To say that this French Onion Chicken became an instant favorite the moment I tasted it might be an understatement. It is packed with so much flavor and covered in cheese...need I say more?
Ok, I will go on but just know that this recipe yields the most tender juicy chicken you ever did have. And in the words of Lorelai Gilmore, "I want to take a bath in that sauce!"
Ingredients
While you could use any cut of chicken or even a whole chicken that's broken down, chicken thighs make it easy. I like to use bone-in skin-on so I can get crispy skin and the chicken stays super tender and juicy. All that said, chicken breasts work great too!
Aside from the chicken, you of course need onions, it is best to use a sweet onion. Most yellow onions are naturally sweeter, but if you find Vidalia onions use those for THE BEST flavor. The other must-haves that truly makes this French Onion Chicken is the nutmeg, thyme, and gruyere cheese. They are quintessential flavors for French onion anything.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
The first step is to crisp up the chicken breasts. Season them well on both sides and sear in a large pan until the skin is golden and crispy.
Then send the chicken to the side and caramelize the onions. This takes time and patience, but letting them get really soft and golden is the goal. After you have achieved a deep rich color you add a little more butter, the garlic, and the herbs and spices.
Cook those in for a couple of minutes, then make the sauce in the pan. After the sauce has simmered a bit return the chicken to the pan and let it cook in the sauce till it is fully cooked. Then to finish it off, scoop those onions on top of the chicken and mound the cheese onto it. I then place it under the broiler until it is beautifully melted.
This is optional, but I like to serve the chicken on top of a nice piece of crusty bread. This solidifies the thoughts of French onion soup and the cheesy bread on top of it. Scoop lots of that sauce and onions onto the bread and top with a couple of chicken thighs. I highly suggest this, it makes it a dream dinner!
Notes & Tips
It is super important to crisp the chicken skin until DARK brown in the first step. Rendering off the fat makes the eating experience in the end much more enjoyable and the schmaltz that comes off the chicken adds so much flavor.
Caramelizing the onions takes at least 30-40 minutes, most people will tell you it takes longer. But for this recipe, after 30ish minutes they are good to go. You'll have to exercise some patience though, and it will be worth it for the flavor.
When you get to the cheese, pile it high! It rounds everything out so beautifully and just brings so much great flavor. Plus, who doesn't love a cheesy dinner?
Substitutions
While I personally think this recipe is fantastic when made with chicken thighs. You could also use chicken breasts or even a whole chicken broken down into 8 pieces.
Yellow onions are traditionally used for French Onion soup. But I have also made this recipe when I had a bunch of red onions laying around and it works equally well with them. The sauce gets a little bit sweeter when you use them.
I highly suggest grating fresh nutmeg into the pan for this recipe, it just has so much more flavor. But you could use preground if you need to. Fresh thyme is also preferred, but dry will work in a pinch.
I usually keep a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc on hand for cooking. A nice buttery chardonnay would also work here. Brandy is traditional for French onion, but I like white wine for a little more tartness. If you do not what to use alcohol use ½ cup more chicken stock in its place.
Gruyere is a MUST for me. But if needed you could use a FRESHLY grated parmesan in its place if needed.
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📖 Recipe
French Onion Chicken
To say that this French Onion Chicken became an instant favorite the moment I tasted it might be an understatement.
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Thighs, bone-in + skin-on
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 large Yellow Onions, sliced
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, grated
- 4 sprigs Thyme, fresh
- 2 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- ½-1 cup White Wine, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 cup Gruyère Cheese, freshly grated
- Toasted Baguette, for serving
Instructions
- Season the chicken with a gentle dusting of salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a large skillet (that has a lid), warmed over medium-high heat on the stove, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it glistens in the pan.
- Add the seasoned chicken to the pan, skin side down, and cook for 5-7 minutes before you touch them. This will allow the skin to get super crispy.
- Flip the chicken over and cook 5 minutes longer.
- Remove chicken from pan and reserve until needed.
- Stir the onions into the same pan and cover for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low.
- Remove the lid and continue to cook the onions, stirring often, until they begin to turn golden brown color. This will take 10-15 minutes longer, but don’t rush the process, this is where most of the flavor is developed.
- When the onions are a deep rich brown, add the butter, nutmeg, thyme, and garlic to the pan. Season with a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Turn the heat back up to medium and add the wine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the wine has reduced by half, 3-5 minutes longer.
- Stir in the stock and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Continue cooking till the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes longer.
- Remove the thyme springs and add chicken back into the onions.
- Place the lid back on the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and continue simmering 10-12 minutes longer. Check the temp of the chicken, as long as it reads anywhere between 155-160˚F it will be fully cooked, yet still tender and juicy.
- Heat the oven broiler to high.
- Scoops most of the onions on top of the chicken top them with the Gruyère cheese and place it under the oven broiler for 3-5 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Notes
Notes & Tips
It is super important to crisp the chicken skin until DARK brown in the first step. Rendering off the fat makes the eating experience in the end much more enjoyable and the schmaltz that comes off the chicken adds so much flavor.
Caramelizing the onions takes at least 30-40 minutes, most people will tell you it takes longer. But for this recipe, after 30ish minutes they are good to go. You'll have to exercise some patience though, and it will be worth it for the flavor.
When you get to the cheese, pile it high! It rounds everything out so beautifully and just brings so much great flavor. Plus, who doesn't love a cheesy dinner?
Substitutions
While I personally think this recipe is fantastic when made with chicken thighs. You could also use chicken breasts or even a whole chicken broken down into 8 pieces.
Yellow onions are traditionally used for French Onion soup. But I have also made this recipe when I had a bunch of red onions laying around and it works equally well with them. The sauce gets a little bit sweeter when you use them.
I highly suggest grating fresh nutmeg into the pan for this recipe, it just has so much more flavor. But you could use preground if you need to. Fresh thyme is also preferred, but dry will work in a pinch.
I usually keep a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc on hand for cooking. A nice buttery chardonnay would also work here. Brandy is traditional for French onion, but I like white wine for a little more tartness. If you do not what to use alcohol use ½ cup more chicken stock in its place.
Gruyere is a MUST for me. But if needed you could use a FRESHLY grated parmesan in its place if needed.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 848Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 317mgSodium: 812mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 59g
This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.
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