Loaded with sweet caramelized onions and gooey gruyere cheese, this juicy French onion chicken is a fancy meal that’s surprisingly easy and made in just one skillet. Loaded with flavor in just 40 minutes, this is an easy dinner idea you’ve got to try!
Why This Is the Best French Onion Chicken Recipe
The chicken in this French onion chicken bake is moist and tender, and the sauce is so rich and savory, with beef broth, herbs, and sherry. But the star is the soft caramelized onions, which have such an intense sweet flavor. Here’s why you’ll love this skillet chicken recipe.
- Impressive: You could spend a lot of money on this dish at a fancy restaurant! The complex flavors, velvety sauce, juicy chicken, and melty gruyere cheese make this dish taste like it came from your favorite chef. It’s perfect for date night, or any other special occasion, to impress your guests.
- Easy to Make: Even though this recipe tastes like you slaved over the stove for hours, it’s actually pretty easy to make with just one skillet. The instructions are straightforward, and it takes just about 40 minutes to make this decadent French onion chicken dinner.
- Indulgent: This French onion chicken recipe is so indulgent. To stay true to our inspiration of french onion soup, the savory sauce for this chicken is made with sherry, beef broth and sweet caramelized onions. Then the whole dish is topped with creamy, gooey melted gruyere cheese. If you’re craving a meal with bold and rich flavors, this recipe is for you!
If you love French onion flavors, we recommend you try our easy crockpot French onion chicken made with just 5 ingredients, these French onion sautéed mushrooms perfect for topping a steak, and these party ready crockpot french onion meatballs.
Ingredients Needed
You’ll likely have most of the ingredients that you need for this French onion chicken bake in your fridge and pantry already. For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil works well too.
- Butter
- Onions: It’s important to use sweet yellow onions for this recipe.
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Sherry: If you don’t have sherry then you can use beef broth instead.
- Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper: Always use freshly-cracked pepper for the most flavor.
- Chicken Breasts: Be sure to use boneless, skinless meat. Thin chicken breasts will cook faster.
- Fresh Thyme: Dried thyme will also work, but cut the amount by half.
- Dried Sage
- Beef Broth: Or beef stock.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Shredded Gruyere Cheese: For best results, shred your own cheese instead of buying pre-shredded gruyere. You can also use Swiss cheese or provolone.
How to Make French Onion Chicken
This fancy French onion chicken recipe is so tender and moist, with so much gooey cheese. But the show-stopper is the slow-cooked caramelized onions, which are sweet, rich, soft, and savory. Head to the recipe card at the end of the page for detailed instructions on how to make this recipe.
- Caramelize the onions. Cook the onions in oil and butter until they’re caramelized. Add balsamic vinegar and keep cooking, then set aside.
- Deglaze. Add sherry and deglaze using a wooden spoon.
- Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and cook until cooked through an internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
- Deglaze again. Add beef broth and deglaze a second time.
- Make the sauce. Add flour and herbs, and whisk until the sauce thickens.
- Assemble. Put the chicken back in the skillet, and top with sauce, onions, and cheese.
- Serve. Melt the cheese with a broiler or by steaming, then serve the French onion chicken while hot.
Tips and Tricks
This restaurant-quality caramelized French onion chicken dish is surprisingly easy to make, but here are some tips to keep in mind to guarantee success.
- Use Thin Pieces of Chicken: You don’t want to use large pieces of chicken for this recipe, or else the ratio of meat to gooey gruyere cheese won’t be right. We recommend using thin chicken breasts instead of regular whole breasts. If you do buy breasts, cut the meat in half through the middle lengthwise to create two thin chicken breasts. You can also use a meat tenderizer to make sure your chicken pieces are thin and tender.
- Don’t Rush The Onions: This is a fairly quick recipe to make, but the caramelized onions do take a little bit of time. It’s important to not rush the onions, though. The onions are the star of the dish, and the only way to make them super sweet and caramelized is by slowly cooking them for a while.
- Be Careful With The Broiler: When you melt the gooey gruyere cheese, it’s best to use a broiler rather than steaming the French onion chicken. But if do use a broiler, be sure to keep a close eye on the dish. Cheese can burn quickly under the broiler, which can ruin the entire meal.
What to Serve With French Onion Chicken
Since this French onion chicken is so rich, hearty, and savory, it goes great with a lighter side dish, like a side salad or green vegetables. These air fryer green beans, roasted broccoli, or sautéed zucchini and squash will all be delicious! To soak up some of the sauce, this chicken is also delicious over rice or garlic mashed potatoes. Similar to French onion soup with the toasted bread on top, a piece of homemade garlic bread is another perfect pairing.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Skillet Chicken
Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, add the chicken to an oven-safe baking dish along with a splash of beef broth or water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed throughout.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
You can definitely freeze French onion chicken for an easy weeknight meal down the road. All you need to do is let the meal cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, let the chicken thaw in the fridge for 24 hours or before reheating.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
Chicken is delicious, healthy, affordable, and doesn’t take too long to cook. Here are a few more of our favorite easy chicken dinners for you to try!
- Crockpot Salsa Chicken
- Pan Seared Chicken Breast
- Crock Pot Chicken Marsala
- Stuffing Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken
- Ranch Ritz Cracker Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sherry, or beef broth
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless, thin sliced chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese, or swiss or provolone
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Use tongs to blend the onions with the oil and butter. Cook the onions, uncovered, over low to medium heat until they are caramelized, about 25 minutes. Make sure and stir the onions often as they brown.
- While the onions are cooking, season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Once onions are caramelized, add the balsamic vinegar to the onions, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Deglaze the skillet with 2 tablespoons of sherry (or beef broth), use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the bits from the pan.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and when the oil is hot add the chicken. Cook chicken for about 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through and an instant read meat thermometer reaches 165°F.
- Remove the cooked chicken and set on a plate with a lid over it to help keep them warm.
- Add the remaining beef broth to the skillet and deglaze again. While whisking, stir in the flour and continue to stir until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken cutlets back into the skillet, spoon a little gravy over each cutlet. Top with onions and cheese.
- There are 2 ways to melt the cheese. Cover the skillet with a lid and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted. OR if you are using an oven-safe skillet, you can place the skillet under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
