Chicken Francese

5 (1)

Surprisingly, Chicken Francese is an Italian American dish popular in the region surrounding Rochester, NY. When Italian immigrants arrived in Rochester, they brought their recipes with them, including veal francese; however, they substituted chicken for the more expensive veal. It is a dish of flour-dredged, egg-dipped, sautéed chicken cutlets with a lemon-butter and white wine sauce. It sounds delicious and tastes delicious!

First, a few notes to make Chicken Francese easy to prepare. For the chicken, use the boneless, skinless chicken filets that are readily available in the supermarket. The chicken should be about ¼ inch thick. You could buy breast then pound them out until they are thin but why would you. This dish is easier to prepare if you set everything up beforehand including the dredging stations, sliced lemon, measured wine and chicken broth, and chopped parsley. To help with this, I have detailed the ingredients and step-by-step directions.

Ingredients:

4 – 5 chicken filets

Flour

3 eggs

2 tablespoons of water

¼ cup Olive Oil

½ lemon cut in thin rounds with the rinds

½ cup of dry wine

1 cup of chicken stock

½ lemon juiced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature on the countertop about 30 minutes before you start cooking and pat dry. Put about a cup of flour in a pie plate with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper and mix well. In a second pie plate, beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water. In a 2-cup measuring cup, add the white wine and chicken stock. Thinly slice ½ of the lemon, reserving the other ½. Combine the butter with 1 tablespoon of flour on a small dish. Now you are ready to start cooking.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour and then dip in the egg mixture to coat completely. Let the excess drip off and add to the skillet when the oil is hot. Cook on 1 side for about 2 minutes then flip and cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Each side should be golden brown; lower the temperature if it is charring. Remove the chicken to a plate.
3. Turn the heat down slightly and add the lemon slices. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Turn the heat a little lower and add the wine, broth and lemon juice scraping the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 6 – 7 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced. Add the flour and butter mixture and stir until incorporated and the sauce begins to thicken. Turn the heat to low, add the chicken back to the pan and put the lemon slices on top of the chicken. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the chicken is heated through. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped parsley and serve.

As mentioned before, you could substitute veal and prepare it the same way. Whether you use chicken or veal, I know your guests will love this dish. Enjoy!