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TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: Succulent bone-in chicken thighs nestled in a rich, sherry-spiked onion gravy, topped with crusty bread and a thick blanket of melted Gruyère cheese.
- Why you’ll love it: All the cozy, caramelized depth of French onion soup transformed into a hearty, one-pan meal that’s sophisticated enough for guests.
- How to make it: Sear chicken, caramelize onions with sherry and beef stock, then simmer. Top with torn bread and cheese, and broil until bubbly and golden.
The first time I had French onion soup I was in seventh grade. Our teacher, Mrs. Pelletier, took our French class to a restaurant in Seekonk, MA. I can’t imagine it was fancy-schmancy, it was Seekonk, after all, but to me, it was the height of franco-elegance. We had French onion soup, beef bourguignon, and chocolate mousse cake. I was dead certain I was drunk after hearing it was flavored with brandy. I was a lightweight even then.
After that, I was hellbent on trying every marvelous, classic, obscure, obscenely expensive French dish I could get my hands on. And on that journey, which took me to many countries, I favored the flamboyant over the simple. Well, age has a wicked weird way of bringing you right around to where you started. (Could be laziness, I haven’t fully decided.)
These days, it’s the simple that I seek. French onion soup is right up there. So are one-skillet dinners. (Told you I was lazy.) When you put them together, you get French onion-skillet chicken. I think the 13-year-old me would have swooned over it.
Chow,
Featured Review
This is an intriguing recipe. It combines elements of a great French onion soup—the bread, the cheese, the onions, and the broth—with chicken thighs. After we finished cooking and were at the table having our first bite, I realized all I wanted to do was eat the wonderfully crunchy bread draped with smooth, creamy Swiss cheese and enhanced by the wonderfully browned sautéed onions. The chicken thighs provided needed protein, but the star of this recipe for me was the French onion bread.
Lyla
Your French Onion-Skillet Chicken questions, answered
Does cheese tie your stomach in knots? Fear knot. Try our dairy-free version. Simply omit the cheese, and you’ll still have a mighty fine-tasting dinner.
You certainly can. Make the recipe up to step 8. Let the skillet and its contents cool, cover with foil, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, slowly heat the skillet over low until the chicken is warmed through then continue with the recipe.
Absolutely. Taking the time caramelizing the onions deepens the flavor of the dish, adds a bit of sweetness, and makes the sauce that much more complex.
Indeed there is. One thing you can do is caramelize a large pot of onions and store them in a resealable container in the fridge. Any time a recipe calls for caramelized onions, just scoop them out of the container and into your pot. Badda bing, badda boom!
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Write a review
If you make this blanquette de poulet, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Featured Review
Your recipe for French onion soup chicken is fantastic! What a great meld of flavors! I didn’t want to stew the chicken with the skin on, so I removed it, sautéed it with the thighs, and finished it in the air-fryer until it was crunchy. I then chopped it up and sprinkled it over the finished dish. Wow! Fantastic!
Alan Nunes
French Onion-Skillet Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
- 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, (about 2 pounds, all approximately the same size)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, (2 pounds), cut in half and sliced into thin half-moons
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup store-bought low-sodium beef broth or homemade beef stock, plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups day-old bread bread chunks, torn into 2-inch (5 cm)
- 2 cups grated Gruyère, Emmental, or Swiss cheese, or a combination of all three
Instructions
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot. Add the 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil.
- Meanwhile, generously season the 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Working in batches, if needed, sear the chicken, skin side down, until deeply golden brown, about 8 minutes. Flip and sear the other side until brown, about 5 minutes. Move to a plate. Drain the fat from the skillet.
- Lower heat to medium, add the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and let it melt.
- Strew the 2 large onions, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 bay leaf in the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened, about 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking and stirring until the onions are deeply golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes more.
- Pour the 1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine into the skillet, scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
- Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour over the onions and stir to coat. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the 1 cup store-bought low-sodium beef broth or homemade beef stock, sprinkle in the 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and 1/2 teaspoon ground sage, and stir to combine. Add the 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil.
- Nestle the chicken into the skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through, and has an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), about 15 minutes. Stir in additional stock if the sauce becomes too thick or reduces too much.
- Meanwhile, crank up the broiler.
- Tuck the 2 cups day-old bread bread chunks around and between the chicken thighs. Top the chicken and bread with the 2 cups grated Gruyère. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the top.
- Slide the skillet into the oven and broil just until the cheese is browned and bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Garnish with more thyme leaves. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
Yes to this French onion-skillet chicken recipe! It turned out beautifully and was worthy of the French onion in its name. It’s got the ingredients. It’s got the techniques. It’s got the flavors. I often mix beef and chicken broths when I make French onion soup, and combining the chicken flavor from the seared and simmered thighs with good beef stock is a genius move.
My husband and I sometimes differ in our assessment of dishes but not on this one. We both felt this was a TC all the way. While he can be averse to skin-on chicken, he raised no objections to this treatment.
The French onion chicken skillet was served with a green salad and buttered green beans.
This French onion-skillet chicken dish was delicious! It was rich and flavorful. Easily put, it tasted like chicken in onion soup but better. Because the “soup” cooked down into a rich and caramelized chutney of sorts, it was thick and hearty. I brought some to my Mom and she just loved it, as did my significant other. How can you not, as long as you enjoy French onion soup and chicken.
If you like French onion soup, this French onion-skillet chicken is really just tender, golden chicken bathed in French onion soup. The entire process takes a bit of time, but the result is a rich, filling dish. And your kitchen smells divine while you are cooking this.
It doesn’t need much accompaniment. I added the bread cubes, which I thought were excellent because they soaked up the delicious sauce. It would be just as good without them, especially if you serve the dish with some sort of bread to soak up the sauce. (Obviously, I think the important thing is to soak up the sauce!)
I highly recommend adding extra broth when you add the chicken back to the skillet to simmer–so you have more sauce. I’d also recommend not skimping on the salt and perhaps adding a bit more thyme.
This would be four to six servings, depending on the size of the thighs (and the eaters!) I served it with a Caprese salad and some sourdough bread.
David… Your recipe for French onion soup chicken is fantastic! What a great meld of flavors! I didn’t want to stew the chicken with the skin on, so I removed it, sautéed it with the thighs, and finished it in the air-fryer until it was crunchy. I then chopped it up and sprinkled it over the finished dish. Wow! Fantastic!
Alan, WOW indeed. What a great idea to take the chicken skin and crisp it up in the air fryer and use them as croutons. It’s shaking-my-head brilliant.
This is an intriguing recipe. It combines elements of a great French onion soup—the bread, the cheese, the onions, and the broth—with chicken thighs. After we finished cooking and were at the table having our first bite, I realized all I wanted to do was eat the wonderfully crunchy bread draped with smooth, creamy Swiss cheese and enhanced by the wonderfully browned sautéed onions. The chicken thighs provided needed protein, but the star of this recipe for me was the French onion bread.
Lyla, Lyla, Lyla. I’m sooooo stoked that you’re cooking more and more every week. I think it’s wonderful, and it’s clear you’re learning tons! Brava. Keep it up.
This is one of our favorites, too! Now, I need to make it for supper tonight.
Karen, wonderful! Let me know how it turns out.