French Onion Chicken recipe

This French Onion Chicken recipe is an amazing family recipe that EVERYONE in my family absolutely loves. Save it so you can make it for your next family dinner!

French Onion Soup is one of my favorite soups. I always order it if it’s on the menu and I have an amazing recipe for it (that I’ll have to put up soon!) that I love. So I thought why not put a spin on it and make French Onion Chicken?

I tried making this French Onion Chicken a few weeks ago and my family loved this recipe so much that I made it again this week. Since I cook so much we don’t have a weekly rotation of meals or favorites, but this one is certainly going into the mix for our monthly rotation. Even my uber picky children gave it two thumbs up, which is how they rate my food in our house. My daughter, Kevin and I had seconds and my son, who isn’t a big eater in general, finished his whole plate. 

Making my French Onion Chicken recipe

My French Onion Chicken recipe combines onions, shallots, garlic, white wine, butter, olive oil, chicken, beef stock, Gruyère cheese and of course some fresh herbs and dried spices. However, I also use Worcestershire Sauce in this and a paste Beef Bouillon. You should absolutely use the Worcestershire Sauce. However, if you don’t want to use the Beef Bouillon, you don’t have to. I have made it with and without the bouillon and enjoy the overall flavor more with a little added in. Please look for the paste and not the dry cubes though. The one I use is {HERE}. It is certified organic and you can usually find it in the grocery stores. 

Caramelization is a process

This recipe isn’t a super quick one. You can’t make it in 30 minutes and you need closer to 45 to be able to make the whole thing. I want to make you aware of that upfront so you can plan a little better. However the extra time is totally worth it! 

So why does it take so long? It’s the onions, friends. They really need to be properly caramelized to ensure that this meal work. True caramelization doesn’t happen in 5 or 10 minutes. In fact, most French Onion Soup recipes will have you take 45 minutes caramelizing the onions. Caramelization happens in two parts. 

1. You start with an amazing extra virgin olive oil, the onions and shallots. You cook those down for about 15 minutes and have to stir always/frequently so they don’t burn. Burning is not caramelization. 
2. Butter (and garlic) gets added then too and you cook everything down for another 5-10 minutes. Butter has a much lower burn point than olive oil so by adding it in second and after some proper caramelization has occurred, there’s a less likely chance you will burn the onions. 

Chicken Breasts or thighs?

I’ve made my French Onion Chicken recipe with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs. I prefer the recipe with the chicken thighs. In fact, I prefer almost all chicken recipes with chicken thighs because they’re dark meat. this means they retain their moisture better and are more flavorful. However, you can use breasts if you want to use them.

There’s two things you should know though.

1. Chicken breasts will take longer to brown (3 minutes per side).
2. Chicken breasts will generally take longer to cook through. I give a range for this French Onion Chicken recipe on the oven time to allow for this. My breasts needed 20 minutes to cook through and come to temperature. My thighs needed just about 15 minutes. 

No matter what you do just make sure the internal temperature of the breasts or thighs is 165 degrees F.

Tips for making French Onion Chicken

• Don’t skip on pre-seasoning the chicken. All meats need to be seasoned properly before cooking and chicken is no exception.
• Make sure to stay with the onions, stirring continuously. I know they take awhile to cook but to get that true caramelization flavor, they need the time. 
• Use beef stock over using beef broth. The stock has a better flavor and consistency.
• Use 8 oz. of the Gruyere cheese. In my photos I don’t use that much but that’s so you could still see the chicken in my photos. If I wasn’t photographing this I would have covered it all with cheese. 
• Use fresh herbs where it calls for fresh and dry where it calls for dry.
• Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can find.
• Make sure to use sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, not table salt. 
• You need a large Dutch oven or pan to make this recipe. It is a one pot recipe. You can find the Le Creuset Braising pan that I used {HERE}.
• If you need a side to serve with the chicken, these Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes {HERE} are a lovely pairing. It’s what we eat with this dish. These Green Beans with almonds {HERE} also make a perfect side dish for some green vegetables. 

Storing and reheating

You can store the French Onion Chicken – onions and all – in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Kevin likes to store this together with the green beans and mashed potatoes and then usually eats it like a casserole the next day for lunch. 

If you want to pre-make this meal for some reason though, I recommend only making it one day ahead of time before serving. 

To reheat, you can microwave it for about 2 minutes. Or you can put it back in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure to spoon the juices over the chicken so it doesn’t dry out. 

Looking for other dinner ideas?

If you’re looking for a few other delicious chicken dinner ideas, try these!

• White Wine Dijon Chicken {HERE}
• Mediterranean Chicken Skewers {HERE}
• Creamy Sour Cream and Chive Chicken {HERE}
• Chicken Satay Skewers {HERE}
• Bacon and Mushroom Smothered Chicken {HERE}

Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you love this recipe for French Onion Chicken. You can find the full printable recipe below. I hope that you will come back again!
 


 

French Onion Chicken

This French Onion Chicken recipe is an amazing family recipe that EVERYONE in my family absolutely loves. Save it so you can make it for your next family dinner. 

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken recipes, French Onion Chicken, French Onion Chicken recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4 - 5 servings

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• 1 large pan or Dutch oven

Ingredients

Ingredients for the chicken

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Ingredients for the French Onion Chicken

• 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 yellow onions, sliced
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, grated
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 Tbsp. Beef bouillon paste
• 2 tsp. sea salts
• 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• 8 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded
• Additional fresh thyme, fresh chives, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper for topping.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cover the chicken with 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and then season with the chicken seasonings above on both sides.
• Cook in large Dutch oven over a medium flame with additional 1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil from the chicken ingredients above. 2 minutes per side for chicken thighs. Use 3 minutes per side if you are using chicken breasts.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
• Add the extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium. Then add the onions and shallots.
• Cook stirring on a regular basis for 15 minutes to caramelize.
• Add in the garlic and butter. Cook another 5 minutes stirring regularly.
• Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for 3 minutes, scraping the brown bits from the bottom.
• Then add 2 cups of beef stock, the Worcestershire sauce and the beef bullion.
• Add in the thyme, salt and pepper and stir. Simmer 5 minutes on low.
• Add the chicken back in and spoon the sauce over it to keep it from drying out. Cover and bake for 15- 20 minutes.
• When done, add on the Gruyere cheese and cover with the lid to melt it.
• Add additional thyme, sea salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve over potatoes (mashed or otherwise).