French Onion Chicken (2024)

This post is sponsored by one of our favorite grocery stores,Tom Thumb®. All recipes, ideas, and opinions are cooked up right here at Easy Family Recipes.

French Onion Chicken is the perfect easy weeknight dinner when you don’t want to sacrifice on flavor! Tender, juicy chicken breast is nestled on a bed of sweet caramelized onions and topped with cheese, and toasty bread crumbs encompassing all of the mouthwatering flavors from French onion soup. Easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but delicious enough to impress company, this recipe is on repeat in our home!

French Onion Chicken – The EASY Way!

French onion soup is one of the all-time best classic flavors with a rich broth, sweet, tender onions, that perfect piece of crusty bread on top with rich cheese covering it all. We took all of those amazing flavors that are so well loved and packed them in a simple to make, 7 ingredient weeknight dinner!

This French Onion Chicken is one that will pull you right out of a dinner time rut with its rich, inviting flavors. Not only is it really delicious, but there are quite a few other reasons to love this recipe as well.

• Quick prep
• Only 7 ingredients
• Just one pan needed!
• Impressive enough for company
• Hearty and delicious
• Family friendly flavors

This simple dinner recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. I love keeping it simple with not only my recipes, but also my grocery shopping!

I have been using the Tom Thumb® Deals and Delivery app to make shopping at my local store something I can look forward to each week! With the Tom Thumb® Deals and Delivery app you’re automatically enrolled in the Tom Thumb for U™ Member program which gives me a personalized shopping experience with personalized deals based on what I purchase, and even allows me to make a list, automatically organized by section while meal planning so once I am in the store, getting everything is quick and easy!

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What to Serve with French Onion Chicken

Since this dish has the classic flavors of caramelized onion and tender chicken, it will pair well with many of your favorite traditional side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.

Side Dish Ideas

• Mashed Potatoes– My favorite way to serve this recipe is right over a bed of mashed potatoes. All of the flavor and juices from the onions and chicken soak right in and create an over the top delicious meal.
• Garlic Bread– The toasty bread crumb topping gives a hint of the traditional crusty bread that usually tops French Onion Soup, but serving with garlic bread is just the cherry on top in my opinion!
• Side Salad– pictured here, I love a simple side salad for a super-fast healthy option. Pair it with this 5-minute homemade Lemon Vinaigrette for the BEST combo!
• Roasted Vegetables– These are a go-to recipe that gets made at least once a week at my house. They are perfect for this meal.
• Roasted Asparagus– If you want a fancier meal, this is the perfect side dish to pair with the chicken to give it a more sophisticated feel (but both recipes are so easy!)

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well-rounded dinner.

Recipe Notes

This French Onion Chicken Bake recipe is as simple as promised! Just seven ingredients and one pan for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

• Chicken breast– I like tocut into 4 – 6 smaller pieces both because it is easier to serve and it cooks more quickly. You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenderloins, or other boneless, skinless cuts of chicken if you prefer.
  
• Yellow onions- I generally use medium sized, yellow onions to make this recipe because of their excellent taste and texture. In a pinch, you could use any traditional onion as a substitute such as white onions, sweet onions, etc. I generally slice them into 1/2-inch slices and cut them down further if needed to make more manageable bite sized pieces when they are extra-large.
  
• Onion soup mix– You can use store bought for ease, or make your own homemade onion soup mix to use in this recipe.
  
• Sweet Cream Salted Butter– A few tablespoons of butter make all the difference for richness and flavor in this dish! If needed you can substitute unsalted butter and add 1/4 tsp of salt to the recipe.
  
• Water– Tap water is fine! You can also substitute chicken or beef broth here for even more flavor.
  
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese– You can use mozzarella, or an Italian cheese blend to keep it simple with great results. If you want something even more authentic, you can try a nuttier cheese like gruyere or swiss. I used O Organics® shredded mozzarella cheese.
  
• Italian Style Bread Crumbs– The toasted bread crumbs give you the feel of that crusty bread that floats a top the soup. I use Italian style bread crumbs from O Organics® to skip the extra step of seasoning, but if you have plain bread crumbs, those can be substituted with the addition of some Italian seasoning.

Recipe Tips

1. Prep your ingredients– This French Onion Chicken Bake recipe moves really quickly, so it is a big help if you have everything prepped, measured, and cut before you start! This helps avoid anything over cooking or causing a delay at any point in the recipe.
   
2. Use a large skillet– This recipe feeds 4-6 people, so it will cook most quickly and easily in a large skillet. If you only have a smaller skillet, you can cook the chicken and onions in batches if needed. You will also want to make sure your skillet is oven proof up to 375˚F. If you don’t have an oven proof skillet, you can transfer the onions and chicken to a casserole dish to bake.
   
3. Season the chicken– You will use the onion soup mix to season the chicken. I like to try to use less of the onion flakes, and more of the powdered seasoning. It allows the chicken to brown a bit more evenly. Don’t worry about getting some onion flakes in there, it will work just fine, but this little trick helps you to yield the best seasoned crust on your chicken.
   
4. Use water in the onions– This helps the onions to caramelize beautifully. Depending on the size of your pan and amount of heat your stove top provides you may need more than the 2 tbsp in the recipe. When you first start to cook the onions, there will be more liquid. As they begin to caramelize, the liquid will reduce and the onions will become soft and translucent. If the pan becomes too dry, or you notice then onions darkening too much, you can add a little water at a time, until they are done cooking.
   
5. Baking steps– This recipe has a couple of steps for baking. It will bake fairly quickly since the chicken is already browned, and cut into smaller pieces. First will finish the majority of the cooking and melt the cheese. After the cheese is melted, we add the bread crumbs to allow them to get that delicious toasty flavor.

   By letting the cheese melt first, it gives you a nice solid surface to add the bread crumbs to. If they are added before the cheese is melted, they fall through the sheds and absorb the liquid rather than getting toasted and crisp!

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!

• Prep ingredients ahead of time– You can trim and cut the chicken breast, slice the onions, and make sure the cheese and bread crumbs are measured and ready. This can all be done up to 2-3 days in advance.
  
• Caramelize the onions in advance- The majority of the hands on time in this recipe comes from caramelizing the onions. You can do this step in advance and then layer them in the pan before cooking to save time cooking the day of.
  

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• French Fried Onion Chicken– Make recipe as directed, except omit the bread crumbs and use French-fried onions as a topping at the end. This gives the dish a comforting twist.
  
• Crock Pot French Onion Chicken– Prepare the recipe as directed through step 4. At that point transfer the onions into a crockpot and top with the seared chicken. Cook on low for 2-3 hours (until chicken reaches 165˚F) then top with mozzarella cheese and close lid for 5-10 minutes to let the cheese melt.

French Onion Chicken Bake Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
• in the freezer up to a month

Leftover Recipes

Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!

• French Onion Chicken and Rice– Chop leftover chicken and onions. Mix with cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Mix everything with prepared white rice and spread in a casserole dish. Top with French-fried onions and bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and the edges get bubbly.
  
• French Onion Chicken Subs– Cut a sub roll in half and spread each side with butter and garlic salt. Broil on low until the butter is melted and the edges are golden. Remove from oven and reduce the heat to 350˚F. Place the chicken and onions on the roll and top with additional mozzarella cheese if desired. Top the sandwich with the other slice of bread and place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Top with shredded lettuce or arugula if desired and enjoy!
  
• French Onion Chicken Pizza– On a prepared pizza crust, spread a thin layer of olive oil and garlic. Top with Italian blend cheese, and then chop up the leftover French onion chicken and onions and sprinkle it evenly over the top. Bake as directed. Optional: once done, top with fresh arugula and brush the crust with garlic butter.

More Easy Dinner Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night. Don’t forget to grab the Tom Thumb® Deals and Delivery app for shopping convenience and extra perks and feed your joy or visit TomThumb.com/foru for more info. When you download the app you’re automatically enrolled in Tom Thumb for U™ – new Members can snag a welcome offer of $5 off your $25 or more purchase!

You can check out all of my Easy Dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken
• Roast Beef Sliders
• Cheesy BBQ Chicken Bake

This post is sponsored by one of our favorite grocery stores,Tom Thumb®.

Leave a Reply

1. KatieB

   November 16, 2021

   We loved this recipe! Something different than our usuals. So easy to make.

   Reply

2. Meagan H

   November 1, 2021

   
   Made this tonight, my husband and I both loved it! The only modification I made was doubled the recipe to have enough for the week. Will def be remaking this over & over!

   Reply

3. Ali G

   October 2, 2021

   
   Honestly the best thing I have eaten in a long time 😍 I get so bored of my usual meals so this is a nice change of pace!! My husband said this can be added to the rotation

   Reply

4. Beverly Beeman

   September 10, 2021

   
   My family loved this recipe, and so did I. It was easy to make and came out just like the picture.

   Thank you!

   Reply