I love French onion soup. Loads of caramelized onions in a rich broth with some sort of bread or croutons topped with plenty of melted cheese… how could you not love this soup? Well, todays recipe brings everything you love about this hearty, comforting soup to a simple weeknight chicken dinner that comes together in a single skillet and is ready in about 45 minutes.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon on onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 3 large thinly sliced yellow onions, 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 cups of beef stock, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 8 ounces of freshly shredded gruyere or provolone.
Start by adding 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large oven proof skillet and place it over medium heat. While the skillet is warming, generously season 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it onto a plate and set aside for now.
Leave the skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of butter into the skillet. Once the butter has melted, add the thinly sliced onions and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to occasionally stir to onions and work up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Season the onions with a large pinch of salt and black pepper.
As soon as the onions are caramelized and softened, add 1 3/4 cup of the beef stock into the skillet. Add the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of beef stock and stir until smooth and fully combined.
Whisk in the beef stock and cornstarch mixture and bring the sauce up to a slow simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes and as soon as it begins to thicken, nestle the browned chicken breasts into the sauce and top with a generous amount of freshly shredded gruyere or provolone cheese and sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs. I am using oregano and parsley, but thyme and rosemary work great with this recipe too.
Note: Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a substance that prevents clumping during storage and this also prevents cheese from melting down smooth and this is why I suggest freshly shredding your gruyere or provolone (whichever you prefer) before using it to top your French onion chicken.
Carefully transfer the skillet into a 400 degree oven and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and beginning to lightly brown.
Transfer the skillet onto a heat proof surface and allow your French onion chicken to cool for 5 minutes before plating.
I love serving this juicy, flavorful chicken next to some creamy mashed potatoes or along side some buttery pasta or fluffy rice. Anything that will assist in soaking up some of your beautiful sauce will pair perfectly with this French onion chicken.
You may also want to have a little crusty Italian bread close by too… just in case…
From the juicy chicken to the flavorful sauce and those naturally sweet caramelized onions and all that melted cheese… I can’t pick what I love most about this dinner! Luckily, I don’t have to, I can just finish my plate and wait patiently for leftovers tomorrow…
French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teapsoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 2 cups of beef stock
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 8 ounces of gruyere or provolone, freshly shredded
- 2 teaspoons of fresh or dried herbs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large overproof skillet and place over medium heat
- Season 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts generously with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper and place them into the skillet
- Cook for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip the chicken over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees
- Transfer the chicken onto a plate and set it aside for now
- Add 3 tablespoons of butter into the same skillet that you browned the chicken in and place it over medium heat
- Add 3 large thinly sliced yellow onions and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the onions are caramelized
- Add 1 3/4 cups of beef stock into the skillet and mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup of beef stock until smooth
- Add the beef stock and cornstarch into the skillet and bring the mixture to a simmer
- Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken
- Nestle the chicken into the sauce and top each breast with a large handful of shredded gruyere or provolone
- Transfer the skillet into the 400 oven and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown
- Transfer the skillet onto a heat proof surface to cool for 5 minutes before serving
- Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta or rice
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them in an oven proof skillet at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes
