Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken
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Easy, flavorful and fall-apart-tender, you have to try this recipe for French Onion Chicken! This tasty chicken recipe is made in a slow cooker, and seasoned with French Onion Mix, caramelized onions, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
It’s served with a delicious gravy, made right in the slow cooker and pairs wonderfully with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. This easy family-favorite recipe is a must-make!
Inspired by this incredibly popular recipe for Crock Pot Pork Chops with French Onion Gravy, I present to you Crock Pot French Onion Chicken. If you’ve made these pork chops and loved the taste of them, then I guarantee you’ll also love this chicken recipe!
If you haven’t tried either of these recipes, I recommend adding them both to your menu. This recipe takes a boring ol’ chicken breast and turns it into a juicy, tender, flavor-bursting meal.
Prefer even more juicy, tender flavor? Try making this recipe with chicken thighs! It’s also delicious and just as easy to make.
After a simple 20 minute prep, this chicken recipe slow cooks all day and you’ll come home to a delicious meal and a house that smells amazing!
If you love ordering French Onion Soup at restaurants, then you’re certainly going to love this recipe!
Key ingredients and substitution ideas
Above I show you all of the ingredients for the recipe (because I’m a visual person and I find it helpful, hopefully you do too!), below I tell you about the main players in the recipe and why they matter. The full list of ingredients with measurements can always be found in the recipe card.
- French Onion Mix (click link for the recipe) – this seasoning mix of onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper gives the chicken so much flavor. I used my homemade seasoning mix for this recipe, but you can also purchase pre-made French Onion Soup Mix at your local grocery store. For this recipe, you’ll need two tablespoons French onion mix, which is equal to a one ounce package of mix at the store.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) – for a lighter option, use chicken breasts, for a juicier, more tender option, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If using chicken breasts, be sure to either slice them lengthwise through the middle, or pound them to a 1/2 inch thickness before using them in the recipe.
- Cornstarch – used to thicken the gravy in the slow cooker, after you’ve cooked the chicken. You can use all-purpose flour instead, but you’ll need to double the amount because flour is not as strong of a thickening agent as cornstarch is. Since this recipe calls for 2 tablespoons cornstarch, if you’re using flour instead, you’ll need 4 tablespoons flour.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise through the middle.
Step 2: Season the chicken with French onion seasoning.
Step 3: Caramelize sliced onions in butter.
Step 4: Sear the chicken on the stove.
Step 5: Transfer the chicken and onions to a slow cooker.
Step 6: Add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and thyme to the slow cooker. Slow cook the chicken.
Step 7: After the chicken is cooked, make gravy by combining a cornstarch slurry with the liquid in the slow cooker. Pour the gravy over the chicken when serving.
What to serve with it
My favorite pairing for this French Onion Chicken recipe is mashed potatoes. With the gravy poured over both the chicken and potatoes, it’s a heavenly comfort food meal!
But there’s actually more than one way to serve this magically delicious slow cooker chicken. It’s great with all kinds of side dishes, like rice, egg noodles, or vegetables, like green beans or brussels sprouts. Try it a few different ways, then pick your favorite!
How to make it on the stove
This recipe is also easy to make in a skillet on the stove. Perfect for the times when you don’t have a few hours to leave it in the slow cooker. Follow these simple steps to make french onion chicken in under an hour on the stove top.
- Melt butter in a large skillet, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium high heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the onions to the pan and caramelize for 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Rub the french onion mix on the chicken breasts.
- Move the onions and garlic to one side of the skillet, then add the chicken to the skillet and sear for 2 minutes per side.
- Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and fresh thyme to the skillet. Bring the broth to a simmer.
- Cover, turn the stove down to medium heat and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, then use tongs to remove the thyme sprigs from the skillet and discard.
- Remove the chicken breasts and place them on a plate or cutting board, cover tightly with foil.
- Turn the heat on the stove up to high and bring the broth to a boil.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet, stir to combine, and allow the gravy to cook together for 5 minutes.
- Serve the chicken immediately, topped with the french onion gravy from the skillet.
Crock Pot French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups thinly sliced onions, approximately 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons french onion mix, click link for the recipe
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, pounded to ½ inch thickness
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the onions and caramelize for 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a slow cooker.
- Rub the french onion mix on the chicken breasts.
- Add the chicken to the skillet that the onions were cooked in and sear for 2 minutes per side, on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the chicken breasts are golden brown, transfer them to the slow cooker in a single layer. Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and fresh thyme.
- Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.
- After the chicken breasts are cooked, open the slow cooker, remove the thyme sprigs and discard.
- Remove the chicken breasts and place them on a plate or cutting board, cover tightly with foil.
- If the slow cooker is not already set to high, turn the temperature to high.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine, cover and allow the gravy to cook together for 5 minutes.
- Either serve the chicken immediately, topped with the french onion gravy from the slow cooker, or place the chicken breasts back in the slow cooker with the gravy until ready to serve.
- Right before serving, garnish the chicken with fresh chopped parsley, if you'd like.
Notes
- For instructions on how to make this recipe in a skillet on the stove, refer to the blog post above.
- You should not add frozen chicken directly to the slow cooker. Instead, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator 1-2 days before preparing the meal, or use the defrost setting on your microwave to thaw the chicken quickly. From the USDA directly: “Always thaw meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker. Frozen pieces will take longer to reach a safe internal temperature and could possibly result in foodborne illness. Frozen or partially frozen foods can also cool everything else in the slow cooker.” Let’s just not take the risk and agree to thaw our chicken first!
- If you would like to top the chicken with cheese, follow these instructions:
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker after the cooking time and place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Top each piece of chicken with approximately 1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese, swiss cheese or mozzarella cheese.
- Place under the broiler in the oven on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Plate the chicken and top it with the gravy from the slow cooker.
- Leftover french onion chicken can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
Nutrition Facts
More crock pot recipes to try
With over 80 slow cooker recipes on the blog, I’m sure you’re going to find more favorites to try. Don’t know where to start? Try one of these popular recipes!
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