French Onion Chicken Bake (Printable Copy)

Baked chicken breasts layered with sweet caramelized onions and melted Gruyere cheese for a rich, comforting meal.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Onions

05 - 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1 teaspoon sugar
10 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1/4 cup dry white wine
13 - 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth

→ Topping

14 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F
02 - Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
03 - In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sear chicken breasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly golden. Remove chicken and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, melt butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until onions soften and turn golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
05 - Sprinkle sugar over onions and continue to cook, stirring, until deeply caramelized, about 10 minutes more.
06 - Add minced garlic and thyme; cook for 1 minute.
07 - Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up browned bits, then simmer until liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.
08 - Stir in broth and simmer for 2 minutes more.
09 - Nestle seared chicken breasts into the onion mixture in the skillet. Spoon some onions over the chicken.
10 - Sprinkle shredded Gruyere evenly over the chicken and onions.
11 - Transfer skillet to the oven and bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F and cheese is melted and golden.
12 - Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The chicken stays impossibly tender while the onions melt into this rich, sweet sauce that tastes nothing like rushed cooking.
  • One pan means fewer dishes, which secretly means more time to actually enjoy what you've made and less cleanup regret.
  • That moment when the cheese bubbles and browns in the oven is genuinely magical and happens right before your eyes.
02 -
  • Don't skip drying the chicken before seasoning because moisture is the enemy of browning, and a proper sear makes this dish taste intentional.
  • Caramelizing onions really does take the full 25 to 30 minutes, and there's no shortcut that doesn't compromise the flavor, so trust the process even when your stomach is growling.
  • Checking the chicken's internal temperature with a thermometer prevents that anxiety of not knowing if it's actually cooked through, and 165°F is the magic number.
03 -
  • Slice your onions with the grain of the onion rather than against it, and they'll actually keep some structure instead of dissolving into mush during caramelization.
  • If your skillet isn't ovenproof, sear and caramelize everything in your regular pan, then transfer to an ovenproof baking dish before adding the chicken and cheese, which honestly works just as well.
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