This oven baked French Onion Chicken recipe has mozzarella-stuffed chicken breasts and the most flavorful French Onion Sauce. Serve this over mashed potatoes, there's plenty of sauce to go around!
2extra large yellow onionssliced 1/4 inch thick. See Notes.
1Tablespoonflour
2clovesgarlic minced
1/3cupdry white winesuch as Pinot Gritio
1 ¼cupchicken broth
1sprig fresh Thyme
Instructions
Note: Use a 12 or 13 inch oven-safe pan to prepare the sauce, add the chicken, and transfer to the oven. If you don’t have one available to you, transfer the French Onion sauce and uncooked chicken to a casserole dish prior to baking.
French Onion Sauce
Melt 4 TBS butter and 1 TBS olive oil over medium-low heat.
Add the onions to the pan and toss to coat. They will take a good 40 minutes to sufficiently caramelize. Use a silicone spatula to stir them occasionally as they cook.
(Refer to process shots in blog post above for visual of what the finished onion should look like.)
Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Toss with 1 Tablespoon of flour. Heat and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high.
Add the white wine and cook for 5 minutes. Use the same silicone spatula to scrape up any bits left on the bottom of the pan to allow the flavor to work its way into the sauce.
Add the chicken broth and fresh thyme. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer and thicken for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken.
Optional: If you prefer thinner chicken, place plastic wrap over the chicken and use a meat tenderizer to pound it thinner. This will also allow you to fill it with more mozzarella.
Fill with sliced or shredded mozzarella and close to seal shut.
Season each side with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Top the chicken generously with mozzarella cheese, it's okay if it goes over the sauce as well. (Use as much cheese as you like!)
Place the chicken in the pan with the French Onion sauce. OR carefully transfer the sauce and chicken to a 9 x 13 casserole dish if you don't have an oven safe pan.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
Increase heat to 450 for a few minutes, until the top begins to brown slightly. Watch it closely during this time.
Remove from oven. Ensure the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165° prior to serving.
Spoon the top of the chicken generously with French Onion Sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables and enjoy!
Notes
Onions: I use 2 extra large onions, about 13 oz. each. It seems like a lot but they shrink down considerably as they cook and add a ton of flavor to the sauce.Additional cheese options include Gouda, grated Parmesan, and Gruyere!If you don't have dry white wine, dry red wine is your next best option. (Merlot or Pinot Noir). Otherwise, chicken broth may be used.This chicken freezes very well for future meals! Best if used within 3 months of freezing.Serving Suggestion: Serve this with my Smooth and CreamyHomemade Mashed Potatoes.