This traditional Italian-American Creamy Chicken Francaise is kicked up a notch with a creamy, garlic sauce! A one-pan gourmet style meal made right at home in less than 30 minutes!
AN EASY CHICKEN FRANCAISE RECIPE
I love lemon! Lemon anything, really. It just makes me think and feel – fresh. A little lemon on your plate can brighten up a whole meal! ?
I also love easy pan chicken recipes. ?
This easy creamy chicken francaise is the perfect intersection of both of my loves! It is so impressive to look at, your family will think you turned into a gourmet chef! And don’t even get me started on the fragrant smell. Well, with all of the lemon and garlic – I’m sure you can imagine!
What is Chicken Francaise?
Chicken Francaise is a super easy and flavorful Italian-American specialty. You may have seen it spelled Chicken Francaise before, and you might get it confused with it’s slightly less breaded cousin, Chicken Piccata, too.
Francaise means, “in the French style”. What this is referring to is that the chicken is breaded in what might seem backwards. It first goes in the flour, then the egg mixture, and is then lightly pan fried.
It is then topped with a creamy, lemon garlic sauce. ?
Ingredients
Whoa, check out all of these ingredients! Just kidding! Don’t get nervous. We’ll separate it into the breading station and the sauteing station.
First of all, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- butter
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the breading station:
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- Flour
- Salt and pepper
For the Sauce:
- garlic
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- fresh chopped parsley
- lemon juice
How to Make Chicken Francaise
1. Prep: Set a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add in olive oil and butter.
2. Dredge: Add the eggs and Parmesan cheese to a shallow bowl and mix them together until they’re well combined. Add the flour, salt, and pepper in a separate shallow plate and stir to combine. IF counting carbs, use Keto approved/low carb flour; I use Coconut Flour and absolutely LOVE the added subtle taste of the coconut.
Working with one chicken filet at a time, coat both sides of each chicken with flour; then dip in the egg mixture to coat on all sides. Allow the excess egg mixture to drip off.
3. Pan fry: Add each filet to the heated oil and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through and golden brown. Remove chicken filets from skillet and transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set them aside.
4. Sauce: Add the garlic to the skillet and cook it until it’s fragrant. This should be about 20 seconds. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Continue to cook until it’s reduced. This should be about 4 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low and whisk in the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of parsley. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. This will be about 2 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice until it’s completely incorporated and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Serve: Remove from heat. Add chicken pieces back into the pan. Spoon sauce over the chicken and garnish it with your remaining parsley.
Tips for the Best Chicken Francaise
Traditional Chicken Francaise is excellent, but my special creamy style is even better. Here’s how I make it so good:
- The egg goes on the outside! First, dip your chicken in the flour, THEN the egg. For the best crunch, allow the excess egg to drip off.
- Set up your dredging station from left to right. Use one hand for dry ingredients and one hand for wet ingredients.
- Pan fry in a mixture of olive oil AND butter. This combo adds flavor and impacts the smoke point.
- Once you place the chicken in the pan, don’t move it around until you flip it. You don’t want the light breading falling off.
- Turn off the heat BEFORE you add the chicken back to the pan. If you continue to cook the chicken in the sauce, the breading will get soggy and pull away from the chicken. Instead, simply spoon the sauce over the chicken
Serving Ideas
- My favorite way to serve Creamy Chicken Francaise is with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. Seriously, this creamy lemon garlic sauce is soooo good over mashed potatoes. Don’t believe me? You’ll have to try it yourself. Use cauliflower mashed potatoes if you’re hating on carbs, like me.
- You can also serve Creamy Chicken Francaise over your favorite noodle or pasta with some steamed broccoli. Or, try it with orzo and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Are you noticing a trend here? Basically, serve your creamy Chicken Francaise with any starch and green veggie and you will be good to go.
How to Store Leftovers
- This one rarely has leftovers, but, if you make a double batch – you might. You can refrigerate your leftovers in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. Or, freeze the leftovers in a freezer safe airtight container for about 3 months.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
ENJOY!
Tools Used In This Recipe
Creamy Chicken Francaise
This traditional Italian-American Creamy Chicken Francaise is kicked up a notch with a creamy, garlic sauce! A one-pan gourmet style meal made right at home in less than 30 minutes!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4 serves
Calories: 618 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 (8-ounces each) large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, lengthwise, to make FOUR 1-inch thick filets
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, (for low carb, keto, or gluten free, you can use alternative flours – in this recipe, I prefer coconut flour)
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream, you can also use half & half
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, divided
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in olive oil and butter.
Add eggs and Parmesan cheese to a shallow bowl and beat/mix until well combined.
Add flour, salt, and pepper in a separate shallow plate and stir to combine.
Working with one chicken filet at a time, coat both sides of each chicken filet with flour; then dip in the egg mixture to coat on all sides. Allow excess egg mixture to drip off.
Add filets to the heated oil and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through and golden brown. If chicken is browning too quickly, but not cooking through on the inside, lower the heat.
Remove chicken filets from skillet and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Cover with a paper towel and set aside.
Set skillet back over medium-high heat. Add garlic to skillet and cook for 15 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir so it doesn’t burn.
Slowly whisk in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Continue to cook for 4 minutes, or until liquid is reduced.
Lower heat to medium-low and whisk in heavy cream and 2 tablespoons parsley.
Continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened.
Whisk in lemon juice; whisk until completely incorporated and continue to cook for 2 minutes. It’s important to whisk continuously so the cream does not curdle when you add in the lemon juice.
Add chicken pieces back into the pan; spoon sauce over chicken, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Recipe Notes
WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 18
- Lower points down to 9 by using Fat Free Half & Half in place of Heavy Cream
To make this recipe Keto-Friendly, Low Carb, and Gluten Free, use an alternative flour. Coconut Flour works very well.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Chicken Francaise
Amount Per Serving
Calories 618 Calories from Fat 441
% Daily Value*
Fat 49g75%
Saturated Fat 22g110%
Cholesterol 256mg85%
Sodium 352mg15%
Potassium 611mg17%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 1509IU30%
Vitamin C 21mg25%
Calcium 143mg14%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
