French Onion Chicken | Cookies & Cups

By: Shelly
Posted: Jan 12, 2025

This is the best French onion chicken recipe! It’s a quick and easy one-pan dinner with juicy chicken breasts smothered in caramelized onions and melty Gruyère cheese.

I don’t know what I love more on a cozy weeknight: French onion soup, or skillet dinners like my creamy garlic parmesan chicken and saucy skillet chicken parmesan. This recipe covers both!

French onion chicken on a plate with a side of mashed potatoes and onion gravy.

This French onion chicken is exactly what my week needed. It’s quicker to make than actual French onion soup, and it’s packed with all the flavors I know and love: jammy caramelized onions in a rich gravy, smothered beneath a layer of broiled Gruyère and Swiss cheese. I cook everything in the same skillet, and the chicken sears up perfectly tender, locking in all the juices and flavors in the pan.

Why I Love This Easy French Onion Chicken Recipe

One pan. This skillet French onion chicken has everything I love about French onion soup, with hardly any mess. We’ll caramelize the onions, cook the chicken, and pull everything together with a rich, beefy gravy and melted cheese, all in one pan.
Satisfying. Juicy chicken breast makes this recipe heartier, and perfect for a family dinner. I serve my French onion chicken over a mountain of buttery mashed potatoes. It’s the only comfort food I need in my life between now and spring!
Use up leftovers. If you have leftover baked chicken breasts in the fridge or freezer, this recipe is the perfect excuse to take them out. Simply prepare the onion gravy, and then nestle the chicken into the skillet to heat through.

French onion chicken ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Ingredients You’ll Need

These are some notes on what you’ll need to make this skillet French onion chicken. You’ll find the printable ingredients list along with the full recipe amounts in the recipe card after the post.

Olive Oil – Or your preferred cooking oil, for sautéeing the onions.
Onions – I recommend yellow or white onions for this recipe. Red onions are too soft and won’t caramelize as nicely. Cut the onion into even slices.
Garlic Powder – Along with salt and pepper. You can substitute onion powder for garlic powder if needed.
Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If your chicken breasts aren’t all the same size, it’s a good idea to pound them to an even thickness using a meat tenderizer (or rolling pin). You could also use chicken thighs, though they may take slightly longer to cook.
Butter and Flour – You’ll combine and cook the two to make a roux to thicken the sauce the same way you’d thicken French onion soup. I recommend all-purpose flour.
Beef Broth – I recommend low-sodium beef broth or stock. Chicken stock works, too, though the flavor won’t be quite as rich.
Herbs – Dried oregano and thyme. You could also use fresh herbs.
Cheese – I top this French onion chicken with a mix of traditional Gruyère (a type of hard French cheese) and shredded Swiss cheese. Shredded cheddar or parmesan works in a pinch.

How to Make French Onion Chicken

The trick to caramelizing onions is low heat and patience – it takes time to reduce your humble onion to sweet, buttery goodness, but it’s definitely worth the extra step. I’ll walk you through how to caramelize onions below before we turn them into the most delicious French onion chicken. It’s easy! Scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.

Sliced onions in a skillet. — Slice the onions and add them to the skillet.

Caramelize the onions. First things first, get your onions sautéeing in olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions are golden and caramelized. Afterward, move the onions to a plate and tent them with foil to keep warm.

Seasoned chicken breasts on a plate. — Season the chicken breasts.

Cook the chicken. Meanwhile, season the chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken to the same skillet you used to caramelize the onions. Sear the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until it’s cooked through.

Flour added to melted butter in a skillet, to make a roux. — Make a roux from butter and flour.

Make the sauce. Set the chicken aside with the onions. In the skillet, melt butter and then stir in the flour, followed by the beef broth and dried herbs. Give the sauce a quick season to taste and simmer to thicken for 1-2 minutes.

Cooked chicken breasts in a skillet with onion gravy. — Add the chicken back to the pan.

Put it all together. With the sauce still simmering, nestle the chicken back into the skillet and top that with half the onions. Sprinkle the grated cheese and the remaining onions over top. Lastly, pop the French onion chicken under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Serve with a big pile of mashed potatoes, and enjoy!

French onion chicken covered with melted cheese in a skillet.

Tips and Variations

Use the right onions. Traditional French onion soup calls for yellow onions, so that’s what I recommend you use for this recipe. They’re readily available in most grocery stores, too. White or brown onions are your next best option.
If you can’t find Gruyère cheese, simply substitute it with more Swiss cheese instead.
Deglaze the pan. After you pour in the beef broth and get it simmering, use a (not metal) spatula to gently scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan. Those stuck-on bits are where all the flavor lies!

Close up of a French onion chicken breast covered with cheese being lifted from a skillet.

French onion chicken sliced on a plate with a side of mashed potatoes and onion gravy.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Keep any leftover French onion chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat. You can reheat this chicken in the microwave, oven, or in a skillet. Whichever method you choose, I recommend sprinkling over a little freshly grated cheese before reheating to refresh the flavor and texture.
Freeze. If you’d like to freeze this chicken, store it in a freezer-safe container to freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Description

French onion chicken is a quick and easy one-pan dinner with juicy chicken breasts smothered in caramelized onions and melty Gruyère cheese. Serve this chicken with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to sop up the leftover gravy!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a large (oven-safe) skillet over medium heat. Add in the sliced onions and sauté until caramelized to a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the ovens to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.
Season the chicken with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken into the same skillet and cook for 5 – 6 minutes on each side or until cooked throughout and no longer pink. Set aside with the onions.
Melt the butter in your skillet, then add the flour and stir until combined. Add in the beef broth, oregano, thyme, and more salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until it starts to thicken.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the chicken and half of the onions back to the dish along with any juices on the plate. Top with the grated cheeses and the remaining onions.
Preheat the oven to broil.
Place the skillet in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.