French Onion Chicken Recipe
For those occasions when you want to create an elegant dish that’s layered with richness, this French onion chicken recipe with caramelized onions is exactly the recipe you need! Begin by caramelizing onions to sweet, nutty, luscious perfection. If you’ve never caramelized onions, don’t worry. It’s easy! I have a detailed section below how to do so. After caramelizing the onions, you sear chicken breasts or thighs before simmering them in mixture of the caramelized onions, broth, and dry white wine for about 20 minutes. Then you’ll top the chicken with shredded cheese and bake it momentarily to melt it to gooey perfection.
The whole thing reminds me of French Onion Soup between the brothy wine sauce which reduces as it simmers and takes on the flavors of the onions. And then the melted cheese on top makes it all taste so decadent and luxurious. Make sure to sop up the sauce with Mashed Potatoes or some crusty French bread as you’re digging into the tender, juicy chicken too. While this may not be the quickest meal ever, it’s definitely a comfort food recipe that’s perfect for cold winter nights, special occasions like an anniversary or Valentine’s dinner at home, holiday dinners, or a Sunday family dinner. I promise everyone who tries this chicken won’t ever forget it!
Ingredients in French Onion Chicken Skillet
There aren’t as many ingredients in this impressive French-inspired recipe as one may imagine. And everything is a fridge or pantry staple and easy to find including the following:
Onions Butter Garlic Thyme Oregano Olive oil Chicken thighs (or breasts) Salt Pepper Beef broth Dry white wine Shredded mozzarella cheese Shredded Swiss cheese Fresh parsley, for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Caramelize Onions
Caramelizing onions simply means that you are going to cook the onions slowly until the natural sugars in the onions caramelize, resulting in a sweet, nutty, caramel-like flavor. Not so sweet or caramely to be confused with a dessert, but as onions go, they’re rich and decadent. And not difficult – just have patience!
There are some tips and pointers for making caramelized onions which are as follows:
Pan selection is also important!
I have three favorite skillets for recipes like this that are heavy-bottomed, heavy-duty, and can go from stovetop to oven:
How to Make French Onion Chicken
Now that I’ve outlined how to make the best caramelized onions, we can make French onion chicken with those caramelized onions. Follow these straightforward steps for the best French onion chicken recipe that everyone will adore.
Step 1: At the end of the process to caramelize the onions, add garlic, thyme, and oregano. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step 2: Add the olive oil, seasoned chicken, and brown each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove it.
Step 3: Place the onions back in the skillet, add the broth, wine, and stir.
Step 4: Place the chicken on top and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced by half.
Step 5: Sprinkle the top of the chicken with the cheese and bake for 5 to 10 minutes in a preheated oven until melted and bubbly. Step 6: Garnish and serve immediately!
What Kind of Chicken Is Best?
You’ve got many options for the type of chicken you use in this comfort food chicken dinner including the following:
Skinless or skin-on Boneless or bone-in Breasts or thighs
You can select any combination of the above. Note that:
Chicken with skin-on will have a richer flavor and likely be juicier than skinless. Bone-in chicken has a bit more flavor but takes an extra 10 to 15 minutes to cook when it simmers in the wine sauce before baking it to melt the cheese. We all know the difference between the flavor of breasts versus thighs and people tend to be in one camp or the other on this based on personal preferences for white or dark meat.
For the recipe as photographed, I used boneless chicken thighs with the skin on.
Do I Have to Use Wine for French Onion Chicken?
I think the French are known for their wine, and for cooking with wine. In my opinion, you can’t really have French onion chicken without wine. The alcohol content largely burns off and what you’re left with is a richness and depth of flavor to the finished dish that is just so satisfying and wonderful so I urge you not to omit it. However, if you absolutely don’t want to use wine, use 3/4 cup additional chicken broth instead.
What Kind of Wine Is Best for This Recipe?
A dry white wine such as the following are my recommendations:
Sauvignon blanc Pinot grigio Chardonnay
Tip: If you like cooking with wine because you love the final flavor, do not miss my Garlic Butter Chicken recipe with white wine and my Creamy Tuscan Chicken.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
The French onion chicken thighs are best served warm and fresh with your favorite side dish like Classic Mashed Potatoes, breadsticks or French bread, or a side salad. Leftover French onion chicken with caramelized onions will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips for the Best Cheesy French Onion Chicken
This French onion chicken skillet tastes like a million bucks and is actually so easy. I’ve got a final few tips and pointers for you to ensure your French onion chicken is the best! Caramelizing the Onions – Make sure to read the section above about how to properly caramelize onions and what type of onions to select since they’re an integral part of the recipe. Not too thin, real butter, take your time, and patience are the Cliff’s Notes. Thyme and Oregano – You can use either dried or fresh of either herb. With dried herbs, you use half the listed quantity of fresh herbs since they’re more concentrated and potent.
Broth – Beef broth is more traditional in “French onion” recipes from soup to chicken and that’s what I used here. I use reduced-sodium beef broth and then add salt at the end if I think the dish needs it. After the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes and reduces by half, the sodium concentrates and seems more intense which is why I like to start out by using reduced sodium broth. You can also use chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand. It’s a little milder in flavor overall than beef broth so your finished dish won’t have quite the intensity that beef broth lends. I also recommend using reduced sodium chicken broth too as opposed to regular.
Cheese – I used shredded mozzarella and shredded Swiss cheese. They melt nicely, are readily available, and are a good value. If you’d like to splurge, use Gruyere cheese which is the type typically used on top of French onion soup. Comte is another luscious cheese that you can use to make the final dish taste even more elegant. Keep an Eye On It – There are three phases in the recipe where you want to keep an eye on your food fairly closely and they are include:
More Easy Chicken Skillet Recipes:
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