Delight your taste buds with this delectable French Onion Stuffed Chicken Breasts recipe. Packed with sweet, caramelized onions and gooey cheese, it’s a treat you won’t want to miss.
Elevate Your Weeknight Dinner
The boneless skinless chicken breast is a go-to option for quick and easy dinners, but who says it can’t be used for something more special? That’s where these French Onion Stuffed Chicken Breasts come in. Taking inspiration from the classic French Onion Soup, this dish boasts the same rich, caramelized onion flavor and melty cheese, making it feel truly special and incredibly delicious. Trust us, the extra time spent caramelizing those onions is well worth it!
The Key to Flavorful Onions
We know, caramelizing onions can be a bit time-consuming, but don’t worry, it’s not difficult! The key is to give it the time it needs while cooking patiently. Slice your onions thinly and cook them slowly with butter and olive oil over medium heat. Let them cook down until they turn soft, sweet, and golden brown. This process usually takes about thirty minutes, but feel free to take your time and cook them even longer if you’re feeling patient. Stir them occasionally, and if they start to dry out, you can add some beef broth to keep them moist.
The Secret to a Brothy Goodness
French Onion Soup is known for its savory broth, and we want to capture that essence in this dish too. Once your onions have reached their heavenly caramelized state, spread half of them in a baking dish and use the rest to stuff the chicken. Cut a slit lengthwise in each chicken breast, creating a pocket to hold the stuffing. Fill the pocket with onions, gruyere cheese, and parmesan cheese.
Easy Cooking Process
To achieve a perfect balance of flavors, start by giving the chicken a quick sear in a hot skillet. After that, the oven does the rest of the work. The chicken will cook through on a bed of tender, sweet, and jammy onions, resulting in a succulent and savory main dish. The final result is outstanding—a deep, rich, sweet and savory onion flavor, perfectly complemented by juicy chicken and just the right amount of melted cheese. It’s a chicken dish like no other!
French Onion Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Allergens: Milk
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 large white onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup beef broth, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Set it aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the onions and spread them evenly across the pan. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Reduce the heat to medium if needed to prevent burning.
- Sprinkle the onions with salt, sugar, and thyme, and continue cooking, stirring every few minutes, until the onions turn jammy and dark brown. If they start to dry out, add 1/2 cup of beef broth to the pan.
- Once the onions are caramelized, stir in the balsamic vinegar and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cut a lengthwise slit into each chicken breast to form a pocket without cutting all the way through.
- Stuff about 2 tablespoons of the caramelized onions into each pocket, followed by a generous amount of gruyere and parmesan cheese. Seal the pockets shut with toothpicks.
- Transfer the remaining caramelized onions to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a clean skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then sear them on each side until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Note: The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point.
- Lay the seared chicken on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish. Spoon some of the onion sauce over each chicken breast, then sprinkle with any remaining cheese.
- Bake until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Enjoy the irresistible flavors of this French Onion Stuffed Chicken Breast dish!
