French Onion Chicken
Juicy chicken thighs, topped with slow cooked, caramelized onions and melty gruyère cheese. If you like French Onion Soup, you’ll love this recipe!
Thinly sliced sweet onions are cooked very slowly until deeply caramelized and jammy; topped with rich and nutty gruyere cheese in a rich gravy.
How long does French Onion Chicken take to make?
This recipe is for a lazy afternoon; it’s a perfect, slow-cooked dish. First you brown and cook the chicken thighs. Depending on the size of your chicken, this takes about 10-15 minutes. You want to fully cook the chicken before setting it aside to keep warm while you cook the onions.
The onions are cooked slowly, gently caramelizing to a beautiful, glossy dark brown.
Last, a couple of quick minutes under the broiler to finish and you’re done!
Let’s talk about the ingredients
Onions – I like to use sweet onions, as they caramelize beautifully due to their high sugar content.
Chicken thighs – I love using chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay juicy and are difficult to overcook.
Herbs – Fresh thyme is the star herb of this recipe! Use fresh if you can, but dried thyme will do in a pinch. Dried parsley is the other star herb.
Beef stock – The onions are finished with beef stock, which creates a lovely gravy to pour over your chicken.
Gruyère cheese – Gruyère is a firm, swiss cheese. It’s a little salty, full of flavour and melts wonderfully. It’s a traditional topping on French Onion Soup.
Can I Make Substitutions?
Onions – If you can’t find sweet onions, you can use regular yellow onions. You may need to cook them for a longer time to get that deep caramelization.
Chicken – You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you like; I would use one breast per person. Chicken breasts do take a little longer to cook through, so keep that in mind.
Gruyère cheese – If you can’t find Gruyère, you can substitute swiss or Emmenthal cheese.
Can French Onion Chicken be Gluten-Free?
Yes, but make sure your beef stock is gluten-free.
The French Onion Chicken Method
Get all your ingredients together before you get started.
First, slice all your onions and keep them ready to go.
Then, in a large bowl, put your chicken thighs, garlic, olive oil, and parsley and stir that all together. Make sure every piece of chicken is coated in the flavouring.
Get your largest, easiest-to-clean pot and heat it to medium-high. Add your chicken thighs, and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through (internal temperature 165°F).
When the chicken is finished cooking, remove it to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
To the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of butter, and all of the sliced onions. Cook the onions over medium heat until they start to soften; about 5 minutes.
Lower the heat to low, and cook slowly for about an hour. Stir every 5-10 minutes or so, to ensure the onions aren’t burning. You will end up with onions that are a deep brown, glossy, sweet, and delicious!
Raise the heat to medium, and add the beef stock and thyme. Stir, and when the stock starts to bubble, turn off the heat and add back the chicken thighs.
Cover each piece of chicken with grated gruyère cheese and put the pot under the broiler for a couple of minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and just starting to brown.
Serve over herb & garlic mashed potatoes, or toasted sourdough slices, or buttered egg noodles.
French Onion Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Pot large
- 1 bowl large
- 1 Tongs
- 1 cheese grater
- sharp knife
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 large sweet onions sliced thinly
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese grated
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add chicken thighs, salt & pepper, olive oil, garlic, and parsley. Stir to combine.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add chicken thighs. Cook on both sides until browned and completely cooked through (Internal temperature 165°F). Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- In the same pot over medium heat, add butter and all of the sliced onions. Cook until softened; about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat to low and cook for another hour, stirring every 10 minutes.
- After an hour, turn heat back up to medium and add beef stock and thyme.
- Preheat oven to Broil. When stock starts to bubble, add back the cooked chicken thighs. Cover each piece of chicken with grated cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbling, and just starting to brown.
- Each portion is 2 pieces of chicken per person. Serve over herb & garlic mashed potatoes, or toasted sourdough slices, or buttered egg noodles.
Notes
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