Since it has not really warmed up all that much here I am still in comfort food mode and my latest new recipe is this french onion braised chicken that I came across on The Kitchn. I am a huge fan of french onion soup, I mean what’s not to love about slowly caramelized onions in a tasty broth that is covered in melted cheese! Although this recipe takes a bit of time it is pretty straight forward where you caramelize the onions in one pan, brown the chicken in another pan, make the broth, throw it all in a baking dish and bake/braise until the chicken is cooked before topping with the cheese and broiling until it melts. Overall this is one really tasty dish where the french onion soup and the cheese provides a ton of flavour and the chicken turns it from a side dish into a main course that is sure to impress both your family and guests!
That chicken is looking a little bit exposed! Ah, there we go, some nice melted cheese!
French Onion Chicken
Moist and tender chicken braised in a french onion soup like sauce and topped with plenty of melted cheese.
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 pounds onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs (optionally boneless and skinless)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup gruyere, grated
directions
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until a deep golden brown, about an hour, stirring occasionally, adding a bit of water or broth to deglaze the pan as needed.
- Add the garlic, thyme and flour and cook for another minute while stirring.
- Add half of the broth, deglaze the pan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in another pan over medium-high heat, season the chicken with salt and pepper, add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side before setting aside.
- Add the remaining cup of broth to the pan (that the chicken was just removed form), deglaze it, mix in the balsamic vinegar and mustard, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer to reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
- Place the onions in an oven safe pan, top with the chicken and broth from the chicken pan, cover with a lid or foil and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle on the cheese and broil until it has melted, about 2-4 minutes.
What an awesome idea! I love French onion soup, but this is even better 🙂
Sues
Love this awesome dinner recipe Kevin! These flavors!!
I love how creative you got with french onion soup! This chicken recipe is certainly worth the extra cook time!
um, wow. looks soooooooo good!
Love everything about this dish! So gorgeous!
This is definitely total comfort food!!
This looks so delicious!! You have so many awesome recipes!
Oh my! This combines two of my favorites – French onion soup & chicken thighs. It looks AMAZING Kevin. Bookmarked.
This looks seriously delicious! Love the spin on French Onion Soup! Pinning this one, for sure. Thanks for sharing!
My husband loves french onion soup can't wait to try this…even though our temps are in the 90's….:)
This looks fantastic! What a great idea!
This sounds like a really delicious combination!
Your pictures are gorgeous and my tastebuds are on fire
I love this recipe! It really combines the yummy flavor profile of FOS with a chicken pan roast. Definitely gonna try this one. Thanks!
Kevin, this is a delicious recipe, as are all of yours that Ive tried.
Maybe two dozen. So, my point is, I misread the title. Thought
we were making french onion soup with braised chicken thighs.
It was very good, but where was the soup? How would you adjust
this recipe to also include enough broth/soup to feed four?
You site rocks, and I'm a 70 year old geezer who loves to cook.
Wisporcupine.
what does deglaze the pan mean??
THESE KINDS OF QUESTIONS YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND ON THE INTERNET!!! THEY’LL SHOW YOU THE ENTIRE STEP BY STEP WAYS OF DEGLAZING A PAN. GO FOR IT.
Kevin,
I made this last night. It was brilliant. A true winner!
nice blog
What a great idea! My husband and I adore French onion soup. I gotta try this!
I can't wait to try this in a couple of days, what do pair it with rice or mash potatoes???
BlackPrincess0524: Serving this on mashed potatoes is great and rice would also be wonderful!
I made this and doubled the garlic because I love garlic. I served over Arborio rice and melted real provolone on the thighs. Delicious!!
Jake: I'm glad you liked it!
This was delicious I made it with rice I would try this again
Yup, doing it with a rice side. Mind you, using leg quarters does take a bit longer. Damn, the whole house smells like a French restaurant.
Absolutely my knew favorite chicken recipe! So glad I found it!
I've made this recipe twice now Kevin, and it gets all the compliments.
K from Antarctica
My oven is on the fritz…is there any way to just do this recipe stove top?
K: I'm glad you like it!
Christine Fliger: Yes, you can cook it on the stove top! In step 6, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to get a nice gentle simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Thank you!!
Kevin… Brilliant … Simply Brilliant. Keep the recipes coming…..
Why am I thinking I'd like to add a little dry sherry to this to make it real "Onionsoupy", or does the vinegar serve that purpose? Can't wait to make this !!!
I am confused about the recipe. Step 5 says to put the second cup of broth into the pan…which pan? The first one with the onions, or the one with the chicken??
The pan that the chicken was cooked in. Enjoy!
Great recipe. Loved it! I made it with 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for my wife and I, but had sauce leftover. You could easily do 8 thighs and have someone over. I served it with Broccoli, Rice and Toasted French Bread.
Made this last evening. It was absolutely divine. Tasted like a meal from an upscale bistro. Rave reviews!!
We just had this for our Christmas Eve dinner. Amazing!
"French Onion" is the exact flavor! My dinner came out more stew-like. I suggest reducing/removing the flour for a more soup texture (like the pictures).
Owo.Great post!
Dear, it’s very beautiful to see. I like your explanation. can I make it without Dijon mustard?
You can omit the dijon mustard. Enjoy!
This took FOREVER to make. BUT, it was well worth it. Everyone loved it. I served it over white rice and they couldn’t get enough of the french onion soup/sauce
Kevin,
Usually anything you post I will try. This? Exquisite!!! I made it last night. I changed only one little thing even though the recipe is perfect. I had a few cremini mushrooms that were on their last leg. One more day and they would have been history. So I decided to chop them up and throw them in with the onions. The favor was outstanding and I loved using beef broth instead of chicken. You rock!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!
EXCELLENT! I made this for a family dinner party and they could not be more impressed. I actually don’t even like french onion soup, so no idea why I this recipe. But I that’s more proof that I think everyone will love it.
I have a lot of soup left over, so I’m going to thaw another batch of chicken thighs and cook them again!
I tried this with since French Onion soup since onion and beef stock both are ingredients listed on the recipe and that is what the soup is made of. And I didn’t have to cook the onions for 30 minutes like the recipe said so it saved my some. Tasted great.
I quadrupled the recipe and made it for a dinner party and it was a massive success. People didn’t even touch the salad because they wanted more of the French onion chicken. Some has it with rice and others with fresh linguini. Also served with bread for dipping extra sauce. It’s time consuming but worth the compliments!!!!
This was really delicious! I will definitely make this again. May deglaze with sherry next time.
Planning to use for a dinner party this weekend. Looks amazing… I have a newborn and am worried about timing. Is there any portion I can do ahead of time say night before or morning of? Would it mess it up to prep the onions and broth, refrigerate, and then finish cooking it with the chicken later? Thanks in advance!
You can math the broth, steps 1-3, the day before and save a lot of time on the day of! Enjoy!
Looks great Kevin. Going to try it with friends on a ‘Come Dine With Me’ night. Can you just explain further the ‘option’ you mention for adding pasta. I know you say add ‘in step 6’ but you talk about ‘simmering’ for 12 minutes when step 6 is baking in the oven for 20 minutes ?
When you add the pasta, just let it bake in the oven for the 20 minutes. (I have updated the recipe.) Enjoy!
Great recipe! Served over rice with beer bread on the side. Everyone loved it!