French Onion Chicken
French Onion Chicken is not your ordinary chicken dish! Juicy chicken thighs smothered in a rich gravy full of caramelized onions and topped with gooey cheese.
This dish is definitely loaded with everything you love about French onion soup, but made in an easy one pot recipe that is sure to quickly become a family favorite!
French Onion Chicken
French onion soup is a classic recipe that so many people love when they are in the mood for soup.
And while this is one of MY favorite soups, sometime’s I find that it’s not enough to be a whole meal. And I need more!
This inspired me to develop this French Onion Chicken dish. It’s like this copycat version of Texas Roadhouse Herb Chicken, but fancier.
Using chicken thighs for added protein, I reduced the soup to a gravy, and found a way to caramelize the onions within 30 minutes so this dish can be made any night of the week.
So, when you are looking to change up your weeknight meal plan, be sure to put this French Onion Chicken on the list!
You won’t be disappointed that you did. Serve with a side salad, some white rice, and homemade garlic knots for a complete meal!
Ingredients Needed
Butter – Be sure to use unsalted butter, not salted or margarine, for this recipe.
If you are unable to locate unsalted butter, reduce additional salt by 1/4 teaspoon per 1 stick of butter used.
Onions – French onion soup is traditionally made with large yellow onions. However, feel free to use white, red, sweet, or a combination of all!
Garlic – Fresh minced garlic is the best but you can also use the jarred minced garlic. I don’t recommend using garlic powder as the flavor isn’t as robust as with fresh garlic.
Chicken thighs – While this recipe calls for chicken thighs, feel free to use legs or breasts as well. No matter the cut, you can use boneless, skinless, or bone-in and skin-on.
Just note that if you are using bone-in, you will need to cook the chicken about 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Dry white wine – I like to use Sauvignon blanc to make this recipe but feel free to omit and use all beef broth if you prefer.
Cheese – Swiss and mozzarella are the best to use. Feel free to substitute Gruyere or Parmesan cheese for Mozzarella if you prefer.
Seasonings – Salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme.
Pantry staples – Olive oil, beef broth, parsley.
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How to Make French Onion Chicken
First: In a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and add onions. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook stirring occasionally and allow onions to caramelize.
Add thyme, oregano, and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove seasoned caramelized onions from pan and keep warm.
Second: Add olive oil to pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in hot pan. Sear chicken until lightly golden brown on each side. Remove and transfer to a plate.
Third: Add onions back to pan and deglaze pan with white wine and beef broth. Add chicken back to pan and allow chicken to cook through and the sauce has been reduced by half.
Fourth: While chicken is in pan, preheat oven to 375. Top chicken with cheeses and place in heated oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from oven. Top with fresh parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy!
For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
How long does it last?
Store any left-overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to reheat, microwave for 2 minutes. Continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until chicken is warmed through.
If reheating in the oven, place leftover chicken in an oven safe pan, cover with foil and place in a 350 °F oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Can I freeze it?
Allow any leftovers to come to room temperature prior to placing in a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I make this ahead of time?
This recipe tastes best when served right away, there are a few steps you can do ahead of time to shorten the overall cooking time.
- Trim chicken thighs of any extra fat and place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Caramelize onions with garlic, thyme, and oregano and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Pre-grate the blocks of Mozzarella and Swiss cheese and place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Caramelizing the onions in advance will cut your cooking time in half when you are ready to bake off!
Tips for No Leftovers
- For richer sauce flavor or darker color, add some gravy master or kitchen bouquet.
- Chicken thighs are more flavorful but feel free to use chicken breasts.
- If using bone-in chicken, you will need to cook it for a longer period of time. Bone-in chicken will need approximately 10-15 minutes longer to cook all the way through.
- You can skip the white wine and use more beef broth or chicken broth.
- Great served over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or white rice.
- Do not salt the onions. If salted, the onions will release their liquid too early and will not caramelize properly.
- Caramelizing onions take time. Cook onions over medium low heat so they caramelize versus burning.
- Shred your own cheese. For best results, buy the cheeses in blocks and shred with a box grater the amount you need.
- Feel free to swap out the chicken for pork or beef!
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!
French Onion Chicken takes a classic soup and turns it into a hearty main course! This one pot dish is easy-to-make and uses a handful of pantry staples that really pack a flavor punch into every bite!
French Onion Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large white onions sliced into 1/4th inch rings
- 2 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs trimmed
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup dry white wine like Sauvignon blanc
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- Fresh chopped Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large, oven safe, saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions over medium high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium low and allow to slowly caramelize. If it starts browning too quickly, turn the temperature down a little more. The caramelization may take 20 – 25 minutes.
- Add the thyme oregano and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Then remove the onions from the pan and keep warm.
- Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat.
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and place in the hot oil.
- Cook each side till browned about 5 minutes per side, then remove from the pan.
- Place the onions back in the pan and pour the white wine and beef broth in the pan. Stir around and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. This is where the great flavor comes from!
- Place the chicken back in the pan and cook for 20 minutes till cooked through and the sauce has reduced by half. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 170°F.
- 10 minutes before the chicken is done, heat the oven to 375°F.
- Top the chicken with the cheese and place in the heated oven for 5 to 10 minutes till melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve immediately with your choice of vegetables and French bread.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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