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Turn your favorite soup into a complete protein-rich meal with French Onion Chicken. Made with broth, onions, butter, chicken, and cheese, the classic soup is getting a total upgrade!
Your favorite soup is becoming a complete meal
Most of us have found ourselves cozied up before a bowl of piping how french onion soup. It is one of the best comfort soups with its thick bread and top layer of perfectly broiled cheese.
But did you know you can take those same flavors (and many of the ingredients) and turn them into a sauce for using on top of chicken? Today I’m showing you how to make french onion chicken for the ultimate protein-rich meal that’s just as cozy as its soup counterpart!
It’s made by topping the chicken with a thick french onion style sauce. You’ll need many of the same ingredients like onions, broth, and cheese, but we’ll add to the recipe with some chicken breasts and an array of seasonings.
Ingredients in french onion chicken
One of the many great things about this dish is that you likely have everything you need to get started. Chicken breasts are a staple in my kitchen along with onions, seasonings, and of course, cheese! Because gruyere isn’t as frequently used (and therefore not as much of a staple), feel free to use up the mozzarella you have sitting in your meat and cheese drawer!
- Butter: First, you will need 3 tbsp of butter. 2 tbsp will be used for the onions and 1 tbsp for the chicken.
- Onions: Use 2 large onions, sliced very thin. I recommend white or yellow onions.
- Broth: 1 cup of broth will help to make up the french onion portion of the chicken sauce.
- Chicken breasts: As for the chicken, use 4 medium chicken breasts. This will create 4 large portions.
- Seasonings: For flavor, you will need three seasonings. Use 1 tsp each of thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Arrowroot powder: 1 tbsp of arrowroot powder will thicken up the french onion sauce. You can also use cornstarch.
- Cheese: Finally, complete the dish with 1 cup of grated gruyere. If you have mozzarella, that will work too!
Tools needed to make this recipe
To make french onion chicken, you will need a cutting board and chopping knife to prep the onions. From there, grab a skillet, mallet or roller, small mixing bowl, plate, whisk, and spoon! A spatula may come in handy for stirring as well.
For measuring, you will need the following sized cups: 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, and 1 cup.
How to make this french onion chicken recipe
French onion chicken is made on the stove by searing the chicken in a bed of butter. From there, it’s topped with a thick and creamy french onion sauce that gives the chicken a world of flavor!
To begin, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add all of the sliced onions and 1/4 cup of the beef broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the onions are browned and softened.
While the onions are cooking, pound the chicken breasts with a mallet or roller until they’re even and thin. They should be about 1 inch thick all around.
Next, season both sides of the chicken with the thyme, salt, and pepper.
Set the finished onions aside in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the skillet and then add the chicken.
Sear the chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Once fully seared, set the chicken aside on a plate and reduce the stove heat to medium-low.
Then, mix the remaining 3/4 cup of the broth and the arrowroot powder in a small bowl.
Add the onions back to the skillet, and then add the broth and arrowroot mixture. Whisk together for 2-3 minutes, or until thick. Turn off the heat.
Add the chicken back to the skillet and, using a spoon, cover the chicken with the onions and sauce.
Top each chicken breast with finely shredded gruyere cheese.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF.
Best onions for french onion chicken
I recommend using either white or yellow onions in your recipe. White onions are famously used for french onion soup thanks to their sweet flavor, but yellow onions work too. They offer more of an “oniony” flavor while still contributing a bit of sweetness. For an extra potent flavor, you could use red, though I wouldn’t recommend it.
What to serve with this dish
To add some greens to your plate, I recommend serving up this chicken alongside broccoli, asparagus, or brussels sprouts. You can also go for a leafy salad complete with a light and zesty dressing, like a lemon vinaigrette!
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Adding chicken to a meal is one of my favorite ways to sneak in extra protein. Making a salad? Add chicken! Pasta? Add chicken! It’s so easy to add to almost any type of dish. Here are some more classic recipes that use the protein-rich staple!
- Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe
- Healthy Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Caprese Chicken Quinoa Bake
Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
French Onion Chicken
Turn your favorite soup into a complete protein-rich meal with French Onion Chicken. Made with broth, onions, butter, chicken, and cheese, the classic soup is getting a total upgrade!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 large onions, sliced very thin
- 1 cup broth
- 4 medium chicken breasts
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
- 1 cup grated gruyere cheese (mozzarella works as well)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add in all of the sliced onions and 1/4 cup beef broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until browned and softened.
- While onions are cooking, pound chicken breasts with mallot or roller until even and thinner that before. Anywhere around 1 inch thick all around.
- Season both sides of chicken with thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Set finished onions aside in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of butter to skillet and then add chicken.
- Sear chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Once it has been seared on each side, set chicken aside on a plate and turn down stovetop to medium-low heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup broth with 1 tbsp arrowroot powder.
- Add onions back to skillet, along with the broth arrowroot mixture. Whisk together for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Turn off heat.
- Add chicken back to skillet and using a spoon, cover the chicken with the onions and sauce.
- Top each chicken breast with finely shredded gruyere cheese.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until internal temp reads 165F.
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Jill says
Simple ingredients, easy to follow directions, super high end dish! We absolutely loved it!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jill, so happy you loved it!!
Logan Brodmann says
Thank you, Erin, for sharing your creative brilliantness!!! This is incredible! I halved the recipe for my husband and I, and I WILL be making the other half later this week 😂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Logan, so glad you loved it!!
Taylor says
This was the BEST! Can not wait to make it again. Literally tasted exactly like the soup. The smell as I was cooking, I knew it was going to be so good!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Taylor, so glad you loved it!!
Liz says
So so so yummy! Impressed the in-laws with this one!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Liz, so glad it was a hit!!
Diana says
This was the recipe I needed. So delicious and simple. I’m making it again this week!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Diana, so glad you are enjoying it!!
Emily DeMeo says
Such a good dish for the winter and easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, so glad you loved it!
Janine says
This dinner was insanely good and super easy to make! I cooked everything in a cast iron skillet and I will definitely be adding this into my regular meal rotation. I used the TJs shredded gruyere cheese and it was the cherry on top. Thank you Erin for always creating simple, healthy, & delicious recipes! Follower for life 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Janine, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Nicole says
Husband and I are obsessed with this recipe! I subbed vegan chicken for mine. Can’t wait to make this again ❤️
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Nicole, so glad you both liked it and made it your own!!
Emily S. says
It’s like taking Parc’s famous French onion soup and adding chicken (or vice versa). So yummy! And I like that there aren’t a lot of ingredients.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, so happy you loved it!!
Morgan M says
Just made this for dinner and I could eat it every day it is SO GOOD! All of Erin’s recipes are amazing but this one has to be a new favorite! Will definitely be making again soon 😋
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Morgan, so glad you loved it! Thanks for your support!!
Lauren says
This was so freaking good. I ended up keeping the onions in the pan while I seared the chicken and it worked out perfectly! Didn’t have the specified cheese but used cheddar and it was *chefs kiss* perfect. Erin another amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lauren, so happy you loved it!!
Caroline says
This was so yummy! I accidentally got chicken broth and it was still fantastic. Spot on to French onion flavor!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Caroline, so glad you loved it!
Elizabeth says
So delicious and easy! Made it with boneless chicken thighs instead, just cooked on the stovetop and it turned out great. Finished it under the broiler for a minute or two to get the cheese melty on top, and served over egg noodles. Bf requested this stay in the dinner rotation 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Elizabeth, so happy you loved it and yum great idea!!
Katie says
Wow! This was amazing! I look forward to making this again. Most of the ingredients I typically have on hand and it is easy to make while also tasting like a special dinner.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, so glad you loved it!!
Erin Feyereisen says
This will definitely be on repeat in our house! This was so dang good!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Erin, so happy you loved it!!
Erin says
WOW! This was delicious. Small amount of ingredients but a TON of flavor. Adding this into our rotation!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Erin, so happy you loved it!!
Jackie says
Made this. 10 out of 10. Delicious!!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jackie, so glad you liked it!!
Rosalie says
This was SO delicious and super easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Rosalie, so glad you loved it!!
Alysa says
This recipe was amazing! I used mozzarella cheese. Highly recommend to all if you like french onion soup.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Alysa, so happy you loved it and great idea!
sydney wallace says
Amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sydney, so glad you liked it!