Chicken Francese is an Italian-American dish made with sautéed chicken cutlets with a lemon-butter and white wine sauce. It’s my husband’s favorite dish, so it’s always on rotation in my house!
Chicken Francese
Move over Olive Garden, this one’s lighter and easy to make! Most recipes are swimming in butter, my recipe uses real ingredients without relying on a stick of butter to make it tasty.
Confession, I’ve never been to the Olive Garden. Heck I live in New York, we have tons of great Italian restaurants here so there’s really no need. This is my husband Tommy’s specialty, on those random nights that he gives me a break from the kitchen, he usually makes his Chicken Francese.
My husband’s version let’s just say is a little bit heavier, so I learned how to make it myself, only with a lot less butter. My family loves it, kids and all and I usually serve this with a simple salad on the side.
This is also great over pasta with garlic since it makes a lemon sauce. I like to make it over whole wheat angel hair or orzo when I’m craving carbs. For a simple vegetable side dish, try it with wilted spinach with garlic and oil.
How To Make Chicken Francese (Video)
More Chicken Recipes
Chicken Francese
Ingredients
- 4 large, 32 oz chicken breast halves, thinly sliced in 3 (12 cutlets total)
- 1/4 cup unbleached flour*
- 1/2 cup egg whites, beaten
- 1 large lemon, juice of (about 3 tbsp) or more, to taste
- 1/2 lemon sliced thin
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 15 oz low sodium chicken broth
- cooking spray
- salt and fresh pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Place the flour in a bowl, and the beaten egg whites in another bowl.
- Heat a very large non stick pan over medium heat. When hot spray with cooking spray to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Lightly flour chicken, then dip in eggs and add to the hot pan a few at a time. Saute chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. When cooked, transfer onto a plate.
- Repeat until all chicken has been cooked and set aside.
- Once all chicken is cooked, place the chicken broth in the bowl with 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk.
- Add to the pan along with the juice of the lemon, white wine, lemon slices, parsley and butter and simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes so it reduces slightly and thickens. Turn off heat.
- Return chicken to the pan to combine with the sauce.
- Serve immediately.
I love this recipe so much! I always double the liquid and serve it over linguine or fettuccine.
I cook it using flounder and it’s a family favorite. I also add a minced clove of garlic (we like garlic).
In the recipe you stated to use a nonstick pan but in the video it looks like you are using a stainless steel pan. Does it matter if the pan is nonstick or not?
No it wont matter
I dont know why but this was absolutely delicious. The ingredients are simple but turns out beautifully. I used a tiny bit of white wine vinegar because a bottle of white wine would go to waste. 10/10
Great!!
This is one of our favorite recipes!!! I have even made it without butter and it’s still just as fabulous. Thanks so much!
We definitely messed up somehow (we finished off the bottle of wine that we opened for this recipe before eating) but it was absolutely delicious!! We love your recipes, and even when they don’t quite look like yours, they’re amazing!
Thanks so much for sharing 😊
Made this last week. It was delicious!
Easy to make thawing chicken now for round 2.
I made this tonight and followed the directions exactly as written, but the sauce came out EXTREMELY bitter. I couldn’t even eat it. Can anyone help?
It was probably from the lemon slices. Particularly if you simmered it for more than the 2 minutes as per the directions OR if you had leftovers and stored it in the fridge with the lemon slices as one person mentioned they did in the comments. The “pith”, that white sponge like part directly under the yellow of the lemon is bitter and can sometimes cause that to happen.
Hope this helps if you try this recipe again.
My family and I loved this recipe. Very easy and very satisfying. Thank you!
Bet this would be good with capers👍🏼
This chicken français was excellent it is so flavorful and makes me feel very satisfied I will try it the next time with angel hair pasta I love the lemon sauce my question to you is can I freeze this ???
This was amazing , very tasty considering lighter version. Added lemon pepper seasoning and used 100% olive oil spray and a little olive oil in pan .
I’d like to make this for a baby shower with 20 people. Am I able to make the day before and reheat? If so, should I undercook it so when I’m heating it, it gets fully cooked?
This one didn’t work for us. Lover of everything Skinnytaste, but not this one. The chicken didn’t have much flavor and when I was sautéing, the egg started scrambling on the outside (not sure if I did something wrong but I saw others had this same issue).
Mine did the same. I’m thinking my pot wasn’t hot enough. I loved everything else tho
This was very good. I had the same issue as others in comments— the flour then egg process resulted in scrambled egg around my chicken.
Not sure what I did wrong. After the first batch I switched to just browning the chicken. The sauce on top was divine!! Husband and kids loved it.
Made this for dinner tonight – My husband LOVED it – kept telling me this was an excellent meal. I made a few slight changes/modifications and we both truly enjoyed our dinner tonight
Great!
Gina,
I can’t find what your definition of a ‘serving’ is here. I’m guessing it’s two of these ‘cutlets’ based on your photo but want to make sure relative to the WW Points.
Below the directions
I made this tonight and we loved it!! I used smart balance instead of butter and it was still amazing. Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
It was a hit! Made it without breading the cutlets to save more calories and it was delicious. Thank you, we will be making it again.
This came out pretty good,! I mean lets face it, its not going to taste as good as the the fattening one, but the goal is healthier eating. Mission accomplished! You have to boil off the alcohol, and if you’re chicken is too thick you should probably put it in the oven to cook the rest of the way through which also helps thicken the sauce. I only used one tablespoon as the recipe called for and it thickened perfectly. I put mine in the oven on 300 at the very end, to continue cooking through and to keep it warm. It was perfect, juicy and tasty.
Got a new air fryer for Christmas. Do you think I could “fry” the chicken in that for this recipe?
So good and so easy!
This is amazing! It makes a lot of sauce, which would be great over asapargus or greenbeans. I would totally make this for a dinner party. It’s a winner!
Instead of slicing chicken breasts — can you use chicken cutlet
If you wish.
I used this as a base for cod franchise the other night. I made the sauce in a separate pan, only used 1/2 cup chicken stock, omitted the wine and then reduced the stock instead of thickening it. The fish came out golden brown on the outside and moist and tender on the inside and we really liked the lemony sauce.
I made this tonight with the only alteration of the recipe being the addition of garlic. It was outstanding and would definitely consider serving this for company. Nice lemon flavor to the sauce and the chicken was very tender and moist.
This was delicious! I would have liked better serving instructions. Our family eats family style and I wasn’t sure how to put it out on the table. Everyone loved it. I servedvit with ratatouille instead of salad.
I’ve made this dish several times. It’s one of my favortes.
So flavorful…one of our favorites
Just made this recipe tonight. It was amazing. The hubby Loved them!!! Thank you so much. I will so be making this recipe again!!
What wine do you use?
Pinot grigio is good, but you can use what you have on hand.
Made this last week. It was delicious!
Easy to make thawing chicken now for round 2.
The WW Calculator says 3 points, post says 2. Anyone know why this would be?
Hi Allie, you MUST use recipe builder when getting points. The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting 0 points foods such as eggs, chicken, fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, that is why.
The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”)
I can’t wait to make this! Two questions – 1) what type of cooking spray do you use? I have an olive oil one – wondering if that would be too strong a flavor. 2) can you please clarify how to cut a chicken breast by 3? I have no idea how to do this! 3) would pounding a breast thin be the same as slicing it by 3? Thank you!!
Lemon game is on point! I made this for dinner last night and just finished up my left overs for lunch! It was so delicious. I served it over rice pilaf and a side of green beans. I was a little nervous when I put the chicken in the pan and it looked like scrambled eggs (like a few other reviews have pointed out). Once the chicken was placed in the broth/wine sauce, I wasn’t worried – it soaked up all the lemony goodness! I’ve never made chicken francese before but I’ll be making it more in the future! Thanks Gina!
I made this tonight. It was delicious. I browned the chicken well in my cast iron pan. Deglazed w batter than bouillon and water I didn’t have broth and I didn’t have white wine so I used champagne. Added a little more butter and some capers. Served with brown rice. Very lemony and tasty.
Hi Gina – I’ve noticed you don’t usually use aluminum-type pans. Are your pans non-stick? If not, what type of pan do you normally use? Thank you! I love your website and recipes!!
OMG, this recipe is a keeper! Chicken was moist and the sauce was delicious. Your recipe made me look like I could actually cook!
What kind of white wine would you suggest?
Thanks!
Pinot Grigio – anything dry will work though!
Used chicken tenders had on hand! Moist, tender delicious chicken meal! Will make again!!
I would love to make this into a keto version. Do you think ahman flower would work well? Or do you have another suggestion?
I was wondering the same thing.
I made this last night for my 95 year old mother, my sister and niece and it was amazing. The chicken turned out so tender and the flavor was refreshing and wonderful. Everyone loved! Quick, easy and delicious..what more could you ask for?
do you know how many freestyle points this would be?
Smart points have all been updated to reflect the free style program.
OMG….. Gina this is delicouse and so easy. I’m definitely putting this on my roatatio.
Can you make this in the instant pot
This recipe sounds great, but can I use regular flour instead of the unbleached .
Sure.
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Hi Gina!
I love this recipe! Do you think I could substitute salmon for the chicken?
I haven’t tried it…let me know if you do!
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This chicken was GREAT made it with only 6 pieces of chicken. Since they were such small slices all the kids were hungry but they all loved it. Even the pickiest of eaters said it was “good”! A delicious dish, though the sauce was a little liquidy so I might add some cornstarch or flour when I make it AGAIN tomorrow! It was a hit for both parents and kids, and I served it with peas of the side, and asparagus will be on the side tomorrow! This time we got the fresh lemons, we used bottled lemon juice for it the first time, and also dried parsley. Easy and delicious dish, and no one missed the lack of grain (pasta, rice, quinoa, etc) in the dish!! Make extras!
🙂
Hi,
I’m confused by the end part. So you used 3 tablespoons to put into the sauce?
This recipe tastes great. Unfortunately, my chicken came out with a rubbery, almost undercooked texture, which I noticed can sometimes happen when cooking it this way. So, to salvage the leftovers, I mixed up a little bit of sauce and, instead of reducing it in a saute pan, I put it into a 9×13 baking pan with the chicken and baked it for an hour on 325. The chicken came out super tender and juicy.
This was delicious! What would happen if I dipped the chicken in egg first, and then the flour?
I did this by mistake – I just assumed it was egg then flour ! The dinner came out delicious but my husband said the only difference with this version and our favorite restaurant version is that they “have more coating””- so I am looking forward to making this again with flour and then egg. My guess is that my coating was on the thin side because I did egg then flour. So just expect a thinner outer layer if you do egg first.
I would think this could work as well using pork tenderloin medallions or Mahi Mahi fillets with no discernable change in SP don’t you think?
You dredge the chicken in flour first and then dip it in the egg white? That’s unusual, no?
I soon want to make this tonight….but once I have an open bottle of wine…yikes lol! Would love to hear from anyone who made it without the wine, how did it taste?
Hi! I’m really excited to try this recipe. I was wondering which white wine would be best for this dish since it was not specified. Thanks!
Any dry white wine….
Made this tonight! super easy and super delicious! Love it!
Future hubby loves this recipe, thank you so much! I have made it 3 times in a matter of a month per his request, not to mention it is one of my all time favorite meals, just so happy I can still enjoy it without feeling guilty! You are the best Gina!
What kind of white wine do you use? Is that a dumb question? ????
Any dry wine will work, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay….
Hey Gina. Thinking of making this tomorrow. Any substitute for white wine?
More broth
This was delicious! My boyfriend and I loved it and I am making it this weekend when i have company over. Thanks!!
This was AMAZING! It tasted like the chicken Francese from the Italian restaurant I used to work at! So delicious!!!!! And I had to cook it by candle light because we lost power for an hour! Lol! I served it with sautéed spinach and some whole wheat bow tie pasta with some of the sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight!!! It was delicious!!
If using fresh eggs, how many are needed for the right amount of egg whites?
This recipe looks so good…..but i have one question please…what type of wine would you use…i am not asking for brand but type….i know nothing about the different types and when i have seen recipes in the past on other web sites and such and ask the same question i have gotten answer such as 'whatever type you would drink' well, i dont drink and yes i do know to use a good quality wine not the salted bottled things that are sold in the market as something to use in cooking…or they will immediately tell me that any brand is fine….so please, i beg of you, if there is a chance that you will advise me so that i can really to a bang up job on this…thank you in advance.
I like Pinot Grigio but Chardonnay would work too.
Loved it! Made it with Gluten Free flour.
What gluten free flour did you use? Thanks!
Honestly didn't love this. It was fine but not awesome.
I made this last night and it was easy, fast and DELICIOUS. A keeper for my family. The only change i made was i used regular chicken broth instead of low sodium and used about 1 tbsp olive oil to the browning process along with the Pam olive oil cooking spray
Very good. Love the lemon. Served with your Roasted Parmesan Green beans (excellent!)
This looks great! I am planning to make this and I got all the ingredients. Is it ok if I use broth instead of wine and do you pour the sauce over the chicken? Once you put the chicken in the pan with the sauce do you cook it any more? Thanks!
Made this tonight and had to add more flour to thicken up the sauce. Hubby and I loved it. It got the 'make this again' stamp of approval. Thanks!!
I have made this recipe several times and it has been a hit! Light meal and delicious!
How can I make this gluten free? Almond flour?
I’ve used arrowroot starch- in health food stores to thicken stews and sauces- you use less than flour. Also you could bread the chicken with a mixture of almond flour and ground flaxseed. Paleo version!
Excellent recipe for someone who is trying to lose weight!! I am making it again tonite. It was so good and full of flavor, less salt and fat…thanks!
is there something else I can use instead of the butter?
I cannot wait to try this! Just out of curiosity, what kind of "very large non-stick pan" do you use/recommend using? I have an 8 inch and a 10 inch non-stick fry pan, but it doesn't have the same kind of "walls" that your pan appears to have.
I'm a college student and just recently moved in to my own apartment, so I am still working on (slowly) stocking up on kitchen supplies!
I've made this dish three times and it's a hit every time. It is so easy and delicious! My boyfriend requests it at least twice a week. I pair it with an asparagus, snap pea and Israeli couscous dish. They compliment each other perfectly.
I made this just last night for hubby & I – it was AMAZING! Couple mistakes I made on my part: I acidentally put 2/3 C of wine in instead of 1/3 C, so it was pretty watery. I forgot the step where the sauce was to simmer and thicken for a few minutes – I just put the chicken right in! And lastly, I'm a full time RV'er, and have to use a propane stove/oven so I'm still getting used to the temperatures. When cooking the chicken I set the smoke alarm off, even with a door open amd an exhaust fan going! It wasn't burnt or smoking very much at all, I think the smoke alarm may be sensitive as it's brand new. That, or it's only 6-8 fy away!
Besides the mix ups, this dish was awesome and I'll definitely try it again, making no mistakes! I also paired this with garlicky angel hair pasta with some of the fresh parsley left over from the chicken 🙂
This was so good and I was pleasantly surprised at how good a lightened up francese could be! I served it with your roasted broccoli rabe… delish!!
Just made this tonight, yummy!!! I made pasta with asparagus as a side dish, and drizzled the sauce on it. Very, very good.
If I wanted to make this ahead and freeze it is there anything that I would need to not do or can I follow the recipe and then freeze it. How should it be re-heated if frozen.
Tried this tonight and it was absolutely delicious!!
Nicole,
I tend to vacuum seal everything. Only two of us in our household now so I make full batches of dinners and freeze everything in 2 portions so we don't over indulge with all of Gina's gret recipes.
I actually pulled from freezer and cooked the old fashion way, in a pan. Sometimes I feel using the stove top vs the microwave will retain the heat longer. That may not be true but seems that way to me.
Taste is still the same, yummy!!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! My boyfriend, who is the "master chef" of our household told me it tasted like it came from a restaurant. I added a few capers and served over wheat penne – perfection!
Just made this for my family! They loved it, and they've never had the original so they'd never know it was a lighter version 😉 It was perfect just how it was, anyway! I had some spiced couscous and steamed veggies with mine.
Can anyone suggest how to Freeze? Would I just cook fully and allow to cool down then put in freezer safe ziplocks? And how you would you reheat? I despise putting chicken in the Microwave. Thanks!!
Delicious. Thanks for this light version. The "regular" version is so buttery I can't eat it without a tummy ache. This recipe was PERFECT and went well with a spring green salad, a little whole wheat pasta and a sprinkle (or TWO) of grated locatelli romano.
This is one of my all time fav's of your recipes. There's this one restaurant where I always order the Sole Francese and feel so guilty after. So, to satisfy that craving I'll make your recipe using Tilapia. It taste's just as good as the restaurant with a ton less butter. Add half a baked potato and a green salad and you've got a super satisfying and filling meal. My husband always says how fancy it looks when I top it with the twisted lemon slice.
Please write a recipe book one day!! I've been making your recipes for years.
Just finished dinner. It was delicious! My sauce did not thicken either but it was still great.
Gina… I have love love loved all your recipes. I have a binder of them printed now… skinny chicken enchilada with yellow Latin rice and flank steak skewers with gratin potatoes have been the favorites so far. We made this last night and the sauce was way off. It did not thicken and all we could taste was the wine… we halved the recipe so maybe I screwed something up?:(
I was just about to make the exact comment as someone before me. How do I make this so its not like scrambled eggs on top of my chicken?
I made this last night… not so sure about dipping the chicken into the flour and then the eggs, because I sort of ended up with a thin layer of scrambled egg whites on my cutlets. My sauce also didn't reduce. I measured everything exactly as you listed and even simmered with and without a lid for longer than you suggested, at higher and lower temperatures, with no luck. But it still tasted good, aside from the weirdness from the egg whites (I added garlic because I felt like the recipe was missing it). Letting the chicken sit in the liquid a bit longer helped it to absorb the lemony goodness better. I think next time I'll do egg whites and then flour and see how that works.
I had both my parents and my fiancé’s parents over for dinner last night to discuss our upcoming wedding plans. I really wanted to serve something sophisticated yet simple, this fit the bill! Seved with angel hair pasta, green beans and salad it made such a beautiful meal, everyone absolutely loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
This was SO good. One of the best recipes I've made in my life! Yum!
Hi Gina–I follow you on Pinterest, and love when your recipes pop up! I am wondering if this could be made ahead…I scanned through the comments, but didn't see you answer this when a few other people were wondering the same thing…Thanks!
This was excellent! I added mushrooms and capers, simply because I had them in the fridge. I think next time I'll buy cutlets instead of cutting breast into them. waaaaay to much time for this busy (and unskilled) momma. Thanks for another great recipe. I served it with your asparagus with dijon sauce. Perfect!
I'll take this over anything at Olive Garden…I like your much leaner recipe 🙂 thanks!
so yummy . thanks
This was wonderful!! My 17 year old son actually helped me, so that may have made it better;) Was nice and refreshing for one of our first days of spring in Ohio! thank you!
Gina, I just wanted to say that I found your site by accident and so glad that I did…your recipes are excellent. Thank you!!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was sooo good. I didn't think of adding capers as I saw on a post earlier. I served it over jasmine rice. I ran out of brown rice and my husband is not a fan of couscous. I also made a spinach and arugula salad. We loved it!
Made this tonight. Substituted dried tarragon in the sauce instead of parsley. Served it over orzo. SOOOO good. And plenty of leftovers too.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was tasty, reminded me a lot of my mom's Lemon Chicken dish, except a lot lighter. My husband enjoyed it, as well. I will be making this again!
What a light and perfect summer meal!
What could I use instead of wine? Never cooked with it before.
You could leave it out and add more broth, but it won't be the same.
Gina,
Thank you so much for fulfilling my email request for a more calorie friendly recipe for this. I missed the original post on this. I occasionally have this at a local Restaurant and they actually use a little Romano cheese on top also. As I mentioned in my email, a co-worker recommended your website to me in January and I have just been amazed how wonderful it is to be eating smart and healthy without suffering the pains of terrible food. I have yet to find a recipe of yours that is not absolutely wonderful. Thanks again Gina!! 🙂
Heck, I think Romano is good on everything! Thanks Colleen, I'm really glad you are enjoying the recipes.
any recommendations for subs the eggs – son is allergic !
thanks,
I guess you could make it without, it will still taste good.
You can make aquafaba you take the liquid from a can of chickpeas put it in the stand mixer for about 5 minutes and it whips up to something resembling merengue (not sweet) you can use that to coat the chicken
Whenever I go to NY (Amityville) to visit my family (I live in CA now), we make Gino's in Massapequa an absolute go-to eating place. I always get their lentil soup and vegetable pie and my SIL gets the chicken francese. Every time I see the greasy, fried cutlet sitting on her plate swimming in all that sauce, my stomach churns. I'm sure it's delicious, just not my kind of eating style. I can't wait to try your lightened recipe. Now if you could get the lentil soup and vegetable pie recipe for me, I would forever be in your debt! Thanks….
I've never been to Gino's in Massapequa, but I'll have to check it out and try their lentil soup!
You've never been to the Olive Garden? Don't worry. You're not missing a thing! Recipe sounds yummy!
I LOVE, love, love this recipe!!
Hi this sounds yummy but I would like to know what can I substitute for the white wine?
Chicken broth!
I LOVE anything with lemon. I'm a vegetarian…any suggestion for a meatless sub?
I’m going to try it with the Gardein cutlets tonight. We will see how well it works!
I've been to Olive Garden twice, disappointed both times. to crowded and the food looked nothing like the advertisements for it.
Good to know, they opened one nearby and I was almost tempted to go, but hate to be disappointed.
Do you think this would work well with chicken thighs?
Diane
I'm sure it would taste great, like a lemon-y chicken stew. I would leave out the egg. I may have to try that!
Hi Gina, do you think it would help to pound the thighs so they're thinner? Also, just curious, why would you need to omit the egg?
Bookmarked, thank you! And I hate all those franchised "Italian" restaurants! I've only gone when I had to with groups of people… Nothing but sodium sodium with a side of sodium and don't forget the salt shaker! ugh A restaurant is not a good one in my books if I can make what they're serving better at home, with less sodium, thank you very much.
I know what you mean!
Gina, I am slightly confused. You mention a quarter cup of flour and then say to use that for the sauce, but then your note at the bottom mentioned you discarded the remaining flour? Can you or anyone clarify for me?
Sorry, I fixed that. I add 1 tbsp to the sauce, then discard the rest.
I just LOVE this recipe!!
All I can say is…WOW…restaurant quality, and so much better for you. Thank you so much for sharing this dish. My husband RAVED about it all evening. This is going to be his official birthday dish that he wants every birthday. But of course I will make it more often than that. Thanks again.
Made this for dinner tonight and thought the flavor was great but agree it was too much flour. The sauce was more of a gravy, and I did not reduce the liquid so know that was not the issue. Maybe half of the amount of flour it calls for would work better. I'll definitely be making this one again!
Thank you for this recipe! It was the best dish i've ever cooked!
Gina you are amazing! This recipe is the holy trinity for me- my picky boyfriend ate (and loved) it, its weight watchers friendly, and is super easy to make. Thank you so much!!
hi I thought the ingredient "juice of one lemon" to be vague. I found the lemon flavor too strong. can you suggest a measurement?
1 lemon is usually 2 tablespoons, but it should taste lemony.
This was delicious. Followed the recipe exaclty the same. I've made it three times and hubby loves it each time. Served his over Fettucini with the sauce. Served mine with roasted butternut squash. Very satisfying and yummy! ~Stephanie
Gina I made this tonight and most of your recipes have come out wonderfully but this was much too thick and pasty. Next time I will try putting in less flower.
I'd like to make this with Quorn Meatless Cutlets. Do I need to adjust the recipe?
Making this tonight!!
🙁 too pasty. So sad lol I spent 2 hours on this lol. I'm hopeless in the kitchen.
I had the same problem as some other readers – the suace was thick and pasty. I must have had too much flour. We liked it though – just next time I'll know to only use some of the leftover flour.
Also, I used to swear by chicken cutlets but now I love to buy the regular chicken breast and pound them. No matter how I make the chicken it is so good that way. The pounding not only makes it thin but makes it so tender.
This was awesome!!! My boyfriend said it was as good as a restaurant. Very quick and easy for a gourmet, weekday meal.
Rice flour works in place of wheat.
This recipe sounds great! I'm gluten free so can't use wheat based flour. Can you please recommend a different flour to substitute (e.g. rice, corn, etc.). I'm not too worried how this may impact the calories. Thank you!!
Cornstarch — but again, not so sure about the caloric intake. However, I make Chicken Francese all of the time and you really don't need as much flour as the recipe calls for (just a few pinches of flour or cornstarch — just enough to thicken the sauce).
I used almond flour and it was delicious. My boyfriend is not gluten free and he didn't notice and loved it!
This is great, as always. I added fresh mushrooms to the sauce and it was excellent. It picks up the flavor of the amazing sauce so well. Thanks Gina! – Jess
Delicious! Made it last night. So quick and easy. Only trouble I had was in cutting the chicken breast, the meal itself was amazing. Would definately recommend this recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Made this tonight..ohhh soooo good! Everything I have made from this sight has been wonderful!
Gina, can this be prepared the night before by placing the cooked chicken in a pan and putting the sauce on it the next day and baking for 30 minutes until hot? Otherwise, the sauce would soak into the flour if it was added too soon. Do you think it would still be good?
How would the points change if I used a filet of sole?
LOve Love Love all your recipes they have helped me to lose 14 pounds in 6 weeks and I am never hungry Thank you Thank you
Thanks! Not sure, and I don't want to guess.
Made this last night. My husband and I both throught it was great! Thank you for sharing!
I made this for dinner tonight and thought it was PERFECT. I wouldn't change a thing.. not too lemony and not too floury for me. Tasted like restaurant quality! I'm thinking I want to make this into marsala next time with marsala wine and mushrooms instead of white wine and lemon..
Thank you!!
Fantastic! It was more lemony than I expected, but it was still very good. Next time, I'm trying it on fish.
This was very tasty but the sauce was SO thick …. how much flour do you usually have left after you have dipped the chicken in it?
Delicious – thanks for the recipe! I made this for dinner last night with brown rice and green beans and ate it for lunch today with steamed asparagus and apple slices. Yum! (My son and husband loved it too.)
I make it very similar but without the eggs. Would that make it less points?
Egg Whites are zero points, so I don't believe that would change the points.
is there any part of this recipe that can be made the day before? or is it best making it the night you plan to serve?
I usually reheat it in the microwave.
The flour should thicken it, add a little more next time. I just had this for dinner!
Could this be made in a slow cooker?
Just cannot get the sauce right on this for some reason…too watery 🙁 i tried twice! looks SO good!
Hi Gina,
I love your site- I have been on weight watchers trying to lose weight for my upcoming wedding and have been happily cooking with your recipes for the las 3 weeks. Both me and my fiancée are HUGE fans, thank you so so much, keep it up! I made this tonight, it is delicious! I see that you said it is great for lunch the next day, and I am very excited to do just that. Do you have a suggestion for reheating?
made this last week and it was awesome!
thank you!!!
I made this last night for dinner and it was wonderful. My husband said it was a restaurant quality meal. Thanks for so many great recipe renovations. I always talk about it at my Weight Watcher meetings!
Great recipe. Thanks! -SBE
Hey Gina! I made this last night and served it with your creamy cauliflower and asparagus with Dijon vinaigrette. It was a huge hit! Many thanks for this fantastic recipe!
It sounds like you liquid reduced too much, it should be a little thickened, but not super thick.
I must have done something wrong. My sauce came out super thick (almost like a gravy) and not a light pan sauce. I love the ingredients but fear all the flour cut down on the flavors. Is the sauce supposed to be super thick?
New to this site as of three days and have already made 4 recipes! Only need to lose a few pounds so it is so nice to find recipes that don't make you think that you are on a kill-me-now diet. This recipe was amazing! I didn't even use butter and added some diced garlic (to make it a little more piccatta) and it was so good! Even the leftovers look amazing. Thankd for sharing!!!
Made this tonight with your Cauliflower Fritters…deelish! Thank you! I am so glad I found this site 🙂
So glad you liked it!
I love you Gina!!!! This receipt is awesome… My Son and Husband really love Chicken Francese but I was unable to make it due to dietary restrictions… When I saw your receipt I tried it immediately and we all loved it… Thank you so much, I can't wait to try some of your other receipts… 😀
I can't believe I didn't figure this one out before! It was easy and delicious!
Sure, or you could buy thin cutlets already pre-cut.
I found this recipe delicious. I really loved the sauce and the sauce itself is pretty point friendly. I had a hard time with cutting the chicken into 12 cutlets. Could unbreaded raw chicken tenders be used instead. Since they are thin and relatively small.
This recipe was really fun to make… came out just like the picture! I use whole wheat flour, added some lightly steamed broccoli to the sauce before simmering, and served with whole wheat pasta. So glad I have leftovers for tomorrow!
This recipe was delicious! I had stopped making francese because it was so buttery. Did not miss the butter or the oil for frying. Was a hit with company too! Definitely will make again!
We had this tonight and it was heavenly. Little too tart for the grandkids, but husband, daughter and I loved it. When my husband and I were dating, we made a full fat recipe and he loved it. Unfortunately for him, I started WW right after (about 2 years ago) and lost 60lbs. Now on maintenance and your site is so helpful to me. I eat the things I missed without the worry. Thank you Gina.
I just made this tonight and aside from adding more herbs, it was very very moist and tasty as the recipe is! Adding this to my rotation of chicken recipes. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for commenting Cheryl!
Another great dinner recipe Gina; thanks! The chicken has such great flavor and very tender. It is great with orzo pasta to soak up the sauce!
You can add more chicken broth instead.
Hi Gina. I'm making this tonight for my husband for V-Day. The only ingredient I don't have is white wine. Is there anything I can use to substitute? Thanks.
Tried this today with a couple substitutions for what I had in the cupboard, and it was SO GOOD and VERY EASY! My favorite two phrases when talking about new recipes. Thanks Gina!!!
When you cook chicken, it weighs less so the cooked weight is different than the raw weight.
I am a bit confused. I thought chicken was 1 pt. per ounce and if each cutlet is around 2.5 ounces for suggested serving and you have 2 cutlets then that is 5 points on just the chicken-not including sauce. I made this tonight and it was AMAZING but don't know what I should add for points on sauce.
@Ursula and Gina:
I put it through the new PP calculator and the points are still 5 (yipee!)
This was so good! Made one small mistake put chicken in egg then flour, but still came out excellent.
Thanks once again for another great recipe.
I think you should probably add it to your taste. Some people may prefer more or less lemon juice.
hey gina! i loove your blog, i check it almost everyday. i made this tonight with your baked rice and peas and it was great. But, when i made it i felt like it came out a little too sour. i realize next time ill try to add it more to taste, but is there another way to cut some of the sourness while still retaining the lemon flavor?
Made this tonight and it turned out great! Any idea of how many POINTS+ it is with the new program?
This was AMAZING..I made this tonight and it was a huge hit!! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!!
Hi Gina-I just joined weight watchers and found your website and has been very helpful! Quick question-2 cutlets are 5 ww points?
Thanks!
Each cutlet should be around 2.5 oz. Hope that helps! Thanks so much!!
Hi Gina – I was all set to make this recipe today, but realized I have 4 Purdue Perfect Portion chicken breasts. Should I cut these in half? If so, I'd be making 8 servings, so how would the recipe change?
Thanks so much for this wonderful website! I love it! From, Gina
I like that idea!
Finally made this for dinner tonight – it was delicious. I think I'll try adding capers and/or sauteed mushrooms next time.
Thank you!
Yes, that's right Katherine!
The directions say to dip in flour and then into egg… then put in pan… is that the right order? Just want to make sure prior to making it. I don't know that I've ever cooked chicken with flour and egg in that order.. I thought maybe it should be egg then flour. Please advise. Thanks so much!! Looking forward to it!!
This was the most amazing chicken dish ive ever made! Im usually not a fan of chicken francese but let me tell you YUM YUM YUM!! This is a MUST make!!!!
I made this tonight. My husband and I loved it. I also made the roasted asparagus and a few red potato's. perfect meal. Love you Gina
@rlsmith217 It sounds like you bought thin cutlets, you may not need to cut them.
@Jenny- I start off with a very sharp knife butcher. If your knife isn't sharp, sharpen it. Chicken breast placed on the cutting board, my left hand on top of the chicken pressing down on it. Then I slide the knife through the top third, then again in half.
I can't wait to make this tonight! I have 4 5oz raw chicken breasts I plan to cut them in half to make 4 servings (2 cutlets) each. Im trying to figure out the points. What is the best way to cut the chicken in half b/c it looks pretty thin already? I think this site is amazing and I'm excited to start cooking! Thank you Gina!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was DELISH! I will definitly be making it again. I had some trouble with cutting the chicken breasts into 3rds though…any tips?
Also, this afternoon I made your Spinach Lasagna Rolls for dinner tomorrow and I'm excited to try it out! I'm a little skeptical about the FF Riccotta cheese, but I'm Italian and used to full fat, so we shall see! =)
I made this last night, and hubby asked for seconds, nuff said! LOL Thanks!
DELICIOUS!!
Good news Justine, my points were too high. I redid the calculations and added calories. Only 5 pts per serving. Not 8. (I was calculating weight based on raw chicken, not cooked)
This was so good, I couldn't believe it. Can't wait to make it again. I didn't see that it was supposed to be 8 servings from 4 breasts. I halved the recipe and called it two servings with two breasts, but oh well, the extra points are worth it.
You're welcome!
Delicious! My boyfriend couldn't believe the sauce wasn't 'fattening'! I have tried a couple others of your recipe gina and they have all been so yummy! Thanks for including the points and saving us ww-ers the time to figure them out. I am sooooo happy I found your blog!
Made this for dinner last night and it was wonderful. Keep blogging…
This is after it was cooked I believe.
are you weighing your chicken before cooking? Thanks
This was a very easy and delicious recipe. I served it this weekend when I had friends over for an impromptu dinner. I served them drinks and light appetizers, and they watched me cook!
I served this with roasted asparagus and brown rice, along with a beautiful beet and spinach salad.
My guests raved, and even my picky husband loved the recipe. Thanks again; you have a great website! So far, everything I've made has been fantastic.
I made this for dinner and it was really easy and tasty. I also added some cherry tomotoes to the sauce at the end and served it with a big green salad. Yummy!
I made this last night and it was wonderful! My husband did not even it was lower in faat!
Sure, whole wheat flour is fine, a small 15 oz can. Sorry I should have wrote that in the recipe.
Hi Gina,
I just have two quick quesitons…
Can you use whole wheat flour for this recipe and what size can of chicken broth do you use?
I made this tonight and much to my surprise, my kids gobbled this up! It reminds me of the Weight Watchers frozen dinner Chicken Piccata, only this is much better. (I forgot to add the butter, and didn't have any wine and it still was fantastic!) I served this with the recipe for cilantro rice…YUM!
I found your blog one day via a google search. Made this today and it was awesome! thanks!
i usually go with a pound 🙂
@Lisa, I'm sure it would taste great! Shrimp and lemon go well together. Shrimp is lower in points so it would be slightly lower. Hard to say exactly how many points without knowing how much shrimp.
Hey Gina
I have shrimp on hand do you think i could subsitutue ? How would i alter the points?
i forgot, i wanted to pass along to anyone who has leftovers make sure you take the lemon slices out before you reheat or it makes it bitter! (lol found that out the hard way!)
gabbie
hey gina! great and easy recipe! i love chicken and get bored sometimes so this is a welcome change! my husband loved it!!! gabbie
Thanks for pointing that out Marsha, hate when I make mistakes! 2 tbsp butter.
Looks so good! How much butter did you use, you don’t have butter in the ingredients.
Thanks!
This looks and sounds fantastic. However, I’m confused about something. You’ve said that it has 6 servings but it uses 4 (thinly sliced) chicken breasts. Sliced, I’m assuming to make thin cutlets would make 8 thin breast cutlets. Even if you cut those in half, it would make 16. None of those are divisible by 6. How do you divide your breasts to make six servings?
Beautiful photograph, by the way.
You need to use a total of four 8 oz breast pieces. Then cut each of those into 3 thin cutlets. That will give you a total of 12 cutlets. The serving size is 2 thin cutlets, so that makes 6 servings.
I’ve never understood how the points in WW worked, but that won’t stop me to try a delicious recipe like this one 🙂
Gina- your blog is a source of inspiration for me 🙂 Thanks! This looks wonderful!
They are just as good for lunch the next day!