French Onion Chicken (Easy One-Pan Dinner!)

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 6 boneless chicken thighs
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Fresh parsley or thyme, optional
Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

Season the chicken on both sides with garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and cook for about 4–5 minutes per side, until beautifully golden. It doesn’t need to be completely cooked through yet. Then transfer the chicken to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 2 tbsp butter and sliced onions to the same skillet.
Cook the onions for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re deeply golden, soft and caramelized. Don’t rush this part. Pale, floppy onions are not French onion anything..;) Here are some details on how to perfectly caramelize onions!
Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for about 1 minute.
Slowly pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, stirring and scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Those little brown bits are the flavor boost everyone overlooks!
Let the sauce simmer for 2–3 minutes until it begins to thicken.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet, nestling the pieces into the onions and sauce.
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 8–12 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. (Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken.)
Pile the caramelized onions over the chicken and sprinkle the Gruyère generously over the top. (Here are the interesting details on why you should never use pre-shredded cheese!)
Cover for another 2–3 minutes until the cheese is blissfully melted, or slide the oven-safe skillet under the broiler for a minute or two to get the cheese bubbly and golden.
Finish with fresh thyme or parsley and serve with crusty bread for dragging through the onion sauce….as this is arguably one of the best parts!;)

Tips & Variations

Don’t rush the onions: Proper caramelized onions take a little time. Keep the heat around medium-low and let them slowly turn deep golden brown. Trying to blast them over high heat gets you burned onions, which is a significantly less charming French experience.
Use Gruyère if you can: Gruyère gives you that nutty, savory French onion soup flavor and melts beautifully. Swiss or provolone will absolutely work if that’s what you have.
Chicken thighs are fantastic here: Boneless thighs stay especially juicy and are wonderfully forgiving if you accidentally leave them simmering while answering an email you should have ignored.
Add a splash of wine: After the onions caramelize, add about 1/4 cup dry white wine and let it reduce before adding the flour and broth. This adds another layer of flavor….and gives you an excellent excuse to open the bottle..;)
Make it extra French onion-ish: Add 1/2 tsp onion powder with the seasonings. Yes, we’re absolutely adding onion flavor to two entire onions.. #commitment 😉
Want more sauce?: Increase the beef broth to 1 1/2 cups and the flour to 1 1/2 tbsp. This is particularly useful if you’re serving it over mashed potatoes or noodles.
Serve it over something: Mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice will happily absorb all that onion gravy. Or stick with crusty bread and eliminate the middleman.
Make it ahead: The caramelized onions can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated. This turns the actual dinner into a remarkably fast operation.

Love easy chicken dinners?! Check out this viral Marry Me Chicken, these Ultra-Crispy Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs, this easy Chicken Orzo, this One-Pot Golden Chicken and Silky rice meal, our Crispy Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs with a ridiculously buttery Cornflake crust, our One Pot Chicken Stir Fry Pasta that’s ready in just 30 minutes, our Creamy Tuscan Chicken that has two amazing sauce recipes, and this list of our chicken dinners that never miss!

Want an easy and delicious dessert to make with this dinner? Try this viral Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding Copy Cat recipe – it’s creamy, no-bake and ALWAYS a hit! Or if you’re craving chocolate? This Gooey Quadruple Chocolate Oreo Poke Cake that’s as easy to make as it is to eat! 😉

Love garlic? We triple-dog-dare you to click here.. 😉