I come from a town that has an Italian restaurant on every corner and in every strip mall(Yeahh Jersey!) Whenever I would go to one, I would either order Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Francese! I love making Chicken Parmesan meatballs, but I have never made Chicken Francese meatballs before so I decided to give it a go.

What is Francese sauce made of?

Chicken Francese consists of chicken breasts rolled in an egg and flour mixture. Later, you pan fry the chicken, and then serve it in a sauce made from white wine, chicken broth and unsalted butter.

This was delicious! I loveee a creamy lemoney sauce. The addition of arrowroot flour at the end thickens this sauce making it perfect to throw over some pasta or for dunking in some crusty bread! You will love it! You can opt to go dairy-free, but you should add a 1/4 tsp of salt if you choose that route.

What’s the difference between Chicken Francese and Piccata?

Chicken Francese is pretty similar to Chicken Piccata. The difference is the order of the flour and egg. Francese is first dipped in flour, then into a beaten egg mixture before being cooked. Picatta is first dipped in egg and then in to the flour. Both of these dishes get simmered in a lemony butter sauce, but the piccata sauce includes salty capers added to the end.

Ingredients for Chicken Francese Meatballs:

Meatballs:
1lb ground chicken
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil + more for frying
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko or gluten free panko
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Sauce:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1.5 cups chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
1.5 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp butter
1 tbsp arrowroot powder mixed with 1 tbsp water to form a slurry

Chicken Francese Meatballs

Delicious Chicken Francese in Meatball form!

Print Recipe

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Cuisine American, French, Italian

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 lb Ground Chicken
1 Egg
Zest 1 Lemon
1 tbsp Olive Oil plus more for frying
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs or gluten free panko breadcrumbs
1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley chopped

Sauce

1/2 cup White Wine
1.5 cups Chicken Broth
Juice 1 Lemon
1.5 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Butter
1 tbsp Arrowroot Powder

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients.
Form into balls. (I used a cookie dough scooper)
In a large fry pan, add about 2 tbsp of oil and cook all of the meatballs on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, browning all sides. Meatballs do not need to be fully cooked because they will finish cooking in the sauce.
Set meatballs aside in a bowl
Wipe out the pan, and begin to make your sauce.
Add white wine to the pan on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth, juice of 1 lemon, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil
Lower the heat to medium and add back all of the meatballs.
Add the butter. Cook for about 5 minutes.
While meatballs are finishing cooking, create an arrowroot slurry by adding 1tbsp of arrowroot flour and 2 tbsp of water to a small bowl. Mix until fully combined.
Turn the heat to low on the meatballs, and create space to pour in the arrowroot slurry. Whisk the area where you poured it in.
Mix the contents of the pan. Once you see the sauce thicken, turn the heat off and enjoy!