French Onion Chicken Recipe
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Don’t miss this French Onion Chicken recipe! Tender, juicy sauteed chicken with the flavors of French onion soup. A quick comfort food meal!
This dish is utterly the best comfort food you can find. Lots of delicious caramelized onions, swiss cheese, and perfectly roasted chicken are sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Plus, there are only 10 minutes of prep time, and the rest is just waiting for it to cook. Just a warning, when that aroma hits your nose, you are bound to start getting really hungry.
I’m excited to share two other favorite comfort food chicken recipes too. Check out chicken cordon bleu, and baked honey mustard chicken! They are scrumptious and have easy-to-follow steps.
And if you are looking for a decadent dessert, I have the perfect solution for that too. Make a classic French dessert, vanilla creme brulee, to go with your French onion chicken!
French onion chicken recipe ingredients
To see the complete list of ingredients and directions by looking at the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil – It’s the ideal oil for browning the chicken. You can certainly swap it for your favorite oil if you aren’t a fan of olive oil.
- Chicken Breasts – Using boneless skinless breasts are great! You could also use boneless skinless thighs, but the meat is going to be fattier. It’s all up to preference.
- Butter – You only need a couple of tablespoons of butter, and it will help caramelize the onions beautifully.
- Onions – Naturally, one of the main ingredients of this baked french onion chicken will be the onions. I prefer yellow because they are slightly sweet and go well with the other ingredients.
- Red Pepper Flakes – While you don’t need a lot of red pepper flakes, they do add just enough spice to the dish. You can always add more or omit them altogether.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works well and will help enhance the overall texture.
- Beef Stock – Feel free to exchange it for chicken or veggie stock if you’d rather. They are all tasty options. Pretty much anything but plain water is going to be okay.
- Thyme – One of my favorite herbs are thyme leaves. They are a great way to add flavor.
- Cheese – There is some wiggle room with the cheese. My preference is swiss or provolone, but you could use any melty cheese that you like.
- Chives – They are just for garnish and will give the French onion chicken a great presentation.
Recipe Video
To see us make this dish from start to finish, watch the video located in the recipe card below.
How to make French onion chicken
1. Brown the chicken breasts.
Season each side of the breasts with salt and pepper. Then heat the oil in a pot. Once hot, add in the meat and brown both sides. Remove the meat and set it aside.
2. Make the French onion soup.
Using the same pot, add in the butter and onions. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions are a dark golden brown. Then mix in the flour and cook some more. Then pour in the stock and thyme. Cook until the sauce has thickened.
3. Finish cooking.
Add the meat back into the pan and top with cheese, and continue to cook. You have the option to continue cooking on the stovetop, or if using a dutch oven, you can place it in the oven and bake until the cheese has melted. Add chopped chives on top along with onions and sauce. Serve, and devour!
Storing leftovers
After the French onion chicken has cooled down, place it in a sealed container. It will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can easily reheat it in the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until it’s hot all the way. Or you can warm it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot all the way through.
Just make sure to cover it if you are microwaving, so there aren’t any messes.
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French Onion Chicken Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 lbs yellow onions thinly sliced (about 2 -3 large)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1½ cups beef stock
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 8 slices Swiss or provolone cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottom soup pot, Dutch oven or braiser (as in video) over medium low heat add the oil. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan, cover and set aside.
- To the same pot, add the butter and sliced onions, tossing to coat. Add the salt and red pepper flakes. Cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes. Remove lid and turn heat to low. Cook, stirring often, another 5 minutes until onions are a dark golden brown. Add the flour and cook another minute. Carefully pour in the beef stock and thyme. Stir to mix and sauce will thicken.
- Add cooked chicken and juices back into the pan, turning to coat with onion mixture. Top each chicken breast with 2 slices of cheese, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Serve with chopped chives and spoon onions with sauce on top.
Video
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Very easy & great tasting. I did add balsamic to this for another layer of flavor. I just wish I enjoyed Thyme. I should’ve added less since I knew I was sensitive to it. My bad. I loved that you cooked the chicken & then used the drippings to enhance the onions (& less dishes). We had leftovers & ended up shredding the chicken in the sauce. We added spinach, mushrooms & couscous. Made a fantastic bowl for another meal. Thx!
So happy you enjoyed this one Lisa!
Fantastic AND easy! Side of mashed potatoes, maybe a small salad, perfect meal!
Couldn’t agree more Sherrie, thnaks!
I think I sent this to my daughter knowing she would love it. I just returned from visiting them and am going to be buying some chicken breasts and this is the first thing I am trying! Yum!
Excellent! So glad you were able to go visit family Cathy. All the best!
Looks delicious. Definitely one to try.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
This is a great idea! My husband made way too much French onion soup last night. While it tastes amazing, there is only so much rich, flavorful, alcoholic broth one can take. Friends are coming over in a few days. Now we know what to make them. I’m a bit confused though as to why this is called “baked” chicken. The instructions seem to indicate that it’s cooked on the stove.
Lisa, thanks so much for letting me know that. I added the correct text in the recipe, although both ways work just fine. I will usually brown on the stovetop and then place in the oven for lack or kitchen real estate! Thanks for visiting the site and I hope you enjoy it.
I also made some amazing French onion and mushroom soup and will be using the remainder on this chicken idea!! Great way to repurpose your leftover soup!
Great thinking!
i too love cooking julia child’s french onion soup! have never added baked chicken before, next time i make the recipe i definitely will be adding it!
Thanks for stopping by Thalia! It adds a richness to the dish while keeping the chicken moist and fall apart tender. Give it a try and let me know how yours turns out. 🙂