French Onion Chicken is a delicious one skillet dinner that encompasses all the flavors of French Onion Soup in a hearty meal. Juicy, tender chicken simmers in a sweet caramelized onion gravy and topped with crusty bread just oozing with melted gruyere cheese. Perfect for an everyday meal or for entertaining.
This post has been sponsored by Kitchara Cookware. The article and all opinions and recipe are my own.
Sauteed Chicken and Onions
I've always loved French Onion Soup. Maybe it's the rich flavorful broth and the flavorful caramelized onions or, just maybe, it's that crisp toasty bread on top just oozing with melty cheese. In any case, I wanted all those great flavors in a main dish that would remind me of my favorite soup.
An Easy One Skillet Dinner
This French Onion Chicken did the deed and it's amazingly made in just one skillet! It might take a little longer than my normal quick and easy recipes but caramelizing those onions is worth the little extra time. However, you can make the onions ahead of time and cut the time for making this dinner in half.
The reason I even started thinking about this delicious dish was an email from a company called Kitchara Cookware. They are a small company that sells quality stainless steel cookware and they asked if I would consider using their pots and pans to make a dish and give my honest opinion on their product.
Of course, being the kitchenista that I am (do people still say that, lol) I just had to say yes. After all, what person who loves to cook wouldn't want a quality set of stainless steel pans in their corner?
Kitchara Cookware Review
I've had stainless steel pans before but never realized there was actually a trick to cooking with them. I've listed some of what I learned below and I'm really digging these pans. They are super durable, oven-safe, dishwasher safe, 5-ply fully clad pans (see below for why this is important) and are great for cooking on glass-top stoves and induction elements
The 10-piece stainless steel set that I received comes with a 2 qt and 4 qt saucepan with lid, 4-qt saute pan, an 8-qt stockpot with lid, which would be perfect for my 30-Minute Seafood Stew, and two skillets, a 10-inch and 12-inch.
This recipe made good use of the 12-inch skillet, which caramelized the onions, browned the chicken and went into the oven for a final broil to melt the cheese. And nothing stuck to the pan! Plus it cleaned up to look as beautiful as it started! I can see myself using these pans for years to come.
If you love French Onion Soup, you've got to try this yummy French Onion Chicken knock-off for a rich, filling dinner that I guarantee your family will beg you to make again and again.
Why Cook with Stainless Steel Pans
- They will not leach any chemicals into food as it cooks as will aluminum pans.
- Stainless steel pans, endowed with aluminum cores and fully clad, as are all the Kitchara cookware, are known for their even heat distribution.
- The flat bottoms on these stainless steel pans are great for use on glass and induction cooktop surfaces.
- Stainless Steel pans are naturally nonstick. (Bet you didn't know that!)
- They will not react with acidic foods, such as tomatoes, that might affect appearance or flavor of food.
- Pans will easily go from stovetop to oven to tabletop.
- Stainless Steel pans are easy to maintain and are virtually indestructable. A great reason to get quality pans that will last a lifetime.
Tips & Tricks on How to Cook with Stainless Steel Cookware
- Always preheat pan over medium heat, and make sure it is hot enough prior to adding oil. You can test with a drop of water. If it beads up and hops around the pan, it is hot enough.
- Allow the oil to heat then add room temperature meat.
- Do not move food around in pan while cooking. The meat will release juices and, when it is ready to turn, will release easily and make turning it a breeze.
- Never use cooking sprays! They can leave a sticky coating. Stick with oils and butter.
- Stainless steel pans use less oil, so start with a little and add more only if necessary.
- Use wood or silicone cooking utensils to avoid scratching pans.
- When using the stockpot, boil the water then add salt to avoid pitting.
- Some pans may develop a rainbow hue, especially after overheating a pan. To restore the nice shine to the pan, a vinegar and water solution or stainless steel cleaner like BarKeeper can be used. They will also stay shinier when hand washed as opposed to washing in the dishwasher.
How to Make French Onion Chicken
Gather ingredients - sweet onions, garlic, chicken, beef broth, sherry, gruyere cheese, thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Oh, and a loaf of French bread.
How to Caramelize Onions
Begin by caramelizing the onions. This can be done the day before if you want to speed up the dinner process. By the way, these are also the same steps for making French Onion Soup.
- Slice the onions and halve. Season with salt and pepper. (photo 1)
- Heat in skillet, turning occasionally, for about 25 minutes. (photo 2)
- They should be nicely browned and caramelized. (photo 3)
- Add minced garlic to pan. (photo 4)
- Add butter to pan and cook both for an additional minute. (photo 5)
- Pour in sherry to deglaze pan. In other words, get all those nice yummy browned bits up from the bottom of the pan. Remove from pan and set aside. (photo 6)
Browning chicken
- Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and oregano. (photo 7)
- Dredge in flour. (photo 8)
- Place in pan that has been wiped clean, reheated, and another 2 tablespoons of oil has been added. Cook for 8 minutes a side. (photo 9)
- They should look nicely browned and be completely cooked through. (photo 10)
Toasting the bread
- Cut French bread into slices and coat one side with olive oil. (photo 1)
- Place on foil lined baking sheet and place in preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. (photo 2)
Putting it all together
- Pour onions back into skillet covering chicken. (photo 1)
- Add beef broth. (photo 2)
- Toss in herbs - thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1o minutes. (photo 3)
- Top chicken with toasted bread. (I actually sliced the chicken breasts in half horizontally so that the bread would lay evenly on top.) (photo 4)
- Sprinkle the entire casserole with shredded Gruyere cheese. (photo 5)
- Place under broiler for 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned. (photo 6)
This French Onion Chicken dinner is rich and filling and is best served with something light as a side. I like to serve it with a salad, green beans or peas.
And that bread! I love to eat it on its own as it comes out all crispy and cheesy with lots of flavor that it has soaked up from the onions and beef broth. Oh, I'm just drooling thinking about it!
Got leftovers? Make this sauteed chicken and onions into an entirely different meal. No one will believe is leftovers!
Just cut up some of the chicken from the dinner and serve it over pasta that's been drenched with the rich onion gravy. And yep, I would definitely make some more of that cheesy bread to go with it. Just sayin'!
More Delicious Chicken Dinners
- Chicken Chablis with mushrooms and white wine sauce.
- Creamy Chicken Lasagna with spinach and squash.
- Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore is a quick way to make this Italian classic.
- Chicken with Onions is a delicious Cuban dish called Pechuga a la Plancha.
Find lots of healthy dinner recipes here on 2CM!
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French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large sweet onions halved and sliced thinly
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup sherry or use beef broth for a non-alcoholic option
Cooking & Browning Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts I like to slice mine horizontally after cooking to make 8 chicken filets
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 to 1-½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 bay leaf
Cheese Bread
- ½ loaf French bread sliced 1-½” thick
- Olive oil
- 1 ½ cups gruyere cheese shredded
- Garnish: thyme sprigs and fresh parsley
Instructions
Making Caramelized Onions
- In a large skillet, such as the Kitchara stainless steel skillet, heat skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add oil and allow to heat. When the oil is hot, add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to caramelize.
- Stir in butter and minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Pour in sherry and stir well to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. (This is called deglazing.) Remove onions from pan and set aside.
- Wipe pan clean with paper towel.
Browning Chicken
- To prepare chicken, season with salt, pepper and oregano then coat with flour.
- Heat another 2 Tablespoons of oil in already hot skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 8 minutes per side until nicely browned.
- Add onion-garlic mixture back into pan along with beef broth and herbs. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Making Cheese Bread
- While chicken-onion mixture is simmering, prepare bread.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Drizzle olive oil on one side of bread and place on a foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until top looks toasted. Remove from oven.
To Assemble
- When chicken is done simmering, remove from heat and discard herbs. (I actually halved my chicken horizontally so that it would create a flat surface for the bread)
- Place bread rounds, toasted side up, on top of chicken. It should cover entire pan of ingredients.
- Sprinkle gruyere cheese over the top.
- Place skillet under broiler for 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and brown.
- Remove from oven carefully as handle will be hot and garnish with thyme leaves & parsley.
- Bring skillet to table and serve.
Notes
Tips & Tricks on How to Cook with Stainless Steel Cookware
- Always preheat pan over medium heat, and make sure it is hot enough prior to adding oil. You can test with a drop of water. If it beads up and hops around the pan, it is hot enough.
- Allow the oil to heat then add room temperature meat.
- Do not move food around in pan while cooking. The meat will release juices and, when it is ready to turn, will release easily and make turning it a breeze.
- Never use cooking sprays! They can leave a sticky coating. Stick with oils and butter.
- Stainless steel pans use less oil, so start with a little and add more only if necessary.
- Use wood or silicone cooking utensils to avoid scratching pans.
- When using the stockpot, boil the water then add salt to avoid pitting.
- Some pans may develop a rainbow hue, especially after overheating a pan. To restore the nice shine to the pan, a vinegar and water solution or stainless steel cleaner like BarKeeper can be used. They will also stay shinier when hand washed as opposed to washing in the dishwasher.
Nutrition
This post has been updated and was first published on July 18, 2019.
