French Onion Braised Chicken

Do you love French Onion Soup as much as I do? If you do, you will love this chicken dish. It honestly tastes just like French Onion Soup - rich, flavorful, and hearty. Make sure you have an entire baguette handy because you will want to sop up all that delicious gravy with the bread!

I came across the recipe for Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyere while browsing recipes shared on Pinterest, and it comes from the blog TheKitchn. I made a few changes, including using only 2 pots, deglazing with brandy instead of broth,, and using Jarlsberg Swiss instead of Gruyere. My version of the recipe is below.

Ingredients (for 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil for onions
  
• 2 tbsp butter
  
• 3 large yellow onions, sliced
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 c brandy
• 1 c beef stock
  
• 1 tsp olive oil for chicken
  
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/2 c freshly grated Jarlsberg Swiss cheese
  
• 2 pots: Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed, oven safe pan and a saute pan
  

Directions

• In your Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and let cook down, stirring occasionally. You are caramelizing them, not frying them, so if they start to brown too quickly, turn the heat down. This process can take 30-45 minutes or longer. About halfway through, add the garlic and herbs. Once fully caramelized, move the onions to the edges of the pan and add the brandy. Stir to scrape up all the brown bits. Redistribute onions evenly in the pan.
  
• In the meantime, heat 1 tsp olive oil in the saute pan. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to the pan with the onions, nestling it into the onions.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  
• Add beef broth to the saute pan over high heat, quickly stirring and scraping up the brown bits. Pour broth over the chicken/onion mixture.
  
• Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through.
  
• Top chicken with the cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.
  
• Serve with a sliced baguette. It also works well served over mashed potatoes.