in the wine to deglaze the skillet and let reduce for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of butter, stirring to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, then add the cornstarch mixture and whisk to combine with the sauce.
- Bring the sauce back to a simmer, add the chicken breasts back to the skillet and top with the fresh lemon slices.
- Simmer the chicken for 8-10 minutes over low heat, spooning the sauce over the chicken as it cooks. Cover to keep warm or serve immediately.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
I will try this recipe… I have one very similar, but mine adds dried French fried onions while cooking. I serve over rice. It’s very good and easy as well..
Made this tonight over mashed potatoes and it was delicious! My family loved it.
I’ve tried MANY MANY French recipes over the years AND this one is one of THE BEST!!! I believe it’s because of the tiny slurry to make the sauce just thick enough to stick to the chicken and whatever sides you made to go along with it! 😋
I’ve tried MANY MANY French recipes over the years AND this one is one of THE BEST!!! I believe it’s because of the tiny slurry to make the sauce just thick enough to stick to the chicken and whatever sides you made to go along with it! 😋
tHIS WAS VERY GOOD DID NOT HAVE WINE USED VINGEAR DILUTED IT WORKED OUT FINE SERVED OVER ANGEL HAIR PASTA
This is my new go to recipe for chicken. It is so moist and tender and very delicious. Thank you for sharing
Can this be frozen after cooking? If so, how do you recommend is the best way to freeze and reheat?
Yes it can be frozen. Freeze the chicken and sauce in a container and then defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes until warmed through. If you’re only heating up one portion, the microwave works well also.
Delicious!! Made it for my husband and son and they devoured it!!! In fact, my son loved it so much, he messaged me the next day to tell me he couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing the chicken was! 😊. If that doesn’t tell you a dish is a hit, I don’t know what does! 😂. Thank you for sharing your recipe
One of my fav Italian dishes at a local Restaurant. The only difference was I didn’t make it with risotto as I did a chicken flavored rice. It was so tasty….Only deviation was I added much more lemon but that is certainly personal preference. Did a side of fresh zucchini’s with sautéed butter and onions.
Husband is lactose intolerant. What’s a good substitute? Just water?
Do you mean for the tablespoon of milk in the eggs? Yes, water is totally fine.
I’m making this in the next few days and I’m wondering, if I should increase the sauce ingredients so I have plenty of extra to drown my mashed potatoes in? I’m a gravy nut! Also has anyone added garlic to this dish? I am thinking about adding some minced garlic. Can’t wait to try it out. Looks so darn good!
Garlic is always fine by me. I wouldn’t increase the sauce ingredients because the sauce probably won’t turn out as thick. I will say that there should be a good amount of sauce to this dish, plenty for the mashed potatoes!
Sooooo easy and absolutely delicious! I made rice and skillet green beans to go with it tonight but tomorrow it’lll definitely be smashed potatoes and spinach! This is a keeper!
I have no clue how the beginning of my question disappeared? Anyway, does it make a huge difference if I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock? That’s what I have a lot of stored in my pantry?
Yes that’s fine!