Chicken Francaise made with boneless chicken that's lightly floured and sauteéd in butter; then topped with a light, lemony sauce.
Originally, I shared this recipe for Chicken Francaise five years ago. And like I mentioned a few posts back, I've been trying to make some of our old favorite recipes again and give them a photo makeover.
I made this chicken recipe in February when my niece and her boyfriend came over for dinner.
Can you prepare Chicken Francaise ahead of time?
Chicken Francaise is a great meal to make ahead of time; especially when you are having guests. Almost the entire meal can be prepared up until you bake it.
Simply prepare the recipe as instructed below in the recipe card; then refrigerate overnight before baking. You can also freeze for up to one month prior to defrosting and baking.
What type of chicken do you use to make chicken francaise?
You can choose one of two types of chicken when making this dish. You can use whole boneless chicken breasts if you are comfortable cutting them down to three or four ¼-inch pieces by cutting them lengthwise.
Or you can opt for chicken tenderloins; which is what I prefer using so the pieces of chicken are more uniform in size.
Which ever option you choose, you must then pound them down slightly with a meat mallet to make them uniform in size and thickness.
How do you make Chicken Francaise?
For this recipe, you will need two separate bowls to coat the chicken. One for all purpose flour and the second for an egg wash. The egg was is a combination of eggs, lemon juice, milk and parsley.
Dip each piece of chicken first into the flour; then into the egg mixture until all pieces are coated. In a large nonstick skillet, melt some butter and add oil.
I like to use a light oil like Canola. I like to use a combination of both oil and butter so the butter doesn't burn at the higher heat during the cooking process.
Cook the chicken 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat until chicken is lightly browned. Place cooked chicken directly into a large oven safe baking dish and repeat until all of the chicken is cooked through.
How do you make Lemon White Wine Sauce?
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; then add flour to form a roux. Add lemon juice, white wine, chicken broth and parsley and bring the mixture to a boil and stir for approximately 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Pour the lemon sauce over your cooked chicken, slice fresh lemons into ¼-inch slices and place on top. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
My family LOVES this recipe for Chicken Francaise and we make it quite often for gatherings and holidays. There's just something about lemon and chicken that makes us want to devour this dish in seconds!
They enjoy it so much, that I made a recipe based off of this one for Chicken Francaise Lasagna! All of the flavors you love combined with Ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses layered between lasagna noodles with the same lemony white wine sauce. YUM!
This recipe for Chicken Francaise may seem like it's a little labor intensive as it does contain a few more ingredients than I usually prepare my meals with, but believe it or not, this entire dish can be ready in 1 hour from start to finish.
I've even made this during the week by preparing everything the night before; then placing it in the oven after I got home for the 30 minutes. I also like to make extra sauce as my family likes to pour it over cooked rice. ~Enjoy!
Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.
More Lemon Chicken Recipes
- Skillet Lemon Chicken
- Lemon Chicken Ricotta Pizza
- Chicken Piccata
- Lemon Yogurt & Basil Grilled Chicken Kebobs
- Chicken in a Lemon Butter Sauce
- Lemon Pepper Whole Roasted Chicken
- Lemon Chicken Stir Fry
- Lemon Chicken Parmesan
- Lebanese Lemon Chicken
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Chicken Francaise
Ingredients
- 30- 2(ounce) Chicken Tenderloins (or boneless chicken breasts trimmed into 30 thin slices)
- 4 tbsp. Butter
- ½ c. Canola Oil
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp. Milk
- 1 tbsp. Parsley
- 1 c. All-Purpose Flour
For the Lemon Sauce
- ½ cup Butter
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice
- ¾ cup White Wine
- 3 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp. Parsley
- 1 Lemon
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ⅛ tsp. Black Pepper
Instructions
For the Chicken Francaise
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- You will need two separate bowls to coat the chicken; one for the flour and one for the egg wash-eggs, lemon juice, milk and parsley; whisk all together
- Dip each piece of chicken first into the flour and then into the egg mixture until all pieces are coated.
- In a large frying pan, melt butter and oil. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat until chicken is lightly browned.
- Place cooked chicken directly in your baking dish and repeat until all of the chicken is cooked through. (If you need to, you can add 2 Tbsp. butter and ¼ Cup Canola oil if the oil mixture in the pan has been depleted by cooking).
- Pour the lemon sauce over your cooked chicken. Slice lemons in ¼" slices and put on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
For the Lemon Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; then whisk in the flour to form a roux.
- Add lemon juice, white wine, chicken broth and parsley. Bring to a boil and stir for approximately 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Terry says
Can I make this recipe a day early and put it in the fridge
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Absolutely! I would just assemble and top with the sauce, refrigerate then bake when you're ready to eat. Enjoy!
Lin says
Last minute question: does it matter if you use lemon juice from a bottle? or is it all from fresh squeezed? Im hope you can look at this now
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You can use lemon juice from a bottle.
Lin says
I’m little confused sorry
1. but is the fresh lemon just to place on top of the chicken ?
2. In recipe says 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and in sauce 1/4 cup of lemon juice would that be lemon juice in bottle or fresh?
3 can I use lemon juice in bottle in place of the fresh lemons?
Thank you
Lin
Lin says
Do you use fresh lemons and also what wine to use?
Thank you
Lin
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Yes, I use fresh lemons and you can use any white wine that you would normally drink like a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
Lin says
At what temp to bake it ?
Thank you
Lin
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
The same temperature as is stated in the recipe card, 350 degrees F.
Lin says
I know you said it will be soggy because it’s in sauce but once I defrost it and bake it will it still be soggy? Also bake with cover on or off and what temperature thank you again and sorry fir so many questions .
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
No it won't be soggy. I'd bake it with the cover on just to make sure it heats up enough; especially since it had been frozen. Then you can remove the cover the last 10 minutes or so.
Lin says
Thank you fir getting back to me but will the chicken be soggy when I defrost the tray
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
It will be "soggy" because it's in a sauce. You'll have to bake it once defrosted.
Lin says
I’m looking to make this for a large crowd and I would like to freeze it.
My question is 1.can I cook the chicken and freeze it and then couple days before defrost it and then add the sauce to it when ready to heat?
2. Or should I freeze the chicken with the sauce together and if I do it that way will the chicken n sauce together be soggy as it defrosts and heat up.
3. Can I freeze the sauce separate then defrost and add it to the chicken that’s also been defrosted.
Sorry fir all the questions.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You can prepare the chicken as directed including adding the sauce, allow to cool, wrap tightly; then freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the pan in the refrigerator 1-2 days before; then bake as directed. When cooking this for large gatherings I like to use aluminum half trays, cover with plastic wrap; then add the lid. It's easier to stack in the freezer. Just remember to remove the plastic wrap before baking.