How To Make Chicken Francese

I have yet to find anything that does not taste better when drenched in a good red gravy. But, even an Italian guy like me has to vary his taste every once in a while. Chicken Francese, despite the French name, is an entirely Italian dish. Most of the research out there points to this dish originating in the States during the 1950s. French-style cooking had become popular due to influx of returning WWII soldiers. The Italian restauranteurs of the time took advantage of this popularity by replacing their traditional red gravy dishes with a lighter fair of white wine and lemon sauce. Whatever its origin, this dish is a great alternative to your usual chicken parmigiana.

Ingredients

• 2tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1.5lbs Chicken Cutlets
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Lemon (or lemon juice)
• 1/2c Dry White Wine
• 2tbsp capers
• 3tbsp Parsley, chopped
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• All-Purpose Flour (for dredging)

Prep Work

1. Place the chicken cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap and beat them with a kitchen mallet until they are no larger than a 1/4″ thick.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them until they are frothy.
3. Coarsely chop the capers and parsley leaves.

Directions

1. Place a platter or glass pan in a low temp oven to warm. Then heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1tbsp of the olive oil and 2tbsp of butter to the skillet.
2. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Then coat half the chicken cutlets in the flour followed by the egg wash. Add each piece directly to the hot skillet after they go through the egg wash.
3. Sauté the cutlets for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden and puffy. Once they are cooked, transfer them to the warm platter in the oven.
4. Place the remaining olive oil and 2tbsp of butter into the skillet and repeat steps 2 and 3 with the remaining cutlets.
5. Once all the chicken has been cooked, add the nutmeg, juice of half the lemon and the white wine to the skillet. Scrape the pan drippings with a whisk.
6. Slice the remaining half lemon into thin disks and add to the sauce. Stir the capers, parsley and remaining tablespoon of butter into the sauce then turn off the heat. Shake the pan to combine the sauce.
7. Arrange the lemon slices over the platter and spoon the sauce evenly over the cutlets.
8. Serve immediately!

Recommendations

I absolutely love this dish and it (or its veal alternative) is my general ‘go-to’ dish after most parmigiana dishes. The cooking process is relatively simple, but does involve some time as you have to dredge the cutlets and perform a good amount of prep work. I wouldn’t recommend this dish if you are trying to whip up something quick after work. Save it for a relaxing weekend afternoon when you have some time to spend with it. Your final product will come out better and you will be able to enjoy the process more.

I’d recommend a white wine with this dish. Personally, I think a nice red goes with everything (I never claimed to be a wine connoisseur) but everything I’ve read points to a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, although any dry white wine will go nicely with it. With regards to sides, I recommend a nice green vegetable. Maybe some grilled asparagus, served with a light shake of parmigiano reggiano, or perhaps a bed of spinach. I have even had this dish with a side of broccoli and it worked great.

If you follow this recipe, you’re almost guranteed good results. Just make sure to not overcook each side and get the sauce to the right consistency. As I mentioned, the only tweaks to this recipe I would recommend are to replace the chicken with veal, shrimp or flounder.

Go and try this recipe and let us know how it worked out for you!