French Onion Chicken

Juicy boneless chicken breast smothered in savory caramelized onion gravy and topped with gooey melty gruyere cheese. A one-pan skillet meal packed with classic french onion soup flavors.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 655kcal

Author Subhasmita

Ingredients

4 Medium Boneless Chicken Breast (650-700 grams in total)
3 cups Thinly sliced Yellow onion
3 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
½ tablespoon Minced Garlic
2 sprigs Thyme
1 bay leaf
½ cup Dry white wine
1 tablespoon Flour
1 cup Beef Broth
1.5 cup Gruyere cheese
½ teaspoon Pepper
Salt to taste

Instructions

Pat dry chicken breast. Using a meat mallet pound Chicken to even thickness. Lightly season with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a large oven-proof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
When butter starts to foam, sear chicken breast for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Remove chicken breast from the skillet and keep it loosely covered with foil while doing the rest of the steps.
To the same skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add sliced onion. Saute for 7-8 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and cook on low-medium heat for another 20-25 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally to prevent onions from burning.
Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
When the onions are evenly golden brown, add minced garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook it for about 30 seconds until the raw garlic smell is gone.
Deglaze the pan with wine. Scrap the bottom of the pan to remove brown bits. let it simmer for 2-3 minutes for the wine to reduce completely.
Once the wine has reduced completely, add flour. Toss to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the raw smell is no more.
Slowly add beef stock to the skillet. Whisk well to make a smooth sauce. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. (For a thicker sauce simmer a little longer)
Add chicken breast back to the skillet. Top it with cheese. bake for about 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through completely and the cheese starts to bubble.
Serve with mashed potatoes and greens.

Video

Notes

Patting the chicken breast dry thoroughly helps reduce the moisture level and get a crisper skin. Less moisture also reduces the amount of water that it leaks later while cooking.
Pound the chicken to get an even thickness ensuring the breast gets evenly cooked throughout.
Do not cook the chicken completely when searing it on the pan as the first step. It will be completely cooked when it's baked towards the end.
Adding salt while sauteing onions helps them leak water and caramelize faster.
Though we add wine to this dish, all that simmering evaporates the wine completely. The sauce reduces by that time, and all that’s left is the flavor that wine brings.
Some bits that are stuck to the bottom and got nice flavor from all the searing of chicken and sauteing of onions and garlic. Scrapping the bottom of the pan while cooking the sauce ensures that these bits come out and mix with the sauce making it more flavorful.
Get the best beef stock that you can buy. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of good stock and the flavor that it brings to the dish.

Nutrition