I took my inspiration for this dish of French Onion Chicken Thighs from everyone's favorite soup, and these results are out-of-this-world delicious!!!
To me, and hopefully to you as well, I find chicken thighs to be the most flavorful part of the chicken which is why I have so many delicious chicken thigh recipes on my site. For example have a look at Teriyaki and Pineapple Glazed Chicken Thighs, Sheet Pan Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs, and Baked Everything Bagel Seasoning Chicken Thighs.
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Table of Contents Found Here
- The ingredient list:
- Kitchen tools and equipment:
- Why this recipe works:
- How this recipe came to be:
- What I wrote about this recipe for French Onion Chicken in 2016:
- How long does this recipe take from start to finish?
- Can chicken breast be substituted for the chicken thighs in this recipe?
- Can bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or breast be used for this recipe:
- What is the proper internal temperature for cooked chicken?
- Can the wine be left out of this recipe?
- The step-by-step photo instructions for making French onion chicken thighs:
- How to caramelize onions quickly from ATK:
- Additional recipes featuring caramelized onions:
- Printable Recipe Card
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
The ingredient list:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
- chicken thighs
- sweet onions (I used Vidalia)
- butter
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- dried thyme
- minced garlic
- French bread
- white wine
- beef broth (or chicken broth)
- balsamic vinegar
- shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese
Kitchen tools and equipment:
Why this recipe works:
When it comes to French Onion soup, I can't decide what my favorite part about the soup is.
Whether it's the deep rich broth, the abundance of sweet caramelized onions, the hearty slice of bread crouton that's soaked in the broth and floats the perfectly browned and melted cheese.
Since I love every part of the soup, I've incorporated every part into this recipe, including the bread crouton. It acts as a platform for the moist and meaty chicken thigh and the melted cheese!
Be still my French onion soup-loving heart!!!
How this recipe came to be:
If I'm totally honest, the highest viewed recipe on my blog is this one for French Onion Pork Chops, so I figured I'd be smart to give some of that same love to the chicken.
After all, why should only the pork chop stand alone when it comes to all that French onion deliciousness?
What I wrote about this recipe for French Onion Chicken in 2016:
Even though my husband and I are "empty-nesters" I still can't seem to cook for only two people. Call me crazy, but I like to have plenty of leftovers so during the week I won't have to cook as often, and because my husband likes to take the leftovers to work the next day for lunch.
The day Mark took these leftovers to work, he called me from the office to tell me how much he enjoyed his lunch, and that it was even better than what he'd remembered from the night before.
I'm also very lucky that our two sons come over relatively often to see what's in the fridge.
I'm happy and thrilled to report that they both enjoyed this dish as much as we did the very night I made it and that it garnered a full two thumbs up from the entire family.
Winner, winner, French Onion Chicken for dinner!
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How long does this recipe take from start to finish?
Approximately 60 minutes.
Making French onion chicken thighs is easy, and the only thing that requires time is the caramelizing of the onions which take approximately 20 minutes.
From there the assembling of the other ingredients is pretty speedy.
The oven time is 35-40 minutes so you can rest and have a glass of wine, or help the kids with their homework while the oven does the remainder of the work.
Can chicken breast be substituted for the chicken thighs in this recipe?
Yes, but you may need to cut the breasts in half so they fit neatly on top of the French bread.
Also, be aware that the cooking time will be different if using chicken breast in place of the chicken thighs.
Can bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or breast be used for this recipe:
Yes, but be aware that the cooking time will be longer using bone-in chicken (breasts or thighs) then with a boneless selection of chicken.
What is the proper internal temperature for cooked chicken?
A chicken is properly cooked when an instant-read thermometer reaches 145-degrees.
Can the wine be left out of this recipe?
Yes.
Feel free to substitute additional broth or even apple juice or cider in place of the wine if desired.
The step-by-step photo instructions for making French onion chicken thighs:
- Slice the onions and place them in a large skillet with butter, oil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
- Cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until they turn semi-translucent and start to brown.
- Add minced garlic.
- Continue cooking the onions until they develop a deep golden color (approximately 20 minutes).
- Add the chicken broth, and white wine and continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporates.
- Spoon the caramelized onions evenly into a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
- Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.
- Slice the French bread into 3" pieces.
- Toast the bread, cut side down, in the skillet the oil until toasted and browned (watch carefully so it doesn't burn).
- Remove the toasted bread from the skillet and place it cut side up on top of the caramelized onion in the casserole dish.
- Place a boneless, skinless chicken thigh atop each slice of bread.
- Season each chicken thigh with salt and pepper.
- Bake the in a preheated 350-degree oven (175 degree Celsius) for 35 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and brush the chicken lightly with balsamic vinegar.
- Top each chicken breast with shredded Swiss (or Gruyere) cheese and sprinkle with dried thyme.
- Return the dish to the oven for an additional 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- To serve, make sure to spoon some of the caramelized onions with each portion of bread and chicken.
How to caramelize onions quickly from ATK:
Additional recipes featuring caramelized onions:
*French Onion Pork Chops (shown below)
All the flavors you love in a traditional French onion soup are captured in this recipe for French Onion Pork Chops. Make them ASAP and I promise you won’t be sorry!
*German Onion Soup (not shown)
German Onion Soup has plenty of caramelized onions, beer, bratwurst, and pretzel roll croutons. This delicious and hearty caramelized onion soup with a German flair will soon become a family favorite!
*French Onion Sloppy Joes (shown below)
When you want to frugally feed a crowd for game day, or a hungry family at dinner, it doesn’t get much tastier than French Onion Sloppy Joes!
*Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich (not shown)
Turkey deli meat, smoked cheddar cheese, red bell pepper, and caramelized onions come together in an ultimate grilled cheese sandwich like no other. If you’re anything like me, you are going to love it!!
*French Onion Chicken Thighs (shown below) THIS IS THE PLACE!!
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.
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Printable Recipe Card
French Onion Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skiness chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 large sweet onions, sliced
- 2 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper divided
- 1½ teaspoon dried thyme divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 slices French bread cut into 3" pieces
- 1½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1½ cups shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese
Tools and equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
- Season the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and increase the heat to medium/high, stirring occasionally.
- Add the remaining salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Continue to cook and stir the onions until they develop a deep golden color (approximately 20 minutes).
- Add the garlic, beef broth, and white wine. Continue to cook until the onions thicken and the liquid evaporates.
- Spoon the onions evenly into a 9" x 13" casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Carefully wipe the skillet with paper towels.
- Heat the oil in the skillet to medium and add the bread, sliced side down. Cook the bread in the skillet until crisp and browned, being careful to keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly.
- Remove the browned bread from the skillet using tongs and place the browned bread, cut side up on the caramelized onions.
- Place one chicken thigh on top of each slice of bread.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven and brush each thigh with the balsamic vinegar.
- Place the shredded cheese evenly over each chicken thigh and sprinkle the top of each thigh with the remaining dried thyme.
- Return the chicken back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
- To serve, make sure to spoon some of the onions along with each piece of bread and chicken thigh.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's delicious chicken thigh recipe for French Onion Chicken as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Erica Schwarz says
I'd been wanting to make something like what my mom used to make, but with better ingredients (she used storebought soup - holy salt!). So I gave this recipe a try and it was a WIN. So tasty, easy to make, the directions were clear. Thanks!
Renée says
LOL. Holy Salt! Yep, steer clear of the storebought soup!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for the rating.
Renee
Lisalia says
Yum. This was so delicious. An easy to assemble dinner that really has a wow factor! So impressive and so flavorful. It works perfect as a week night meal - but would be equally appropriate for inviting guests over or for a special occasion meal. WOW thanks! So so good.
Renée says
This is definitely a company-worthy meal, Lisalia!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Take good care,
Renee
Aimee says
Love this twist on French onion soup! This chicken is so moist, and flavorful. Definitely a new favorite!
Renée says
Awesome, Aimee. Thanks so much!!
Char says
Made the boneless pork chop recipe....delicious. I could never get boneless chops tender enough. This recipe did the trick. Can be made ahead then add the chops to the onion mixture and finish the recipe (simmer for 20 minutes).WOW.. what a company’s coming time saver.
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says
That looks divine! I love French onion soup, and this interpretation of it combines all the best elements. YUM!
Cookin Canuck says
I can see why your sons enjoyed this so much - you took everything great about French onion soup and made a very tempting chicken dish.
Katerina @ Diethood says
Oh mah gosh!! That sounds soooo appetizing! Lovin' the onions!
Angie says
What a fun new way to make chicken! I love this recipe!
Renée says
Thank you, Angie!
Lora @savoringitaly says
I'm totally intrigued by your French onion chicken. French onion soup is a favorite so I'm imaging this dish could be trouble for me once I try it;) I'm always making extra food, mostly because I enjoy leftovers!!
Renée says
Yay for leftovers, and tasty French Onion Chicken!
Isabelle @ Crumb says
I'm glad I'm not the only one who always cooks an enormous amount of food even though there are just two people at the table. 🙂 This chicken sounds absolutely amazing. I love that you used the more flavourful chicken thighs instead of breasts... that's always my first choice, too.
Renée says
I'm glad I'm not alone in cooking big, but I know it's not for everyone which is why I offer to pair down the ingredient list for anyone who requests it.
Nutmeg Nanny says
I'm in LOVE with this chicken. It looks like it's packed with so much flavor and all those onions - YES! I also have the same problem with cooking too much. I made egg salad the other day and I made enough to feed an Army...haha.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
This looks like some serious comfort food to me! Love it!
Renée says
Thank you, Trish!
The Food Hunter says
This sounds like a tasty family meal and I can only imagine how good the leftovers are
Renée says
They're even better the next day!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
This is the ultimate comfort food!
Renée says
Thank you, Lauren!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
Such a delicious idea, I love all the components of FO soup, too...sounds like the perfect way to dress up some chicken.
Renée says
Thank you, Heather.
Meg @ With Salt and Wit says
With the rain we have been having this is the perfect meal to have! Very comforting!
Renée says
It must be all that melted cheese that makes it so comforting. I agree.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Well, this recipe pretty much completes my existence now. The flavors you've developed here are fantastic. What time's dinner?
Renée says
LOL. I'm glad to be of service, Michelle. That's quite a compliment!
Justine | Cooking and Beer says
This chicken looks so comforting, especially for a rainy day!
Renée says
Rain or shine, I know you'll enjoy it, Justine!
Liz says
Thank you Renee for the lovely recipe. Is it possible to get quantities for 2-3 people?
Renée says
Hi Liz, I'll be happy to. Here are the recipe ingredients calculated for 4 people. Please follow the same direction as written in the original recipe.
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon butter
2 large, sweet onions
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pinch pepper, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup beef broth
¼ cup white wine
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 slices French bread, toasted
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Thank you so much for your question.
Renee