Chicken Francaise

A trattoria favorite you can pull off at home, chicken Francaise is all about the bright, buttery lemon sauce. Chicken cutlets get a quick dip in egg spiked with lemon, then a coating of Parmesan-spiked breadcrumbs, and a turn in hot oil to brown them into a savory, golden crust.

From there they bake in the sauce, a generous pour of melted butter, the juice of a couple of lemons, garlic, parsley, and chicken broth simmered together until fragrant.

Baking the chicken covered lets it drink in that tangy sauce and stay juicy, while a final stint uncovered firms the top back up.

The lemon is bold and the butter rich, which is exactly why you serve it over rice, the only proper way to catch every last spoonful of that golden, citrusy sauce.

Chef Tips

• Pound the cutlets to an even thickness before breading so they cook through at the same rate.
• Brown the chicken well in oil before it goes in the sauce. That crust is both flavor and a barrier that keeps the coating from dissolving completely.
• Use a 2-to-1 ratio of breadcrumbs to Parmesan, as the recipe calls for, so the cheese flavors the crust without making it greasy or burning.
• Taste the sauce before baking; the lemon should be bright but balanced, so add broth if it’s too sharp.

Variations

• Add capers or a splash of white wine to the sauce for a more piccata-style finish.
• Serve over angel hair pasta or mashed potatoes instead of rice.