The flavors of hearty French onion soup pair with tender, juicy chicken breasts in this recipe. Chicken gets smothered in rich, sweet caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese before being baked to perfection in the oven.
This dish can be made with chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts – just increase the cook time so the thighs get cooked through. The onions take quite a bit of time to cook, but it's easy to make them in advance, store them in the fridge and add them to the chicken when you're ready to make dinner. From there, the meal will be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
French Onion Chicken
4
10 minutes
1 hour 10 MINUTES
1 hour 20 minutes
1/2 cup butter
4 onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 sprig thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup beef broth
4 chicken breasts
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet, and add the onions, sugar, a pinch of salt and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, or until the onions are very caramelized.
Add the pepper and white wine, and reduce until all of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the beef broth, bring to a boil, and remove from the heat.
Season the chicken breasts with the remaining salt. Remove the sprig of thyme from the onions, and pour them over the chicken.
Bake for 25 minutes, and remove from the oven and top with the shredded cheese. Return to the oven and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.