A classic soup transforms into the main event with a family favorite recipe for French Onion Chicken starring tender chicken breasts, caramelized onions and crispy, cheesy toasts.
How to Make French Onion Chicken
When the comfort food cravings strike, I am all about a hearty, easy (and this one also happens to be cheesy) one-pan meal. That’s exactly what French Onion Chicken delivers!
This flavor-packed recipe all cooks in a single skillet, including tender chicken breasts, caramelized onions and even the cheesy toasts, which are arranged atop the chicken mixture and then melted under the broiler.
How to Caramelize Onions Quickly
Flavor-packed and incredibly versatile caramelized onions are a great staple to have in your recipe repertoire. Aside from starring in this recipe for French Onion Chicken, they’re also a great addition to burgers, pasta, pizzas, salads and so much more. The only issue? Watching onions caramelize is like watching paint dry. It takes… forever!
The best way to speed up the caramelizing process is to add a small amount of water to the onions while they cook. Doing so helps them quickly steam and then the liquid gets evaporated, so you’re left with glorious, deep-golden brown onions.
The final step in this recipe is to top the chicken mixture with a layer of French baguette toasts, and then pile on the extra-creamy shredded Gruyère cheese. Pop the skillet in the oven and you’re 3 minutes away from digging in to the ultimate spin on a French classic!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons beef bouillon paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnishing
For the topping:
- 1 French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a large oven-proof skillet set over medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown it on all sides. (It does not need to be cooked completely.) Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to a bowl and set it aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet then add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are caramelized, about 35 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high then add the sherry, and cook while scraping up any brown bits, for 1 minute. Stir in the flour then cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the beef bouillon paste, Worcestershire sauce, heavy cream and 1 ¼ cups water. Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the browned chicken and thyme. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Set the oven to BROIL.
- Arrange the baguette toasts in a single layer on top of the chicken mixture so that they are overlapping slightly. Sprinkle the cheese on top then place the skillet several inches under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and the toasts are slightly crisped, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, garnish with additional fresh thyme and serve.
Nutrition
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Did I miss a step about seasoning the chicken or the sauce? Definitely feels like there must be some salt added somewhere. Thanks!
Feel free to salt and pepper to taste, Meredith. :)
HI there! I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it looks and sounds delicious. Just a thought though, I was wondering about the mix of chicken with the beef bouillon. Does it alter the flavor of the chicken? Thank you
Not at all, Rose! You could use chicken bouillon if you prefer, however it won’t have the classic French onion flavor.
Looks wonderful. What do you suggest to go with this for dinner; a salad or some vegetable or noodles or potatoes. Just not sure what to serve with this for company. Thanks!
Hi Joyce! I love serving this with steamed broccoli and white rice. :) Enjoy!
The water is not listed as an ingredient but is called for in step 4. Looks delish definitely making this today.
Hi Judith! We don’t generally list water as an ingredient. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Can I substitute bouillon cube for paste
Absolutely! I believe it’s a 1:1 conversion so you’d use 1 cube. Let me know how it turns out!
My family devoured this!! This will be in our weekly rotation from now on. Thanks for sharing such easy, tasty recipes!!
I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Jessica!