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French Onion Chicken Thighs

overhead photo of the baked French onion chicken thighs with orzo in a cast iron skillet on a wood surface with parsley and grey plates off to the side.

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A skillet chicken thighs dinner loaded with all the flavors of French onion soup! Topped with caramelized red onions and extra Gruyere cheese for the perfect savory bite.

Ingredients

For the chicken thighs
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 cup of flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the orzo
1 and 1/4 cup dry orzo pasta
4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese (plus more for garnishing)
3 tablespoons sherry wine (I used the cooking wine from the grocery store)
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

For the onions
2 medium sized red onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Start with making the caramelized red onions. To a Dutch oven add the 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil and heat over medium-low. Add the onions and stir to coat in the butter oil, Cook the onions for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently and alternating the heat between medium-low and low so that the onions don’t burn. Stir frequently so each slice has a chance to be in direct contact with the bottom of the pot. If there are any stubborn slices that aren’t browning I remove them with tongs. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the sugar and the salt. Remove the caramelized onions to a plate until the rest of the recipe is finished.

2. When there is about 10 minutes left on the onions, start prepping the chicken portion of the dish. Combine the garlic powder, thyme, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper then season the chicken thighs. Lastly, cover the chicken in the flour.

3. At this time preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken and brown 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate, (do not clean out the skillet!!) and cover the chicken with foil.

4.  In the same skillet add the orzo and stir to coat it in the butter and oil that remained from cooking the chicken. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the pasta to brown. Add the grated garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then reduce the heat to low.

5. Carefully pour in the chicken broth (watch out for splatter!), the sherry, Worcestershire sauce, the Gruyere cheese and stir. Add in the chicken thighs then raise the heat to bring the mixture to a bubbling simmer. Top the dish with the caramelized red onions and more Gruyere.

6. Transfer the entire skillet to the 400 degree oven and cook 15-20 minutes until the chicken has reached 165 degrees.

Serve immediately and enjoy!