Chicken Francese (Chicken and Mushrooms in Wine Butter Sauce)
Chicken Francese is a classic Italian-American recipe that’s both a great weeknight dinner or a special occasion meal! Lightly-battered chicken breast is pan-fried then finished in a silky lemon and white wine butter sauce with earthy mushrooms.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- Non-Slip Mat for cutting board
Ingredients
- 2-2¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
- Pinch salt and black pepper
- 5 large eggs
- ⅓ cup grated parmigiano cheese
- 3 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided + more for garnish
- 1½ cups + 3 Tbsp all purpose flour, divided
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 Tbsp butter, divided
- 4 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 1½ pounds thinly-sliced white or mixed mushrooms
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- 1 cup chicken broth (preferably low- or no-sodium)
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- To taste salt and black pepper
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specs above. Slice each chicken breast into 3-4 thinner slices horizontally. (Alternatively, you can purchase thinly-sliced, boneless, skinless chicken breast.)(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)2-2¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Whisk the eggs, grated cheese and 1 Tbsp parsley together in a large bowl until well-combined and set aside. Then place 1½ cups all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl and set aside.5 large eggs, ⅓ cup grated parmigiano cheese
- Heat oil and 3 Tbsp butter in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, set up a batter station by arranging the following in order: raw seasoned chicken breast, shallow bowl of flour, then bowl of egg mixture. Also, set up a wire rack/sheet pan landing station next to the pan.4 Tbsp olive oil
- Using either your hand or a fork/tongs, transfer each piece of patted-dry, seasoned, thin chicken breast in the flour mixture lightly to coat. Shake off excess flour.
- Next, give the egg mixture a stir. Then, dunk the floured chicken in the egg mixture to coat and let excess drip off before placing the egg-coated chicken in the hot butter and oil.
- Continue piece-by-piece until the pan is full. Brown and fully cook the chicken 3-4 minutes per side, then transfer to a wire rack over a sheet pan to drain.NOTE: If you’re not sure if the chicken is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer inserted fully into the breast, horizontally. The chicken is cooked once it has reached an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Work in batches and continue until all the chicken is cooked. You may need to add additional oil and butter to the pan during this cooking process.(NOTE: You can batter and cook the chicken several hours to up to one day in advance if desired. Then, simply reheat the chicken in the wine-lemon pan sauce.)
- Once all the chicken is cooked, wipe the pan clean of excess oil/butter and accumulated fonds (cooked flour/egg bits) with a paper towel.
- Next, make the mushroom, wine and lemon pan sauce. Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp butter in pan over low heat, then add the chopped garlic and cook until softened and starting to brown slightly, about 4 minutes. Stir occasionally so garlic doesn’t burn.4 Tbsp chopped garlic
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and increase the heat to medium/medium-high. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and all of their liquid has released. Depending on the size of your pan, you may want to cook the mushroom in 2 batches.NOTE: When cooking mushrooms, it’s best to spread them out in the hot pan in a thin layer and don’t touch them for a couple minutes. Let them absorb the butter and begin to brown before stirring.1½ pounds thinly-sliced white or mixed mushrooms
- Once the mushrooms are cooked, reduce the heat to medium-low and sprinkle 3 Tbsp flour on top of them. Stir to coat and continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes while flour cooks. Gradually pour in the white wine and whisk mixture quickly to fully incorporate flour into liquid until smooth. Then stir to loosen and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pot.1 cup dry white wine,
- Add broth and continue to whisk in. Increase heat to medium/medium-high to bring mixture to a light simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 cup chicken broth
- Then add the lemon juice and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced to the point where it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Season the sauce to taste with salt and black pepper, then stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp chopped parsley.
- Lastly, return the cooked, battered chicken to the hot sauce to reheat gently. Once the chicken is heated through, the dish is ready! Shingle lemon slices in between the pieces of chicken and sprinkle with a bit more parsley, if desired. Transfer to a serving platter or serve immediately in the pan. Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- You can easily cut this recipe in half to make a smaller portion.
- Purchase thinly-sliced, boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you’d like to skip the step of slicing each chicken breast into thinner slices.
- I used basic white mushrooms in this recipe, but you can definitely use a combination of different types of mushrooms if you’d like.
- And, if you are not a mushroom fan, just leave them out and proceed with the recipe without the mushrooms. Mushrooms are not a classic ingredient with chicken francaise, but I love including them and think they make the dish more unique and special.
- Including grated parmigiano cheese in the egg batter is my twist on the classic recipe which does not call for any. I feel it adds a nice savoriness, richness and flavor the final dish. But you can leave it out if you prefer.
- Grated Pecorino-Romano cheese can be used in place of parmesan cheese.
- If you prefer to use only olive oil and not butter, that will work. The finished dish will not have as rich a flavor, though.
- I suggest a non-stick or seasoned cast-iron pan to cook the chicken–you will be glad you did! Egg-battered chicken tends to stick if the pan is not non-stick.
- You can batter and cook the chicken several hours to up to one day in advance if desired. Hold it in the refrigerator. Then, simply reheat the chicken in the wine-lemon pan sauce.
- You can also make the mushroom wine butter sauce several hours up to one day in advance and hold it under refrigeration. Then, combine the chicken and sauce in a large pan and heat together over medium-low heat until heated through.
