Chicken Francese: Italian-American Lemon-Butter Recipe

Chicken Francese (sometimes spelled Francaise) is the Italian-American cutlet that isn’t actually French — thin chicken breasts dipped in flour, then a beaten egg, pan-fried until golden, and finished in a bright lemon-white-wine butter sauce. It’s a Rochester and New York institution, on every red-sauce menu in the Northeast, and one of the fastest 30-minute dinners in the Italian-American canon. The whole thing is essentially “chicken piccata without the capers, but with an egg batter.”

What is chicken francese, exactly?

Chicken francese is a thin chicken cutlet coated in seasoned flour, dipped in beaten egg (often with grated Parmigiano and parsley), and pan-fried in olive oil and butter until the crust is golden and the interior stays juicy. It’s then finished in a quick pan sauce built on lemon juice, dry white wine, chicken broth, and cold butter. Fresh parsley and lemon slices on top, done.

The name is where confusion starts. Francese means “French” in Italian, and Francaise means “French” in French — but the dish itself is pure Italian-American. It’s widely believed to have originated in Rochester, New York, where Italian immigrants adapted a French veal preparation to chicken and cheaper cutlets. You’ll find it on nearly every red-sauce menu from Buffalo to Long Island. In Italy proper, nobody’s heard of it.

Chicken francese vs. chicken piccata — what’s the actual difference?

This is the #1 question people search when they land on a francese recipe. Both are thin chicken cutlets in a lemon-butter-wine pan sauce, both are Italian-American, and they’re often confused. But three specific things separate them, and once you see them side-by-side you can’t unsee them.

Prefer capers and a sharper bite? Make our chicken piccata instead. Prefer richer and softer with more crust? You’re in the right place.

Why the egg batter is the whole point

The egg dip is what makes francese, francese. When the flour-coated cutlet hits the beaten egg, it picks up a thin layer that immediately sets in the hot pan — trapping steam inside the chicken so the interior poaches gently while the exterior turns golden. The result is softer and juicier than a straight flour dredge, with a delicate crust that soaks up the pan sauce like a sponge.

Some cooks add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped parsley to the beaten egg — this is the New York version. It adds savory depth and a hint of green flecks in the crust. Others keep the egg pure and let the sauce do all the flavor work. Both are correct; the parmesan version is more Rochester, the pure version is more Long Island.

Ingredients you’ll need

How to make chicken francese, step by step

1. Butterfly and pound the chicken.Slice each breast horizontally into 2 thinner cutlets. Lay between plastic wrap and pound with a mallet to ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Set up the dredge stations.In one shallow dish, whisk the flour with salt and pepper. In a second dish, beat the eggs with grated Parmigiano and chopped parsley. Line up chicken → flour → egg → pan.
3. Coat each cutlet.Dredge one cutlet in flour, shake off excess, then dip it fully in the beaten egg, letting it drip briefly before it hits the pan. Every surface must be egg-coated — that’s the francese signature.
4. Heat the pan properly.In a large skillet over medium-high, heat 3 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp butter until the butter foam subsides. Test with a drop of egg — it should sizzle immediately.
5. Pan-fry in batches.Add 3 to 4 cutlets to the pan without crowding. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through (internal 160°F). Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining cutlets.
6. Wipe out the pan.Pour off the used oil (leaving any browned bits) and wipe with a paper towel. Egg residue burns bitter if left in the pan for the sauce step.
7. Build the pan sauce.Return the pan to medium heat. Add lemon slices and cook 1 minute per side to soften. Pour in white wine and let it bubble hard for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol.
8. Reduce and finish.Add chicken broth and lemon juice. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until reduced by half. Off heat, whisk in cold butter cubes one at a time — this emulsifies the sauce and gives it that glossy sheen.
9. Return chicken and serve.Nestle the cutlets back into the pan, spoon sauce over the top, and warm through for 1 minute. Scatter fresh parsley and serve immediately with the sauce on the side.

The lemon-wine-butter sauce — the whole reason people order it

The sauce is technically a beurre blanc-adjacent pan sauce with citrus and stock added to stretch it. Three elements decide its quality: the wine reduction (burns off alcohol, concentrates flavor), the acid balance (lemon juice + wine tang), and the butter emulsification (creates the glossy body). Skip any one and it turns into thin lemon broth.

Wine choice matters. Use dry, unoaked whites — Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or a dry Chardonnay work perfectly. Skip anything sweet (Riesling, Moscato) and skip anything oaky, which turns bitter after reduction. Never use “cooking wine” from the grocery aisle — it’s oversalted and adds nothing. If you’d normally reach for it in a pan sauce, you’d reach for it here.

How to make chicken francese without wine

The alcohol version is classic, but the dish works fine without it. Replace the ½ cup of white wine with an equal mix of ¼ cup chicken broth + 2 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp white wine vinegar. You get the same acidity and slight sharpness the wine reduction would have provided.

Craving another wine-free Italian classic? Our chicken marsala without wine uses the same substitution logic for the deeper marsala flavor.

What to serve with chicken francese

Francese sauce is a sauce built to be soaked up. Serve it on something that catches the pan liquid instead of letting it pool on the plate.

Common mistakes to avoid

Storage & reheating

Frequently asked questions