French Onion Chicken

 

French Onion Chicken is everything you love about French Onion soup, but over chicken. Tender and juicy chicken breasts are simmered in a homemade French onion soup mixture and topped with melted Swiss cheese. Each bite of this chicken recipe is a total comfort food.

If you love the taste of French onion soup, you will go crazy over this recipe. It’s finger-licking good and soon to be a family favorite meal. You never end up with dry chicken, it is always bursting with flavor! No more boring dinners here.

Do you love chicken? We sure do, and here are a handful of chicken recipes to try out. Crack chicken stuffed shells, Dijon grilled chicken, or even try out this bang bang chicken!

Cheesy French Onion Chicken in skillet with a garnish of fresh parsley

❤️Why Make French Onion Chicken…

  • French Onion Chicken will be your go-to dinner! It’s incredibly full of flavor and so easy that it’s perfect for any occasion. This dish is a great choice for anything from a weeknight meal to having company over.
  • You can use any cut of chicken you would like. I love boneless breasts, but you can reach for a chicken thigh. Just adjust the cooking time to fit the cut of meat.
  • Simple ingredients you might already have on hand in your fridge and pantry! This recipe has a wow-factor flavor but easy-to-find ingredients.
  • The chicken and onion mixture reheats well the next day, making it a great lunch option later in the week.

It’s not often that we make a recipe and love it from the get-go. Usually, we have to tweak it a bit—add a little something or omit a little of that, but this one just started out perfect from the beginning for us.

Overhead shot of French Onion Chicken on white plate and garnished with parsley

🛒Ingredients

While this recipe looks like it takes forever to make, the reality is that there aren’t that many ingredients to this recipe and the labor is minimal. It only takes 10 ingredients and a little bit of pan cooking to create this delicious dish. You’ll need:

  • White Onions
  • Butter
  • Beef Broth
  • Chicken Breasts
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Thyme
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Deli-Style Provolone
  • Deli-Style Swiss

🔪How to Make French Onion Chicken

sauted onions in a skillet being cooked in a black skillet, second image making the onion sauce, and third image in collage is seared chicken in a black skillet

The entire cooking process of this French Onion Chicken is very straightforward. You’ll cook your onions until softened, then cook your chicken for 5 minutes on each side to get them golden brown. Then you’ll sprinkle the onions with flour and cook for a minute, then pour in the broth and whisk until thickened. After that, add the chicken, top with cheese, and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. This is the quick and simple condensed version,

Step 1: Saute Onions and Butter

Melt butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir while cooking, for about 15 minutes until softened. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Step 2: Season Chicken and Cook

Season chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Cook the chicken in skillet for about 5 minutes on each side. Move the chicken to a plate and cover with a paper towel.

Step 3: Add Onions To Skillet For Gravy

Return onions to the skillet and sprinkle with flour. Stir and cook for about 1 minute before pouring in beef broth. Whisk until thickened

Step 4: Return Chicken To Pan with Cheese

Add chicken back to skillet and spoon sauce over the chicken. Top with one slice of provolone and one slice of Swiss for each breast.

Step 5: Finish Off Baking In The Oven

Move to oven and bake until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through – about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon more of the sauce over the chicken. Top with parsley and serve hot. 

Three chicken breasts covered in melted cheese and bathed in French Onion gravy in cast iron skillet.

📝Variations and Substitutes

Looking to change up the recipe a bit? Let me share a few simple changes if you choose to go that route.

  • Add sauteed mushrooms to the dish when cooking the onions for added flavor.
  • Change up the type of cheese. Gruyere or Mozzarella cheese would be a wonderful switch-up.
  • Use fresh herbs to enhance the flavors even more when making the gravy. Thyme or rosemary would complement the flavors.
  • Swap the chicken with boneless pork chops for a whole new flavor profile.
  • Once you are working on the sauce, add some white wine to deglaze the pan and then mix it in with the sauce to deepen the flavors.
Sliced French Onion chicken cut in half with some cheese and parsley on top

🥄Supplies

  • Large Skillet
  • Tongs or Spatula For Cooking
  • Cutting Board and Sharp Knife

🥫Storing Leftovers

You can store this delicious, cheesy, onion-filled chicken recipe for up to 4 days in an air-tight container in the fridge. Freezing isn’t recommended, however, because the onions get a little weird after defrosting. You’ll just have to eat it all before those four days!

Collage with French Onion Chicken in gravy at top and chicken on plate at bottom

Serving French Onion Chicken

You can serve almost any side dish you like with this delicious dish. All types of vegetables go great with chicken, as do any type of potato dishes, too. And if you’re wanting to keep it nice and light, having a nice side salad with this meal is always a winning option.

Collage with French Onion chicken on plate at top and in gravy at bottom and parsley sprinkled on top

💭Expert Tips

  • If you prefer chicken broth, use chicken broth. It’s as simple as that. We prefer beef broth, so that’s what we use. We think beef broth adds a deeper depth of flavor. When making French onion soup, you usually use beef broth, but it’s your call.
  • You don’t want to go too slowly when browning your chicken. Cooking it for longer than 5 minutes can lead to overcooking, which can result in tough breasts.
  • Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reads 165 degrees F internally before you serve up. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into it.
  • You don’t want to go too fast with the onions. You’re aiming for a rich, caramelized final product. Cooking the onions too fast will lead to more of a crisping, almost burning effect. Onions need time to break down and get all gooey and amazing.
Close up of cheesy chicken in French Onion gravy in skillet

⁉️FAQ

Q: Can I use other meats with this dish?
A: Absolutely! Both boneless pork and turkey cutlets work incredibly well.

Q: I like a bit of heat, can I kick this up?
A: For sure. Try adding cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, or fresh jalapneo slices to this dish to give it a nice heat.

Q: How long is this French Onion Chicken good for?
A: You can keep it in the fridge for about 4 days in an air-tight container. Then reheat as you would wish. Microwave or stovetop are the best options.

Q: What can I serve with this dish?
A: You can serve almost any side you like with this dish. All veggies work with it, but potatoes are always a good choice. Rice is amazing with this dish, too.

Overhead shot of chicken topped with cheese and swimming in onion gravy in skillet

Overhead shot of chicken covered in cheese and onions on white plate
Collage of various shots of onion chicken.

OTHER CHICKEN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

🧾Recipe Card

Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.

French Onion Chicken

If you love the taste of French Onion Soup, you're going to go crazy over this French Onion Chicken. It's finger-licking good and soon to be a family favorite meal.

3.93 from 183 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 512kcal

Ingredients

  • 2  large white onions, sliced

  • ¼ cup  (1/2 stick) salted butter

  • 1 14 oz can beef broth

  • 3-4 chicken breasts, pounded

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme

  • 1 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour

  • 3-4 slices deli-style provolone cheese (depending on how many chicken breasts)

  • 3-4 slices deli-style swiss cheese (depending on how many chicken breasts)

  • parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  • Melt butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and stir while cooking, for about 15 minutes until softened
  • Remove from skillet and set aside.
  • Season chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Cook chicken in skillet for about 5 minutes on each side. Move chicken to a plate and cover with a paper towel.
  • Return onions to skillet and sprinkle with flour. Stir and cook for about 1 minute before pouring in beef broth. Whisk until thickened
  • Add chicken back to skillet and spoon sauce over the chicken.
  • Turn oven on to 350 degrees
  • Top with one slice of provolone and one slice of swiss for each breast.
  • Move to a 350 degree oven and bake until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes
  • Remove from oven and spoon more of the sauce over the chicken. Top with parsley and serve hot. 

Nutrition

Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 214mg | Sodium: 2342mg | Potassium: 1084mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 907IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 346mg | Iron: 2mg
3.93 from 183 votes (175 ratings without comment)

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25 Comments

  1. This recipe sounds really yummy but the only ingredient I do not like is Thyme. What can I substitute this with?

    1. Hi Valerie you can use Basil, parsley or rosemary if you like. Or just leave it out.

  2. In your first explanation it says to sprinkle onions & chicken with flour.
    The next time it says remove chicken & only sprinkle onions with flour.

    1. I don’t see where you see that but you should be following the recipe card for the recipe.

  3. I am not a swiss cheese fan can I use another cheese

    1. Yes you can use mozzarella or gruyere or double up on the provolone

  4. 5 stars
    Delicious! Followed the directions but did have to swap the beef broth for chicken bone broth. Hubs can only eat beef 2 times a week. Gout. But the whole family loved it. I did make Roasted Red Potatoes and Asparagus to go with.

    1. So glad you enjoyed it Heather! So glad the sway worked well for you

  5. 5 stars
    This was easy and the flavors were great. I decided to put it on couscous and it did a great job soaking up the delicious “soup”. I will probably make this again.

    1. Thanks so much Adam. so glad you liked this recipe!!

  6. Liz Hutton says:

    My oven is not working right now, do you think I could cook this in a microwave?

    1. No I would not cook this in the microwave. The texture would really be off

  7. Rosemary Anderson says:

    I made the French onion chicken for dinner, and it was delicious and definitely a hit! I will be making it again! Thank you!!

    1. So happy you enjoyed it 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    Hubby and I made this and absolutely loved it. It is now a regular addition to our monthly menu. Thanks for an easy and exceptionally tasty meal.

    1. Jo so happy you enjoyed this! We love this recipe. It’s easy and always a big hit. 🙂

  9. Susan Haley says:

    5 stars
    Made this dish last night. Delicious!! Thank goodness we have enough leftover for tonight’s dinner. The only variation that I did was I added mushrooms and I didn’t have enough beef broth so I added a small can of beef gravy. Gave a good consistency and flavor. We served with egg noodles. It was a hit and will definitely make again! Thank you!

    1. So glad you enjoyed this recipe! We love mushrooms and add them sometimes too. The gravy sounds great too!

  10. 5 stars
    This was amazing thank you for sharing

  11. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️

    1. so happy you enjoyed this chicken dish. It is one of our favorites 🙂

    1. Thank you! This is one of my favorite chicken recipes

  12. 5 stars
    Great recipe. Made it with pork tenderloin (only a small amount of Swiss cheese under a very quick broil) and everyone loved it. Thank you.

    1. Very happy you enjoyed it and yes pork works really well with this recipe!