French Onion Chicken Soup
French Onion Chicken Soup combines everything you love about classic french onion soup with tender chicken for a heartier, more satisfying meal. With deeply caramelized onions, a rich broth, and a gruyere-topped baguette, it’s comfort food at its best.
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Makes: 4 servings
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large yellow onions (about 2 lbs) thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional (helps caramelization)
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 Tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup dry red wine (like cabernet or pinot noir) *see notes if not using
- 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (can also use thighs if preferred)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
- 4 baguette slices lightly toasted
- 1 ½ cups shredded gruyere
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
- Add butter and olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium low heat. When butter is melted, add onions, salt, and pepper and stir until onions are well coated in butter.
- Cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are a deep golden brown and jammy. Don’t rush this! Stir sugar in (if using) during the last 10-ish minutes of cooking as it will help deepen the color.
- Once onions are caramelized, stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in thyme and bay leaf.
- Pour red wine in and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let wine simmer for 3-5 minutes, until it reduces slightly and no longer smells sharp.
- Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar and bring mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Once simmering, nestle the chicken breasts (or thighs) into the broth and cook for 15-20 minutes, until temperature reaches 165 degrees F internally.
- Remove chicken, shred or slice when cool enough to handle, and return it to the soup. Discard bay leaf.
- Taste soup and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Preheat your oven's broiler to high and ladle soup into 4 oven-safe bowls (for entree-sized portions). Top each portion with a toasted baguette slice and divide gruyere and parmesan cheeses evenly over each. I recommend placing the bowls on a baking pan for easy transfer into and out of oven.
- Broil soup for 2-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
Notes
- If not using red wine, you can add an additional ½ cup of beef broth + an additional teaspoon of vinegar.
- For storing leftovers:
- I recommend only topping soup with bread and cheese when you're ready to serve it. So, if you're making a full batch of this soup but are only serving two people, dish soup into two bowls and put the rest in an airtight container in the fridge. Put extra toasted bread and shredded cheese in separate containers and refrigerate cheese. The soup can stay in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.
- I recommend re-heating leftover soup on the stovetop and then dividing it into bowls, adding toppings, and broiling. You can also re-heat it in the microwave if you prefer.
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