French Onion Chicken
User Reviews
4.4
30 reviews
Good
-
Prep Time
15 mins
-
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
-
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
-
Servings
6
-
Calories
491 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
French
French Onion Chicken
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French Onion Chicken- If you like French onion soup, you're going to LOVE this elegant chicken dinner complete with caramelized onions and melted cheese on top! A PERFECT comfort food recipe for special occasions like a holiday meal, an anniversary or Valentine's dinner, or anytime you want to take chicken to the next level! Rave reviews guaranteed!
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Ingredients
- 2 large yellow or sweet Vidalia onions peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch diameter rings (white onions may be substituted but I prefer the other choices)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs or breasts*
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup beef broth reduced sodium recommended, reduced sodium chicken broth may be substituted but isn't as traditional
- ¾ cup dry white wine Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay; use 3/4 cup additional broth if don't' want to use wine
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese**
- ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese**
- fresh parsley for garnishing as desired
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Instructions
- To a large, heavy-bottom skillet or pan that can go from stove to oven***, add the onions, butter, and heat over medium-low heat to melt the butter and allow the onions to caramelize. Tips - Please read the blog post for more details. Do not rush the caramelization process, it will take at least 20 to 30 minutes, up to 1 hour, to properly caramelize onions. Do not rush it because you'll just burn the onions rather than caramelize them. Use medium low heat and if they're cooking too quickly, turn the heat down. Stir and toss every 3 to 5 minutes or so. Onions are ready when they are a deep and rich brown color, sweet, soft, and almost jam-like. Go darker and deeper than my photos show.
- In the final moments of caramelizing the onions, add the garlic, thyme, oregano, stir to combine, and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
- After the onions have caramelized, remove them from the skillet; set aside in a bowl.
- Add the olive oil to the same skillet (you don't have to wash it even if it looks dark and ugly), season the chicken with the salt and pepper on both sides, and place it in the skillet with the skin-side up (if your chicken has skin on it).
- Allow it to sear for 5 minutes on each side over medium heat.
- After 10 minutes and the chicken has been seared and is lightly browned on both sides, remove it from the skillet; set aside momentarily
- Add the onions back into the skillet, add the beef broth, wine (be careful it may bubble up!), and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet, and allow it to simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until cooked through (160F for breasts and 170F for thighs on a digital thermometer), and the wine-broth sauce has reduced by half. Tips - While the chicken simmers, preheat the oven to 375F. Make sure to cook your chicken until it's done - not more and not less - because all pieces of chicken will vary and therefore so will cooking times. Using a thermometer will ensure accuracy and remove guesswork.
- After the chicken is done, evenly sprinkle the cheeses over the top of each piece of chicken.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, and is as golden browned as desired. Tip - Keep an eye on it because the cheese may melt faster than you think and you do not want to burn it, especially at this point!
- Remove the skillet from the oven, evenly sprinkle with parsley as desired, and serve immediately. Chicken is best warm and fresh but extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- *You’ve got many options for the type of chicken you use in this comfort food chicken dinner including the following:
- Note that:
- **Cheese - You can mix and match the types of cheese used. Gruyere and/or Comte are two other types of cheese that while not cheap, are decadent, luscious, and perfect for the recipe.
- ***Favorite Heavy Bottomed Skillets and Pans for this recipe:
- Skinless or skin-on
- Boneless or bone-in
- Breasts or thighs
- You can select any combination of the above.
- Chicken with skin-on will have a richer flavor and likely be juicier than skinless.
- Bone-in chicken has a bit more flavor but takes an extra 10 to 15 minutes to cook when it simmers in the wine sauce before baking it to melt the cheese.
- We all know the difference between the flavor of breasts versus thighs and people tend to be in one camp or the other on this based on personal preferences for white or dark meat.
- For the recipe as photographed, I used boneless chicken thighs with the skin on.
- LeCreuest 2.25 Quart Braising Pan.The lid isn’t necessary for this recipe but will come in handy for something like my Pasta with Vodka Sauce recipe.
- All-Clad D5 Stainless Steel 3-Quart Pan. There are hundreds of chicken dinners you will see photographed in this pan on my site. Here is also the Amazon link for the same All-Clad 3-Quart Pan.
- All-Clad D5 Stainless Steel Essential Pan, 4-Quart.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1
Calories
491kcal
(25%)
Carbohydrates
7g
(2%)
Protein
36g
(72%)
Fat
34g
(52%)
Saturated Fat
13g
(65%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
20g
Cholesterol
200mg
(67%)
Sodium
790mg
(33%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 491 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 491kcal | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | 7g | 2% |
| Protein | 36g | 72% |
| Fat | 34g | 52% |
| Saturated Fat | 13g | 65% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 20g | 118% |
| Cholesterol | 200mg | 67% |
| Sodium | 790mg | 33% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.4
30 reviews
Good
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