Introducing a delicious Instant Pot French Onion Chicken Recipe! With the Instant Pot, tender chicken breasts are smothered in a rich and flavorful French onion sauce. Say hello to a delicious twist on a classic dish that's perfect for any night of the week!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Versatile: What I absolutely love about this French Onion Chicken recipe is the fact that it is one of the most versatile recipes I've ever tried in my kitchen.
- Easy: This recipe is quite literally a total family favorite, and more so for me, because it comes together so easily and effortlessly.
- Gluten Free: It is gluten-free, and a great way to enjoy all those French onion flavors, but in a meal that is filling and and nutritious. If you love French onion soup, you've definitely got to give this recipe a shot.
🥘 Ingredients
To make the French onion chicken, here's what you'll need.
- Low Sodium Chicken Stock: Provides a flavorful base, ensuring that the chicken is juicy and tender.
- French Onion Soup Mix: Adds a rich, savory flavor that gives the dish its distinctive French onion character.
- Chopped Garlic: Infuses the dish with a robust, aromatic element that complements the other flavors perfectly.
- Chicken Breasts: The main protein in the dish, these contribute a hearty and satisfying element.
- Mushrooms: Add a delicious earthy flavor and a meaty texture that enhances the overall dish.
- Cream Cheese: Gives the dish a creamy, velvety finish, adding a luxurious touch to the flavors.
- Spring Onion: Adds a fresh, zesty note, providing a nice contrast to the rich flavors of the dish.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
Like most French onion recipes, there is a bit of variation and experimentation that you can do with this recipe.
- The onions should be cooked on medium high heat until they turn golden brown.
- A classic French onion soup or chicken recipe needs you to have lots and lots of caramelized onions for that rich, bold flavor. For this recipe, I've used a ready French onion soup mix to make things simple.
- If you really want to do it the authentic way, you can started off with sautéing some sliced onions in your Instant Pot. I would recommend yellow onions to make French onion chicken.
- These caramelized onions can also add a nice bit of texture to the dish and when you team it up with a classic cheese like Gruyere cheese, it is sure to be a match made in heaven.
- Remember to add a bit of beef stock or beef broth to the caramelized onion. This will help you recover all the brown bits which pack in the maximum flavor.
- To caramelize onions, you can use a bit of olive oil or butter- it all depends on your personal preference.
🔪 How To Make French Onion Chicken
Once you have your ingredients ready, here's the step-by-step process you'll need to follow to put the dish together.
Step One: Turn on the Instant Pot and select the sauté button. Add 1 ½ cups of low-sodium chicken stock.
Step Two: Stir in French onion soup mix (stir properly so that there are no lumps), mix, and add garlic.
Step Three: Add chicken breasts to the stock. Next, evenly top with diced mushrooms and place the block of cream cheese in the middle, do not stir as it will melt while cooking. CANCEL the SAUTE button. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes. (Make sure the valve is in the SEALING position).
Step Four: Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over. Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes then quick release pressure by manually moving the valve from SEALING to VENTING position.
Step Five: Select the CANCEL button and take the lid off carefully. Remove the chicken pieces, shred them, and set aside.
Step Six: Select SAUTE button, whisk the soup with the help of a spatula, and let the soup simmer on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step Seven: Return the shredded chicken breast back to the soup, along with finely diced spring onions, and stir through.
Step Eight: Select the CANCEL button. Serve immediately hot with crusty bread, a bowl of pasta, or mashed potatoes.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- If you want the French onion chicken to have some extra flavor and a nutritional punch, you can use beef stock or beef broth instead of the chicken broth that the recipe calls for.
- For this recipe, we've used chicken breasts, but you can use any other boneless or bone-in cut of meat of your choice. Chicken thighs are a great option, because they are much more tender, and pack in a lot of flavor too.
- If you want to tenderize your chicken breast, you can use a meat mallet to break down the fibers before you add them to the soup.
- To tie everything together, you can also add a dash of olive oil into the mix.
- Cheese and butter can be two other interesting additions to this dish. You can use Gruyere cheese, Swiss cheese or any other shredded cheese of your choice.
- I would highly recommend adding the cheese towards the end and letting the dish simmer for a couple of extra minutes until you get that creamy, melted cheese on the top.
- You can also add a bay leaf or two into the mix for some extra flavor. I also love adding balsamic vinegar to tie all the flavors together.
- I've used my Instant Pot to make this French onion chicken, but you can also use your crock pot or just stick to a large skillet that you can place over your stove top to put the dish together.
💭 FAQs
Yellow onions are commonly used due to their balance of sweetness and acidity, which enhances the caramelization process. However, white or sweet onions can also be used based on personal preference.
Caramelizing onions requires patience. Cook thinly sliced onions over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they become golden brown and sweet. This process can take 30-40 minutes. Adding a pinch of sugar can aid in caramelization.
Gruyère cheese is traditionally used for its excellent melting properties and nutty flavor. If unavailable, Swiss or mozzarella cheese can be suitable substitutes
This dish pairs well with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a fresh green salad, balancing the rich flavors of the chicken and onions.
You can store the French onion chicken in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator or around 3 months in the freezer.
🧂Serving Suggestions
Here are my favorite vegetables to serve with Instant Pot French Onion Chicken:
- Mashed Potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes provide a delicious and comforting side that pairs well with the rich flavors of French Onion Chicken.
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Maple Syrup, or Green Beans, add a nice contrast in texture and flavor.
- Grilled Asparagus: Asparagus, lightly grilled and seasoned, adds a touch of elegance and freshness to the meal.
- Purple Cauliflower Mash: For a low-carb option, consider cauliflower mash as a substitute for traditional mashed potatoes.
🍽 Related Recipes
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Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
- 1 Pkt Onion Soup Mix
- 1 Teaspoon Chopped Garlic
- 2 Large Chicken Breasts
- 1 ½ Cups Mushrooms Diced
- 200 G Cream Cheese
- ½ Cup Spring Onion Finely Diced
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot and select the sauté button.
- Add 1 ½ cups of low-sodium chicken stock. Stir in French onion soup mix (stir properly so that there are no lumps), mix, and add garlic.
- Add chicken breasts to the stock. Next, evenly top with diced mushrooms and place the block of cream cheese in the middle, do not stir as it will melt while cooking.
- CANCEL the SAUTE button. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes. (Make sure the valve is in the SEALING position).
- Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over. Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes then quick release pressure by manually moving the valve from SEALING to VENTING position.
- Select the CANCEL button and take the lid off carefully. Remove the chicken pieces, shred them and set aside.
- Select SAUTE button, whisk the soup with the help of a spatula, and let the soup simmer on medium low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Return the shredded chicken breast back to the soup, along with finely diced spring onions, and stir through.
- Select the CANCEL button. Serve immediately hot with crusty bread, a bowl of pasta, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
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- To tie everything together, you can also add a dash of olive oil into the mix.
Nutrition
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes:
If you enjoyed trying out this recipe, and are inspired to try out some more such fun and flavorful chicken breast recipe options, here are a few good ones you can try out.
- Instant Pot Pesto Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Mango Chicken Salad With Avocado
