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This French Onion Chicken recipe is your new favourite weeknight dinner. It’s ridiculously delicious, unbelievably easy, made in one-pan and will have you wondering where this recipe has been your entire life. Jammy caramelized onions, perfectly cooked chicken thighs, tender orzo baked in a savoury creamy broth. What’s not to like?
😍 Why You’ll Love French Onion Chicken
One-pan wonder: French onion chicken is made in one-pan, making clean up a breeze.
Easy to make: minimal effort, maximum flavour.
Leftovers: the flavours meld together so the next day you can enjoy the leftovers.
🗒 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make French Onion Chicken
Chicken thighs: French onion chicken is a customizable recipe so feel free to swap with boneless chicken thighs or breasts.
Yellow onions: when sliced thin and slow cooked, they transform into a sweet and deeply flavourful base for the recipe.
Olive oil & balsamic vinegar: used as the chicken marinade and to pan sear the skin of the chicken, giving the outer part of the chicken a nice crisp.
Chicken stock: used as the broth base to cook the orzo while adding flavour.
Heavy cream: adds a creaminess to the French onion chicken recipe.
Garlic cloves: adds a subtle spice and zest.
Orzo: is a small rice-like shape which is ideal for one-pan recipes as it cooks quickly and absorbs flavour really well.
Dried thyme: adds an earthy and aromatic depth of flavour that works really well with the caramelized onions, similar to a French onion soup.
👀 How To Make French Onion Chicken
Prepare the onions: first, preparing the onions by slicing thin and cook low and slow for at least 20 minutes.
Prepare the chicken: to a large bowl add the chicken thighs, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined and set aside.
Finish the onions: once golden in colour, add your balsamic vinegar, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Remove onions from the pan, and set aside.
Fry the chicken: on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Then, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Prepare the orzo: to the same pan, add the uncooked orzo and lightly toast. Add the caramelized onions, chicken stock and heavy cream. Nestle in the chicken thighs and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake: bake the French onion chicken for 20-30 minutes, or until orzo and chicken are fully cooked.
👉 Sammy’s tips
- Slice your onions into similar sized pieces so they achieve an even cook while they are caramelizing. If you notice that the onions are becoming dry and sticking to your pan you can deglaze with 1 tablespoon of water or broth.
- Marinade your chicken while the onions are cooking. The onions are going to take 20 to 25 minutes to caramelize, so I recommend letting your chicken marinade during this time.
🗒️ Variations & Substitutions
Chicken variation: substitute bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Just remember that any replacements may vary with cooking times.
Pasta variation: substitute the orzo for something similar in size. For example: rice, ditali, or small pasta shells. With that being said, keep in mind cooking times may vary.
🤝 Pairs Well With
🤔 FAQ’s
Certainly! For example: rice, ditali, or small pasta shells. With that being said, keep in mind cooking times with vary.
Certainly! For example, you can substitute bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Keep in mind that any replacements may vary with cooking times.
First, allow the French onion chicken to cool down to room temperature. Then, place in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days. To reheat, simply microwave or reheat in a 375°F oven until warm throughout. If reheating in the oven, add a splash of chicken stock before baking.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken and once it reads an internal temperature of 165°F it’s safe.
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Storage: add to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheating: microwave for 30-45 seconds or bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
- Lemon Dill Salmon
- Stuffed Eggplant
- Eggplant Parmigiana
- Yogurt Marinated Chicken
- Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry
- Best Chicken Marinade
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! If you do make this recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
French Onion Chicken & Orzo
Equipment
- 1 oven safe pan
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs:
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp for frying the chicken, and 2 tbsp for the chicken marinade
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Onions:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1½ cups orzo, uncooked
- 2 cups chicken stock, salted
- 1 cup heavy cream, 33%
- fresh parsley, optional to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the onions: bring a large oven safe pan to low/medium heat. Add the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the butter has melted add your onions.Stirring every few minutes, cook the onions on low heat (about 20 minutes) until they're golden, soft, and jammy. If they start to stick to the pan you can add a splash of water or broth.Once the onions are nearly done, preheat your oven to 425 °F.
- Prepare the chicken: while the onions are cooking, prepare the chicken. To a large bowl add the chicken thighs, 2 tbsp olive oil (save 1 tbsp to fry the chicken), balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried thyme, salt and pepper.Mix until well combined and set aside until ready to use.
- Finish the onions: once golden in colour, add your balsamic vinegar, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute. Remove onions from the pan, and set aside.
- Fry the chicken: to the same pan set to medium/high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil.Fry the chicken thighs on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Don't worry about cooking the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking in the oven.Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Prepare the orzo: to the same pan, add the uncooked orzo and lightly toast for 1-2 minutes on low/medium heat. Add the caramelized onions, chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer, stirring often, then turn off the heat. Next, nestle in the chicken thighs and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake: for 20-30 minutes, or until orzo and chicken are fully cooked.
- Garnish: with fresh parsley or green onions if desired.
Video
Notes
Pasta variation: substitute the orzo for something similar in size. For example: rice, ditali, or small pasta shells. With that being said, keep in mind cooking times may vary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I know thighs are a juicer meat but my family prefer chicken breasts.
Can I substitute?
Love your recipes !
You sure can!
Can’t wait to make this! Do you have a substitution for balsamic vinegar? It’s the only thing I don’t have on hand.
Thanks!
You can remove it all together if you don’t have any!
I have not cooked with chicken thighs until this meal. It was absolutely delicious! This has become a regular on the family menu!
I have some boneless, skinless thighs to use. Would they work? Thanks!
Absolutely!
Just made this. AMAZING. Thank you for this recipe!!
So yummy! I’d like to make this for an upcoming dinner party about 15 people. Any recommendations on making this that many? What other noodle could I use besides orzo?
Hi! You can certainly make this for 15. If you have a second pan, I would recommend doing them in the oven at the same time. Or use a super large baking dish. As for other noodles, you can use rice or any other really small pasta. Hope this helps.
Sammy
Delicious! Worked well with coconut milk as a sub for cream.
Hi Krista! Thanks for sharing, very glad you made your own substitution to make this recipe work.
Warmest,
Sammy
This was SO good! I love 1 pan meals. This was easy and delicious. Thank you for this great recipe. ❤️
Hi Angela! Happy you enjoyed the recipe! -Sammy
I loved it! And my hubby, who is VERY stingy with compliments, said it was great. I only had boneless skinless on hand, but next time I will go with bone-in skin on to elevate it to its highest potential. The orzo was addictive!
I saw this on Instagram and had to make it. The only change I made was that I put the onions along with the salt, pepper, thyme and balsamic in a slow cooker on high for five hours to caramelize the onions first. I put the caramelized onions in the cast iron pan over a medium/low heat for about a half hour to get the fond started, then I followed the recipe to a T after that and would not change a thing.
This truly was a rare instance where a recipe looked and sounded good, but the finished product was beyond our expectations. Five big stars 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I’ve made this more than once, it’s a family staple now; even my toddlers love it & ask for 2nds.
This is so awesome! Thanks for sharing, Bri!
I love to cook and try new recipes. I’ve never left a comment before but this was FANTASTIC! Not a ton of ingredients but maximum flavor! My husband and I both loved it! Will make again and again!
We made this tonight and it was AMAZING! Even the toddler approved ❤️
Absolutely delicious! I didn’t alter anything and was pleasantly surprised. Your recipes haven’t failed me yet!
That makes me so happy!
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!!!
This was so delicious and easy! I will make it again for sure!
Definitely one of my favourites! So quick and easy! Practically foolproof!
It’s so delicious!
This has become a regular family menu.
Sometimes we use chicken breast, chicken thighs etc. It’s always good 😊
Hi Cathleen! That’s so awesome. So happy this one has become part of the rotation. Thanks for sharing! -Sammy
oh. My. God. Sammy. This was amazing.
I just typed in chicken and orzo because that’s what I had on hand (and I know you use Orzo in a lot of your recipes, something I’ve NEVER used!) and this recipe came up. It was delicious, flavorful, and satisfying.
Thanks for me look like a cooking goddess to my husband! 😂 This is not the first recipe I’ve made from your site and it absolutely won’t be the last.
Hi Raylene! THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – I am also happy you enjoyed the recipe! xo – Sammy
Can you use something other than orzo
rice also works!
Just finished this. Wow, such a yummy warm cozy meal. Paired it with some braised carrots. Chicken thighs are perfect for this recipe. They’re small enough and can handle the time and heat in the oven. I used fresh thyme because I had a lot on hand. That orzo onion cream thing, just delicious. My new favorite thigh recipe. Thank you!
This is absolutely delicious!!! Will be making again and again.
Loved this!! So rich and creamy without being overly so. For such simple, pantry-friendly ingredients, this was a great weeknight dinner. You do need time to caramelize your onions so, if you are planning on making this using the week, just keep in mind that’s 20-30 minutes depending on your stove. I happened to have the time so went ahead! Definitely going to make this one again!
Making the French onion chicken orzo right now and can’t wait to eat it!!!
So delicious and easy to make. This recipe has made a regular rotation on my family’s dinner menu. Thank you!