Name: French Onion Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 medium-large onions, sliced into half moons*; 2 tablespoons oil, divided; 4 chicken cutlets; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1/3 cup dry white wine; 1 cup of beef broth; 4 slices of French bread; 4 slices of Gruyere (or baby Swiss) cheese

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With just one skillet, you can make this cozy French Onion Chicken Recipe and serve it over toast with melted cheese on top. It’s exactly as delicious as it sounds.

Macro image of French onion chicken recipe in skillet with bread on side.

I’m never not looking for ways to enjoy chicken that are extremely non-boring. A package of chicken cutlets hates to see me coming. I’m putting them to use with the last 3 onions from the bag in the pantry and making this one pan chicken dinner that everyone loves!

Okay, fine, I serve this to kids with the onions entirely scraped off, but the onions flavor the chicken so I still call it a win. Serve each chicken cutlet over a piece of toasted bread dripping with melted cheese, and you can win, too!

Ingredients

Bowl of thinly sliced vegetables, cutlets, butter, and spices.

Onions. Three whole medium-large onions that have been peeled and sliced thinly into half-moon shapes.
Oil. Two tablespoons of olive oil (or other cooking oil of your choice).
Chicken. Four thin chicken cutlets, usually weighing about 1 pound total. If your store doesn’t sell thin chicken cutlets, buy 2 regular chicken breasts. Then, slice them in half horizontally by placing them flat on a cutting board with your hand on top, and cutting them open like a book.
Butter. Two tablespoons of butter to cook the caramelized onions in.
Sugar. One tip for speeding along onion caramelization is to include some sugar. It’s entirely optional, but one tablespoon of white granulated sugar will shave a few minutes off the onion cooking time.
Salt. One teaspoon of salt for the onions, plus extra salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning the outside of the chicken before cooking.
Thyme. One teaspoon of dried thyme leaves, not ground thyme which is much stronger.
White Wine. One-third cup of white wine to deglaze the pan after the onions finish cooking. If you don’t want to use white wine, use an extra 1/3 cup of beef broth in its place.
Beef Broth. One cup of beef broth for making the base of the sauce. The easiest way to get beef broth is to use bullion cubes or the beef bullion paste so you don’t waste a whole can or carton of it.
French Bread. Four thick slices of French bread (or ciabatta or baguette, whatever you prefer).
Cheese. I like to top my bread with Gruyere cheese, but baby Swiss or regular Swiss is fine, too. Just make sure it’s a nutty white cheese.

How to Make French Onion Chicken in a Skillet

Four thin chicken cutlets in a black cast iron skillet.

Thinly sliced onion in a cast iron skillet cooking.

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with extra salt and pepper, and place in skillet. Cook on the first side until they release easily from the pan (about 3-4 minutes), and then cook on the other side too. Don’t worry too much about making sure they’re done because we’ll cook them again later.

Remove the chicken from the skillet, and set aside. Add the butter to the pan, followed by all of the sliced onions, sugar, salt and thyme leaves. Cook, stirring every 4-5 minutes until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Lower the heat if the onions start burning.

Hand pouring white wine into cast iron skillet with cooked vegetables.

Hand pouring beef broth into cast iron skillet with cooked vegetables.

Once the onions are golden brown, lower the heat, add the white wine and lower the heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the wine is mostly evaporated.

Now, stir in the beef broth.

Four slices of bread with melted white cheese on top.

Add the chicken back to the pan, and cook until completely done.

Toast the bread with the cheese slices on top until melted. Serve each chicken cutlet with the toast.

What to Serve with French Onion Chicken

While I consider this to be a full meal in a pan because it has protein and vegetables, the plate does look too brown and lacking in color. I serve this with a green salad and extra slices of bread for soaking up the onion gravy.

Alternative: if you’re gluten free, omit the cheesy toast here, and serve this over creamy mashed potatoes.

Black skillet with French onion chicken and toasted bread on the side.

How to Store Leftovers:

I’m so happy to find leftover French Onion chicken in my fridge the next day for lunch. Individually store leftover chicken and onion gravy in food safe storage containers that are air-tight for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or toaster oven until warm. You can also freeze individual portions in freezer-safe storage containers. Defrost in the fridge overnight, and use the thaw setting on the microwave to gently reheat so the chicken doesn’t over-cook.

Other chicken recipes to make: Rosemary Lemon Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie (filling only), and Chicken Spaghetti.

Yield: 4