This French onion chicken bake is irresistibly savory, pairing tender chicken breasts with caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese! It’s perfect for parties, holidays, and any time you need a showstopper dish. This one is a big winner in our family and we love it for holidays.
Imagine with us for a moment: French onion soup, but with chicken. (Insert mind exploding emoji.) Yes, Alex and I wanted to create a chicken bake with all the flavors of your favorite cozy soup—and my, does it deliver on flavor! No canned French onion soup needed.
This French onion chicken is a crowd pleasing chicken dinner: the juicy chicken is accentuated with Dijon mustard, herbs, Gruyere cheese, and mounds of tender, savory caramelized onions. It takes a bit of time to put together, but it’s absolutely worth it for holidays and dinner parties: plus we’ve got some make ahead tips for weeknights. When we served it to out-of-town family recently, they raved!
Featured reader comments
“This was fabulous! The Dijon mustard really added a wonderful taste to the chicken, I can’t quite place it, but it added warmth and depth. The onions smelled DIVINE while cooking and it felt very cozy in the kitchen while it was so cold outside. ” -Tanvee
Tips for caramelized onions
The longest lead time item for this French onion chicken is the caramelized onions. You can’t rush this, folks! (Trust us: we’ve tried. There’s really no shortcut!) The onions will go from white to nicely browned and caramelized in about 45 minutes. Here’s what to do:
- Thinly slice the onions. About 1/8-inch thick works well. Here’s our tutorial on How to Cut an Onion.
- Sauté the onions for 10 minutes on medium high heat. Melt butter, then add the onions and sauté until they’re soft.
- Switch to medium low until tender and dark brown, about 45 minutes total. You’ll see the onions go through stages: first golden brown, then medium brown, then very dark brown. They’re done when the flavor is developed and sweet, and they’re almost falling apart they’re so tender.
The flavor maker: Dijon mustard
As two cookbook authors who specialize in from-scratch meals, Alex and I wanted this French onion chicken bake to be fully homemade, not using canned French onion soup like in some casserole recipes.
The caramelized onions have loads of savory flavor on their own, but the Dijon mustard really takes it over the top in this dish. It infuses a tangy, salty flavor that makes people say, “Wow! What’s in this?”
Make ahead notes to make it weeknight friendly
Because of the time for caramelization, this French onion chicken recipe isn’t really weeknight dinner friendly. However, you can make it in advance! Here are a few make ahead notes:
- Make the caramelized onions ahead of time. You can simply refrigerate until serving, up to 2 days in advance.
- Marinate the chicken in advance. The chicken can marinate up to 24 hours in advance. You can make it up the night before, which greatly reduces the prep time.
- With advanced prep, bake time is only 25 minutes. These prep steps put this back recipe into weeknight dinner territory!
Ways to make it a meal
This French onion chicken bake is a celebratory meal, great for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas or dinner parties. We like to pair it with dishes that don’t use the oven (since it’s busy with this chicken!).
It’s great with mashed potatoes or horseradish mashed potatoes, or green vegetables like green beans almondine, sauteed broccoli or sauteed broccolini. It’s also ideal with a crisp salad like arugula salad, apple salad, pear salad, or apple fennel salad. Or, pair it with a simple whole grain or pasta like lemon rice, quinoa, farro, orzo or couscous.
Here are more of our favorite easy side dishes if you’re looking for more ideas!
Storing leftovers
This French onion chicken recipe stores up to 3 days refrigerated. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a 400°F oven.
Dietary notes
This French onion chicken recipe is gluten-free. For dairy-free, use vegan mozzarella cheese (there are now several great brands on the market; we tend to like Daiya but experiment to find a brand you love).
French Onion Chicken
Print RecipeThis French onion chicken bake is irresistibly savory, pairing tender chicken breasts with caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese! It’s perfect for parties, holidays, and any time you need a showstopper dish.
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chicken
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the onions
- 3 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced (4 large, 8 cups sliced)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, destemmed
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
For the chicken
- 3 pounds chicken breast (6 boneless skinless breasts)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 to 5 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
- Chopped fresh parsley and thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the onions (45 minutes): In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the thinly sliced onions and sprinkle with the kosher salt, garlic powder, dried thyme, and dried and fresh rosemary. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 45 to 50 minutes until the onions are very softened and lightly brown. Reduce the heat slightly after 10 to 15 minutes as they start to soften. You want them to steam out, not sauté. Be patient—this process takes time but it’s worth it for that rich, sweet flavor! (Can be caramelized in advance; refrigerate until ready to bake.)
- While the onions are cooking, preheat and marinate the chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, kosher salt, Dijon mustard and olive oil to form a paste. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels, then toss them thoroughly with the Dijon mixture. Rest until onions are caramelized. (If the onions are caramelized in advance, marinate at least 30 minutes; or you can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours.)
- Prepare for baking: When the onions are done, stir in the balsamic vinegar, then spread the caramelized onions evenly over the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish. Arrange the seasoned chicken breasts on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish. Top each piece of chicken generously with shredded gruyere cheese.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature should reach 165°F) and the cheese is melted and bubbly. If desired, broil for the last few minutes (or a few minutes more) to brown the cheese.
- Garnish: Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and thyme before serving. Leftovers last up to 3 days refrigerated.
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