Description
A flavorful French Onion Chicken recipe featuring tender chicken cutlets topped with caramelized onions, melted Gruyère cheese, and a savory balsamic and Worcestershire sauce glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken cutlets, 16 to 20 ounces total
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour mix
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
Onions and Sauce:
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon flour mixture (from the seasoned flour)
Topping:
- 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Caramelize Onions: In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to brown around the edges. Reduce heat to medium-low, add balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes until onions are very tender. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to deglaze the pan. Remove onions and set aside. Wipe out the skillet.
- Prepare Chicken: If chicken cutlets are uneven in thickness, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a meat tenderizer or heavy pan until uniformly thin but intact. Season chicken cutlets with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Season Flour Mixture: In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, a pinch of salt, and paprika. This will be used for dredging and making the sauce.
- Cook Chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in the cleaned skillet over medium heat. Dredge two chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour mixture, shake off excess, and lay them side by side in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes until lightly browned, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining butter and chicken cutlets.
- Make Sauce: Combine chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour mixture and whisk well. Add this mixture to the skillet and cook over low heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Discard any remaining excess flour mixture from preparation.
- Assemble and Melt Cheese: Return the cooked chicken to the skillet. Top each cutlet evenly with the caramelized onions and sprinkle the grated Gruyère cheese over the top. Cover the skillet and cook on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Notes
- For gluten-free option, use a gluten-free flour mix instead of all-purpose flour.
- Only about 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture is used to make the sauce; the rest is discarded to avoid thickening problems.
- Pounding the chicken to an even thickness helps it cook evenly and stay tender.
- Add water gradually when deglazing to loosen onion bits without diluting flavor.
- Gruyère cheese can be substituted with Swiss cheese if needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
