An easy and delicious French Onion Chicken Recipe! This skillet chicken recipe features a mouth-watering combination of flavors. The sautéed yellow onions add great flavor to the chicken, topped with gooey and nutty gruyere cheese.
In the skillet add 2 tablespoons of butter, once the butter is melted add the chicken breast, sear until browned on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken from the skillet, add the rest of the butter, add the chopped onion and cook until the onion is softened and caramelized.
Add all the spices, onion soup mix, and broth to the skillet over low heat and mix to combine everything.
Return the chicken to the French onion sauce, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, and simmer for 12 minutes.
Uncover, top the chicken breasts with cheese, cover again and cook another 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese had melted or place oven safe pan under the broiler for 2 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme if desired, serve over rice, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
Onion soup mix is a pre-packaged blend of dried onions and other seasonings. It's a convenient way to add flavor to your dishes. I used an all-natural onion dip mix (no MSG), which doesn't have beef bouillon as Knorr does. So, I added the onion dip mix with two teaspoons of butter, then bouillon (use chicken or beef). See the instructions below to make your own onion soup mix.
If you can't find gruyere cheese, you can use Swiss cheese, provolone or mozzarella cheese instead.
How to make your own onion soup mix:
¼ cup dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules (Most I found have poor ingredients. So when making your dish, add 2 teaspoons of butter, then Bouillon beef.)
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon parsley flakes
⅛ teaspoon celery seed
⅛ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instant Pot Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
Start by browning both sides of the chicken breasts. To do this, turn your instant pot onto the sauté mode, add some oil, and brown the chicken breasts for a minute or two on each side.Then, remove the chicken and add the butter and chopped onions. Saute for about 10 minutes. Next, add the beef broth and seasonings, mix, then add the chicken breasts back to the pot. Submerge the chicken in the broth and pressure cook on high for about 10 minutes.Perform a quick pressure release. Finally, add the cheese to the tops of the chicken and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or transfer to oven proof dish and melt cheese in 350-400 degree oven.
Crockpot French Onion Chicken
Begin the French onion chicken in the crockpot by spraying a large crockpot with cooking spray. Next, place the chicken breasts* in an even layer at the bottom of the pot. Drop in the diced onions. In a small bowl mix onion soup mix and beef broth pouring over chicken and onions.Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 8 hours. When finished, remove chicken to an oven safe casserole dish, then spoon the onions over the top and finally add a little bit (not all) of the liquid to the casserole, about ⅓-½ a cup. Top with grated gruyere or sliced gruyere cheese and broil about 2 minutes until golden and bubbly.*For better flavor, do a quick saute of the chicken breasts and onions if desired, then place everything in a crock pot.