Creamy Lemon Chicken Francese with Capers
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Italian
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
When I picked up and moved to New York 20 years ago this month (!!!), one of the things I tried early on was Chicken Francese. And I hated it 😂. I actually hated a lot of things back then. I was a pretty picky eater having grown up on bangers and mash in England and casseroles in the Midwest. My palette, to say the least, had not been developed.
Twenty years later and I have traveled to every nook of the world except Australia and Antarctica (both on my bucket list). I got sooo close to Australia by exploring New Zealand’s north and South island. Last year, I finally made it to Asia, traveling around Southeast Asia with my son for a month, which ticked off the fifth of our seven continents.
All this time traveling and experience the vastly unique cultures our world has to offer has changed me spiritually but has also had a huge impact on my palette. From springbok in South Africa to spicy beef and ants in Cambodia, I am willing to try any cuisine. And so, twenty years later, here I am writing up my favorite recipes I’ve collected over the years, amazed that I hated Chicken Francese two decades ago!
There are a number of different ways Chicken Francese can be prepared but the basic element all comes down to a lemony chicken and sauce. I opted to make it a creamier sauce, so I added heavy cream to the dish. Also, I decided not to bread the chicken. I know a lot of recipes call for breading the chicken, but I just didn’t find it necessary! The chicken is cooked in such a way that it is very moist by the time it is done.
This is actually a very quick, easy meal to make for Sunday dinner. It’s quick enough to make for any weekday dinner too, but something about it just feels so Sunday dinner. I made this with linguine, which was such a delicious pairing! And just to stir things up a bit, I added capers because capers are just so good and need to be featured more often!
If you try this, let me know what you think with a comment below 👇🏻. Or tag be on Instagram.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to about 1” thick
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 TB nonpareil capers
1 TB fresh thyme
2 TBs olive oil
2 TBs butter
¼ cup flour
¾ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
parsley to garnish, if desired
linguine to serve
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to the directions.
In a large cast iron pan or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Melt the butter in the pan. Once melted, add the garlic, capers, and thyme. Cook until fragrant ~ about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir until fully saturated. Slowly add the white wine, stirring constantly, until fully incorporated with the roux. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, and lemon juice. Bring to a light simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reduce the temperature to low. Return the chicken to the pan and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Serve immediately over linguine.
Enjoy!
Keywords: chicken francese, chicken francese with capers, lemon chicken, lemon chicken francese, creamy chicken francese, chicken francese linguine
