French Onion Chicken is the meal prep chicken you’ve been waiting for. It’s full of flavor, cheesy, and moist so you’re not going to get tired of it. It’s also an easy recipe, so it is perfect for meal prep Sunday if you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen prepping meals for the week.
This dish is warm and cozy- perfect for the winter or fall season. Because it is so high in protein, it can be paired with cauliflower rice to round out the meal, or even toasted sourdough if your calories allow. It’s only two points per serving, so you’ve got plenty of room to add some healthy carbs into the mix. The pairing options are endless.
For more super easy, meal prep chicken ideas check out these 29 Easy Low Calorie Chicken Recipes.
Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!
It’s high in protein.
We all know we should eat more chicken (lean meat) in order to successfully lose body fat, or stay lean and toned. The problem is, chicken can be so boring and bland. That’s why you need this recipe. It takes your chicken to the next level.
French Onion Chicken makes fantastic leftovers.
Flavor always gets better the next day. Make this ahead of time (or make enough to have leftovers for the next day) and you’ll enjoy it even more the second time around once the flavors have time to meld together.
Finally – chicken that isn’t dry!
The onions and chicken broth keep this chicken super moist. You won’t hate eating chicken again after making this. You’ll want to put this on your weekly menu because it’s so flavorful and healthy.
Ingredients you need to make French Onion Chicken:
- 4 cups of peeled and chopped onions (red onion or sweet onions are going to be best)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp of chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1.5 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 4 chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
- 2/3 cup light gouda cheese, shredded
How to make French Onion Chicken (step by step):
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat and add in the chopped onions and 3 Tbsp of chicken broth. Let the onions cook for 45 minutes stirring often.
- While the onions are cooking, bring a separate frying pan to medium heat and add a little cooking spray. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (generously) and sear each side of the chicken breasts for 5 minutes. Set them aside once they are done.
- When the onions are cooked, add in the thyme and garlic, and flour and mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and cook for 5 additional minutes.
- Stir in the remaining chicken broth, vinegar, and mustard. Bring to a boil and allow the sauce to thicken. You don’t have to boil it for long. It just needs to be hot enough for the sauce to thicken. Once it’s thick, remove it from the heat.
- Place the chicken in a sprayed casserole dish and top with the onion mixture and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove and add the shredded gouda cheese.
- Turn the oven to broil and let it broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy!
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition info per serving: Calories 335, Fat 7 g, Saturated fat 1.2 g, Carbs 23g, Fiber 2.5 g, Sugars 9 g, Sodium 1237 mg, Protein 44 g.
French Onion Chicken WW Points
- Onions 0 points
- Olive oil 1 point
- Chicken broth 0 points
- Thyme and garlic cloves 0 points
- All purpose flour 1 point
- Balsamic vinegar 1 point
- Dijon mustard 0 point
- Chicken breast 0 points
- Light gouda shredded cheese 4 points
2 points per serving based on the WW app recipe creator.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
Personal Points- 2-5 depending on your 0PP foods
SP Freestyle- (blue & purple) 2 using WW recipe builder
Smart points- (green) 5 using SP calculator
Points plus- 5 using PP calculator
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- You can use any light cheese that you like. The flavor of gouda goes really well with the French onion flavor.
- Make this in a crockpot! You can add all ingredients except for the flour and cheese to a crockpot and let it cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred the chicken with a hand mixer right in the crockpot once it’s done. You’ve got shredded French onion chicken ready to serve on toasted bread. Just top with some gouda cheese before serving.
- You can use pre-cooked chicken if you’re in a rush, and just cover it with the sauce. Tyson frozen, pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts would be perfect.
Tips and Tricks for Making French Onion Chicken:
- Low and slow is key when cooking these onions. Allowing them to cook at a low temp over 45 minutes allows them to soften and caramelize, giving you the proper French onion flavor.
- You can pre-make the sauce if you need to. Make the sauce all the way up to step 5. Then store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just pour it over the chicken in a casserole dish before baking. By pre-making the sauce, you can have dinner ready in 20 minutes.
- This does not freeze well, so plan to consume it within 7 days of making it.
- To chop onions without crying, make sure the onions are cold, use a sharp knife and go fast. Cold onions hold the juices in better than room temp onions. A dull knife will “smash” the onions and release more juice which is what you don’t want. That’s why you need to make sure your knife is sharp.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled and chopped onions, I used red onion because it’s my favorite
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp chicken broth
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1.5 Tbsp flour
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 4- 6 oz chicken breast
- 2/3 cup light gouda shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat and add in the chopped onions and 3 Tbsp of chicken broth. Let the onions cook for 45 minutes stirring often.
- While the onions are cooking, bring a separate frying pan to medium heat and add a little cooking spray. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (generously) and sear each side of the chicken breasts for 5 minutes. Set them aside once they are done.
- When the onions are cooked, add in the thyme and garlic, and flour and mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and cook for 5 additional minutes.
- Stir in the remaining chicken broth, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a boil and allow the sauce to thicken. You don’t have to boil it for long. It just needs to be hot enough for the sauce to thicken. Once it’s thick, remove from the heat.
- Place the chicken in a sprayed casserole dish and top with the onion mixture and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove and add the shredded gouda cheese.
- Turn the oven to broil and let it broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made this recipe and I will admit, it took way longer than I’m used to for a recipe but I thought it looked so delicious, I tackled it. While bringing the serving dish to the table though, I told my husband, “I’m sure not making that again, it was too labor intensive for me (a low bar)!” Of course we LOVED it – I mean, “make for company” loved it and so I ate crow for dessert a I dug the printed copy of the recipe out of the trash to take it’s rightful place in my recipe binder. Thank you!
Haha I love this!! I know those onions take awhile but oh so worth it 🙂 I am glad you will make it again..
Since I’m the only one in my family who eats onions, I was thinking of making it for 4 and just freezing them to eat later. Do you think that will work?
Hi Amy, yes you can freeze them 🙂