French Onion Chicken
French Onion Chicken is a delicious meal that features juicy chicken breasts topped with succulent caramelized onions and gooey melted cheese. If you love French onion soup, you’ll LOVE French onion chicken. It comes together in just one pan and is easy to make for a weeknight meal.
Take advantage of a sale on chicken breasts, onions, and cheese at Safeway to make this French onion chicken recipe for dinner this week.
Anytime French onion soup is on a menu, my entire family orders it! It’s super easy to make at home, and while I make it in the winter, this French Onion Chicken recipe is on regular rotation at my house because it’s savory, flavorful, and easy to make!
Safeway is featuring Roth Grand Cru Alpine Style Gruyere Cheese from Wisconsin on sale this month. I cannot say enough amazing things about this cheese – it is so delicious and melts amazingly over everything. It’s robust and full-bodied, this one-of-a-kind cheese melts beautifully and is a natural fit for French onion chicken or soup.
I also used a freshly grated parmesan cheese so that there would be some depth of flavor to the cheeses and a little more salty profile with the parmesan. if you don’t have Gruyere on hand, you can also use mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
French onion chicken uses fresh onions, thyme, chicken and garlic, fresh cheese and everything else is from your pantry.
- onions – they get slow-cooked in the skillet, bringing out their natural sweetness and gorgeous caramelization
- butter – for cooking the onions
- fresh thyme – traditionally used in French Onion soup to add flavor to the onions
- fresh garlic – adds great flavor to the sauce
- balsamic vinegar – adds amazing sweetness, color, and flavor to the onions and the sauce.
- chicken breasts – the star protein of the show. The chicken breasts are cut in thirds lengthwise for faster cooking
- smoked paprika – adds color and flavor to the chicken
- garlic powder – for seasoning the chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- beef broth – for the soupy braising liquid
- white wine is also used for the braising liquid and adds great flavor to the sauce
- Gruyere cheese or Alpine cheese (I used Roth Grand Cru) – gets melty and gooey and ties the dish together
- freshly grated parmesan cheese – 2 kinds of cheese for amazing depth of flavor
How to Make French Onion Chicken
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon of fresh minced thyme. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until soft, stirring often.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring often, until they are caramelized (golden) and jammy (about 20 minutes). Add minced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Stir in 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness of the onions and add flavor. Remove from the skillet to a small bowl and reserve.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet.
I always cut chicken breasts lengthwise in thirds so they cook faster. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Sear the chicken breasts in the skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown and a nice crust forms on both sides – about 6 minutes on each side.
Add the onions back to the skillet along with the white wine and beef broth. Scrape the pan to gather all the delicious flavors from the onions and chicken for your sauce. Bring to a boil, then allow the liquid to simmer over medium heat until reduced by half.
Add the grated cheeses on top of the chicken breasts and cover to allow the heat and steam to melt the cheese. If your skillet does not have a tight-fitting lid, you can place the skillet in the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey.
Serve with toasted bread to sop up the onions and delicious juices from the French onion sauce.
What to serve with French Onion Chicken
I paired with roasted Lyonnaise potatoes – the crispy onion and tender potato combo were fabulous with the French Onion chicken.
You could also serve with these sides:
Butternut Squash Salad With Kale, Apples & Cranberries
The kids devoured this meal and asked for seconds – that is always a win in my book! Sadly, there were no leftovers, but they asked for the dish to be made again next week.
Next, I plan to make a tart with mushrooms and caramelized onions with the melty gruyere for the vegetarian in the family! She felt left out as everyone was salivating over the French Onion Chicken – so that will be remedied and I will have redemption.
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. If so, please be sure to rate/review the recipe and leave a comment below. You can also tag me on Instagram with your final dish to be featured in our stories.
French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into thirds lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika - adds color and flavor to the chicken
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to season chicken and onions
- 1/2 cup beef broth - for the soupy braising liquid
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese or Alpine cheese I used Roth Grand Cru. Mozzarella cheese can also be used.
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon of fresh minced thyme. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until soft, stirring often.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring often, until they are caramelized (golden) and jammy (about 20 minutes). Add minced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Stir in 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness of the onions and add flavor. Remove from the skillet to a small bowl and reserve.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet.
- I always cut chicken breasts lengthwise in thirds so they cook faster. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Sear the chicken breasts in the skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown and a nice crust forms on both sides - about 6 minutes on each side.
- Add the onions back to the skillet along with the white wine and beef broth. Scrape the pan to gather all the delicious flavors from the onions and chicken for your sauce. Bring to a boil, then allow the liquid to simmer over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the grated cheeses on top of the chicken breasts and cover to allow the heat and steam to melt the cheese. If your skillet does not have a tight-fitting lid, you can place the skillet in the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey.
- Serve with toasted bread to sop up the onions and delicious juices from the French onion sauce.
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This was delicious! It took more than 20 minutes to caramelize the onions, but the result was fantastic. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!