How to Make French Onion Chicken Bake – So Easy. So Good

French onion chicken bake is the recipe for you if you’re looking for easy baked chicken breast recipes! It’s the perfect combination of skillet cooking and oven baking to make a truly amazing dish.

Also called French onion chicken skillet, this French onion chicken bake recipe is simply baked chicken breasts, circled by onions in a wonderful gravy, covered in cheese, served over mashed potatoes or rice.

What I love about this French onion chicken bake recipe is that it’s simple, uses only a few ingredients, and is quick to prepare. That makes it the perfect family meal for any occasion, in my book. It also tastes AMAZING which is a huge winner, too.

As far as easy baked chicken breast recipes go, this one is a winner.

While this recipe isn’t as easy as some baked chicken recipes, it’s certainly not anything that you would consider difficult, either.

I’m here to show you that this will still become one of your favorite oven baked chicken recipes to make, especially after you realize just how much flavor you get for your minimal labor. 

My friend over at Maria’s Mixing Bowl has this incredible French Onion Chicken recipe that I have adapted slightly because we LOVE gravy and we wanted more. We wanted a little more onions too. 

We took her fabulous recipe and made it SPECTACULAR. I’m not even kidding. It’s absolutely loaded with delicious French onion flavor, tons of gravy, and a hearty portion of onions. It’s quickly become one of our favorite chicken dishes to make now. We love it that much.

Delicious French Onion Chicken Bake – The Perfect Dinner

As far as weeknight dinners go, if your family enjoys baked chicken breast, this one is simply a definite keeper. Picture delicious chicken breasts surrounded by fried onions, smothered in a flavorful gravy, topped with cheese.

I mean what could be better?

Serve this delicious oven-baked chicken on mashed potatoes or rice, with any vegetable or salad, and dinner is ready within about 45 minutes, from start to finish. 

Being so easy to make and tasting so outrageously good makes this recipe perfect for special occasions, too. Serve it up for a special birthday or holiday meal, and let everyone think you spent hours in the kitchen. 

Seeing smiles of satisfaction on the faces of everyone who tries this easy chicken dinner is an incredible feeling. Especially when you know the meal you served is super simple to create.

Honestly, I am excited for you to try this French Onion Chicken Bake recipe. I can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

French Onion Skillet Ingredients

You need several ingredients to make this delicious French onion chicken bake recipe, and while you may look at this list at first and feel a bit daunted, don’t worry.

This recipe comes together so quickly and easily. Most of these ingredients just need to be cooked up in the gravy before baking. It really is a simple affair that you’ll be able to do without any problems. I promise.

• large white onions
• salted butter
• beef broth
• chicken breasts
• olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• thyme leaves, dried
• all-purpose flour
• mozzarella provolone cheese (depending on how many chicken breasts)
• swiss cheese (depending on how many chicken breasts)

Making French Onion Chicken Bake

Making this tasty French onion chicken skillet is a very straightforward affair. Simply sautee your onions. Then, season your chicken breasts and cook for about five minutes per side in the skillet.

Remove the chicken, and put the onions back in the skillet, add the flour and broth, and stir until thickened. After that, put the chicken back, top with cheese, and bake.

It’s that easy. You can find the full rundown in the recipe below, but it really is nothing more than what I just laid out for you. See? It’s not tough at all!

Tips for Making French Onion Chicken Bake

To ensure that you create the best French onion skillet possible, I have a few tips. Follow these suggestions, and you’ll make the tastiest chicken recipe you’ve ever had. As this is already an easy recipe, you’ll find these tips to be extremely simple. 

Don’t Overcook the Chicken in the Skillet

When you’re cooking the chicken in the skillet, make certain that you pay attention to how long you cook it per side. Five minutes of cooking time on each side should give it a wonderful golden brown glow. That’s all you’re looking for at that point.

Remember, you’re not cooking the chicken through. You’re simply getting that nice golden color and sealing in the juices during the baking process. Overcooking the chicken in the skillet will lead to tough chicken later. 

Keeping the Chicken Warm Between Steps

Since you’re going to be transferring the chicken back and forth, use a paper towel to put on top of the cooked chicken or put it in the microwave to retain its heat.

Don’t start the microwave, just use it as a way to store the heat. This helps you maintain the chicken’s temperature in between steps so everything keeps humming along nicely.

Use a Meat Thermometer

The easiest way to be certain that the chicken is done cooking is to use a meat thermometer and verify that the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.

This is my preferred method of gauging whether or not any meat I cook is done. Trying to guestimate can lead to undercooked chicken, which is unsafe, or overcooked chicken, which is tough and dry. Neither of those is a good outcome.

French Onion Chicken Bake Variations

Even though this chicken recipe is so good as it stands, you can easily change it up, just as I did with the original recipe to give it more gravy and onions.

That’s the beauty of easy baked chicken breast recipes—they’re so versatile! It only takes minor tweaks to make major changes in flavor in this dish, and they’re all absolutely divine. 

Change up the Cheese

One of the easiest adjustments you can make to this recipe is to change the cheese you use. I LOVE cheese so this is always a strong selling point for me. Different cheese flavors will change the taste of this entire chicken dish.

Almost any cheese will work well with this recipe. Some personal favorites of mine are mozzarella, provolone, swiss, Monterey Jack, and muenster cheeses.

Experiment with Spices

Another easy way to make this baked chicken breast recipe your own is to adjust the spices and seasonings. The creamy, gravy base of this French onion chicken bake recipe makes it the perfect vehicle for toying with various spice combinations.

For example, you can easily transform this simple baked chicken into a spicy hot chicken dish by adding in a few dashes of hot sauce or even topping it with a bit of salsa. For an even bigger kick, try adding red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeno pepper slices!

Use a Different Oil

For the uninitiated, oil tends to be thought of as simply a vehicle for ensuring that meat and veggies don’t stick to a pan or skillet, but it can be so much more.

Different oils can actually change the flavor of this French onion chicken bake recipe. Try cooking up the chicken in coconut oil instead of olive oil. This is an easy way to add some extra health benefits and a bit of sweetness to the chicken as well.

How to Serve French Onion Chicken Bake

Since the chicken breast is the star of the show in this recipe, you should consider side dish options that work well with these flavors. Simple is better when it comes to pairings for this recipe.

You want your sides to compliment the dish, not outshine it or outpace it with super strong flavors. Some simple side dish recipes could be:

• Grandma’s Best Cucumber Salads
• Easy Broiled Asparagus
• Cheesy Mexican Corn Casserole

The flavor of this chicken makes for an easy pairing to almost any dish, but these are some of my favorites. This recipe is also tailor-made for mashed potatoes and any kind of rice, as well.

Simply create a bed of potatoes or rice on the plate, place a chicken breast on top and smother the entire affair in the rich, delicious onion gravy. So good.

This is truly a comfort food dish. I LOVE the added gravy recipe because it coats the chicken perfectly with every single bite. And if you’re a fan of cleaning your plate, these bread rolls are perfect for “sopping” up the extra gravy so that you don’t miss a drop.

Storing French Onion Chicken Skillet

This french onion chicken bake recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. I wouldn’t recommend it freezing this French onion chicken skillet.

While you can freeze the chicken easily once it’s cooked, the rest of this dish will not hold up well in the freezer. It’s far better to simply eat it all within that 4-day window. 

Reheating French Onion Chicken Skillet

When you reheat anything with meat in it, you have to be careful that you don’t reheat too much to overcook or dry out the meat. Low and slow is what you’re going to need to do to keep the meat tender and delicious.

Putting this dish in the oven and reheating it on low heat can be a great way to eat the next day. You can also add to the microwave and reheat but just keep an eye on it as the microwave is a lot more powerful than you might realize!

If you’re ready to give this simple onion chicken recipe a try, make certain to tell me what you think! This is one of my favorite chicken recipes because of the awesome taste and flavor.

French Onion Chicken Bake FAQ

This super easy French onion chicken skillet is an easy recipe and such a dream for your taste buds. Before we go, let’s make sure all of our ducks, er, chickens are in a row and cover some of the highlights. 

Q: What makes this a French onion soup-based dish?
A: You might have noticed that this French onion chicken skillet isn’t made with French onion mix. It’s called French onion chicken bake because the gravy has all the classic flavors of French onion soup. 

Q: Can I use different cheeses?
A: Absolutely! Experiment with different cheese to change the flavor of the dish. Cheeses like mozzarella, provolone, Monterey Jack, swiss, and muenster work well. 

Q: Are there any spice variations I can use with this recipe?
A: You can try adding crushed red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or slice jalapeno to this dish to add a spicy kick. All of these pair very well with the smooth creaminess of the gravy. 

Q: What can I serve with French onion chicken bake?
A: Mashed potatoes and rice are two classics that are perfect for this dish. Simply lay the chicken over a bed of either of these and drown it in gravey. Delicious. Other good options are simple vegetables like steamed asparagus. 

Q: How long will this chicken keep?
A: This recipe will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Freezing isn’t recommended, so enjoy this before your time window closes!

Enjoy This Delicious French Onion Chicken Bake

This delicious French onion chicken bake is so easy and so delicious, you’ll find yourself making it more often than you thought!

With its rich, creamy, onion-filled gravy, ooey-gooey cheese and classic French onion flavor, this is one of the easiest and most flavorful chicken dishes you’ll ever make. Give it a try, and you and your family will be so glad you did. 

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