This French onion soup hen is a ridiculously good recipe with juicy hen breasts cooked in a beefy onion gravy, topped with gooey, melty Gruyère cheese. It’s every thing you’re keen on concerning the basic soup recipe in a simple hen dinner!
Lovers of French onion soup, I’ve little doubt you’ll have this hen recipe on repeat! And in case you can’t get sufficient of these beefy onion flavors, strive my French onion pasta subsequent.
Brrr! The frigid temps right here within the Chicago and Indiana areas have us all bundled up and huddled inside. Faculties have been closed for a few days, so we’ve been cooped up as a household, doing our greatest to remain heat—and you recognize meaning a lot of heat, comforting dinners.
Who’s able to get cozy? As a result of that’s precisely what’s anticipated while you make this French onion soup hen. It’s getting me by way of the coldest months of the yr till I’m sipping spritzes on the patio once more. With juicy pan-seared hen (breasts or thighs, it’s as much as you) smothered with a wealthy onion gravy and a blanket of melted cheese, consolation meals dinners don’t get a lot better!
Right here’s Why You’ll Love This French Onion Hen Recipe
- Additional saucy. This recipe combines juicy pan-seared hen breasts with a wealthy and beefy onion soup-turned-gravy. It’s the kind of dinner that’s simply begging to be served with fluffy dinner rolls, or I’ll use it as an excuse to thaw out my freezer mashed potatoes.
- Simple technique. With the assistance of my forged iron skillet, this hen goes seamlessly from the stovetop to the oven. It’s prepared in underneath an hour.
- Beefy French onion taste. I at all times order a starter of French onion soup every time I see it on the menu. This hen recipe channels all of the beefy, savory flavors I really like (plus the broiled cheese, which is essential) into an approachable weeknight dinner.
What You’ll Want
Since we’re packing all these French onion flavors right into a skillet hen recipe, lots of the components stay the identical. Listed below are some notes and potential substitutions. Have a scroll to the printable recipe card after the publish for the total components listing and recipe particulars.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted. You’ll want it for cooking the onions and hen. Olive oil works, too, however it doesn’t have the identical richness and taste.
- Onions – Yellow onions are the onion of alternative for French onion soup, in order that’s what I exploit right here. You can additionally use brown onions or shallots. I don’t suggest purple onions as they’re too smooth.
- Worcestershire Sauce – You too can use soy sauce or tamari for a pleasant trace of umami.
- Thyme – I really like the best way that thyme brings out the flavour within the onions. The thyme may be recent or dried (you’ll want about 3 occasions the quantity of recent thyme than dried).
- Beef Broth – I don’t suggest changing beef broth on this recipe. Hen and vegetable broth simply don’t have the identical depth of taste.
- Cornstarch – A simple ingredient to thicken the sauce. You can additionally make beurre manié, a elaborate French time period for mixing equal components flour and softened butter to stir into the sauce as a substitute.
- Hen Breasts – I exploit boneless, skinless hen breasts. You can additionally use thighs. Remember the fact that hen thighs and bone-in hen will take longer to prepare dinner.
- Gruyère Cheese – Gruyère is a form of nutty Swiss cheese and the standard topping for French onion soup. In case your grocery retailer doesn’t carry it, good substitutes are grated cheddar, Edam, or Comte cheese.
The best way to Make French Onion Soup Hen
Since this recipe goes from the stovetop to the oven, ensure you’re utilizing an oven-proof skillet. I really like my forged iron pan for this actual objective, and might’t suggest it sufficient! Collect your components, and let’s get began on this French onion soup hen:
First, Caramelize the Onions
The bottom of the sauce is a basic French onion soup recipe with caramelized onions. You possibly can even repurpose this step to make conventional French onion soup (the sort you prime with bread and cheese), simply triple up on the meat broth and onions, and serve it in bowls. You’re welcome. 😉
- Caramelize the onions. To start out, slice the onions up thinly and add them to an oven-proof skillet with melted butter. Cook dinner over medium-high warmth for five minutes, till the onions are tender. Then, give them a fast season with salt and pepper, and let the onions prepare dinner for an additional 10 minutes to get them good and caramelized. Keep in mind to stir now and again.
- Add the broth and seasonings. Sprinkle in a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce, then thyme, adopted by the meat broth. Let the soup simmer for quarter-hour.
Subsequent, Put together the Hen
Now, you’ll prepare dinner the hen and put all of it collectively beneath a layer of melted Gruyère cheese:
- Pound the hen skinny. In the meantime, lay out your hen breasts between two items of plastic wrap. Utilizing a meat mallet, pound the hen to a fair thickness (the identical as you’d for hen paillard or piccata).
- Cook dinner the hen. Season the hen with salt and pepper when you soften extra butter in a brand new skillet (this one doesn’t must be oven-proof). Afterward, sear the hen within the pan for five minutes per aspect, till it’s browned. Set that apart for now.
- Make the sauce. Now, you’ll whisk cornstarch with beef broth in a small bowl, and pour that into the skillet with the onions. Stir and simmer for a few minutes whereas the soup thickens into extra of a gravy.
- Put all of it collectively. Tuck your seared hen into the skillet with the onions and gravy. Spoon the onions over the hen, then, sprinkle over some shredded cheese.
- Bake. Pop the entire skillet into the oven at 400ºF for 10 minutes, till the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Suggestions and Variations
- One of the simplest ways to pound the hen breasts is between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use the flat aspect of a meat mallet or a rolling pin so that you just don’t pierce the hen when you flatten it.
- The best way to inform when the hen is completed: Use an instant-read thermometer to take the inner temperature of the hen. If it reads 165ºF, the hen is cooked!
- If you happen to’d like a bit extra coloration in your melted cheese, swap the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes to evenly toast the highest. Don’t go away the oven unattended, although, because the cheese burns rapidly!
Serving Ideas
All that’s lacking from this French onion soup hen is the toasted crouton on prime! Because of this, I really like serving my hen with slices of skillet bread toasted with garlic butter, or breadsticks to totally recreate the French onion soup vibes. To not point out, bread turns out to be useful for absorbing all that leftover sauce. Freshen issues up with a inexperienced salad tossed in selfmade Italian dressing, or serve this onion hen over a mattress of fluffy mashed potatoes with inexperienced beans within the wintertime.
Storing and Reheating Hen
- Refrigerate leftovers. Retailer this French onion hen in an hermetic container within the fridge, and revel in leftovers inside 3 days.
- Reheat. Heat leftovers in a skillet on the range or use the microwave. If you happen to’d prefer to refresh the melted cheese, sprinkle over some recent cheese whereas reheating.
- Freeze. Freeze the cooled hen hermetic for as much as 3 months, and thaw it within the fridge earlier than reheating.
Extra Hen Dinner Recipes
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Caramelize the onions. Soften 1 tablespoon of butter in a forged iron skillet over medium-high warmth. Thinly slice the onions into half-moons. Cook dinner the onions in melted butter, stirring, for five minutes. As soon as the onions are tender, season them with salt and pepper to style. Proceed cooking the onions for 10 extra minutes, stirring often.
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Add broth and seasonings. Add Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and ¼ cup beef broth to the onions. Cook dinner for an additional quarter-hour.
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Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 400˚F.
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Pound the hen. Whereas the onions are cooking, put together the hen. Pound the hen with a meat mallet till it’s 1 inch thick. Season the hen with salt and pepper to style.
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Cook dinner the hen. Soften the remaining butter in a separate skillet. Add the hen and prepare dinner it for five minutes per aspect. Take away the hen from the skillet and set it apart.
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Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining beef broth with cornstarch. Pour the cornstarch combination into the skillet with the onions. Cook dinner for 2-3 minutes. Add the hen into the skillet with the onions and spoon the onions over the hen.
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Add cheese and bake. Prime the hen breasts with the grated Gruyère cheese and bake your hen in a forged iron skillet for 10 minutes at 400ºF.
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End and serve. Take away the hen from the oven and switch it to a plate to relaxation for five minutes. Serve the hen heat.
- One of the simplest ways to pound your hen is between two sheets of plastic wrap and utilizing a meat mallet. Be sure to use a flat aspect of your meat mallet as a result of you don’t want to pierce your hen.
- Don’t substitute beef broth with different forms of broth, as beef broth offers the sauce a extra advanced taste.
- If you happen to don’t have Gruyere cheese, you should use cheddar, Edam, or Comte.
Energy: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 35g | Fats: 19g | Saturated Fats: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 6g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 508mg | Potassium: 653mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 531IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 360mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range in accordance with the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
