Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about this crockpot french onion chicken recipe in the points below:

• Set and forget: just like the Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops this recipe involves adding all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and then letting them cook. It is hands free most of the time with only a little prep work to start. Once you turn the heat on you can walk away and come back when the cooking is mostly done. (So it is perfect for busy weeknights when tie is off the essence).
• Simple ingredients: you will be able to get everything you need to make the recipe from your local grocery store. They are year round available ingredients that will be easy to get your hands on.
• Family friendly: this is one of those rare recipes that works for all ages. There are no 'too hot' or 'too spicy' flavors so the entire family can sit around the table and enjoy the same thing for dinner.
• Fast slow cook: say what?! Sometimes I like to use my slow cooker (especially throughout winter) to cook a meal low and slow all day. The aroma wafts through the house and there is a certain kind of comfort derived from cooking like this. At opposite times however, I want dinner sorted. This recipe uses tender chicken breasts (sliced in half) and takes 2 hours on high heat or 3-4 hours on low heat. It is not something that needs to cook all day. So it is a great way to get an easy dinner recipe sorted when you have time but you don't have 'all day'. It also has the added bonus of dinner cooking itself whilst you are free to get other things sorted and return to it as needed.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper to season the chicken breasts before they go into the slow cooker.
• Garlic powder: nice and easy, straight from the spice bottle.
• Thyme: dried thyme helps to bring flavor to the dish.
• Brown sugar: loosely packed.
• Butter: unsalted is recommend as we season the chicken with salt separately and we don't want a dish that is 'too salty'.
• Swiss mushrooms: I like to use Swiss Brown mushrooms as I think they offer a nice colour contrast the chicken and mashed potatoes. white button mushrooms give the dish an overall pale appearance!
• Chicken breast: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. These hold up well and turn out very moist and juicy over the cook period.
• Onions: these soften and practically melt in your mouth when slow cooked! They offer delicious flavors and are the perfect compliment to the more robust chicken.
• Swiss cheese: ops 😂😂! I forgot to add it in the photo above. I realised after I had taken the pic that it was still in the fridge but it was too late to go back and unstart. So we use the type of cheese that you will see later throughout the post which melts well and has a mild flavor. Sorry!

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by preparing the vegetables.

• Slice onions (Photo 1)
• Chop the mushrooms (Photo 2)
• Slice the chicken breast (Photo 3)
• Season with salt and pepper (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken

To make the Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken use a sharp knife and cutting board to peel and slice the onions then the mushrooms.

Next place the chicken breasts on the cutting board and use the same knife to slice each in half lengthways (see step by step photos and video for reference).

Once done lay the chicken pieces flat on the chopping board and season them with salt and pepper as you see in the photos above.

• Add the sliced onions (Photo 5)
• Then add the brown sugar (Photo 6)
• Add the butter (Photo 7)
• Sprinkle in the dried thyme (Photo 8)

Next start to layer the ingredients into the bottom of the slow cooker. Start with the onions then sprinkle the brown sugar over the top like you see in the photo above.

Next add the butter and dried thyme.

• Add the garlic powder (Photo 9)
• Pour in the chicken stock (Photo 10)
• Add the seasoned chicken (Photo 11)
• Cook then add the cheese (Photo 12)

After adding the thyme, sprinkle in the garlic powder and then pour in the chicken stock.

Next take a pair of tongs and place the seasoned chicken pieces into the slow cooker as shown in the photo above.

Put the lid on and let the chicken cook either on high for 1 ½ hours or low for 2 hours. When this initial cook time is up remove the lid and place a folded piece of Swiss cheese on top of the chicken. You can see what this step will look like in the photo above.

• Add sliced mushrooms (Photo 13)

Next sprinkle the sliced mushrooms into the slow cooker as shown in the photo above.

Then put the lid back on and cook for 30 minutes on high heat or 1 hour on low heat.

Once the final cook time is up you can remove the lid and garnish the chicken with some freshly cracked black pepper and parsley. The mushrooms will 'stick' to the melted cheese in a dreamy moist and juicy pairing.

• Cook then garnish (Photo 14).

Now it is time to call the whole family to the table as 'dinner is ready!'.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

When it comes to serving your French Onion Chicken I find a bed of creamy mashed potatoes the way to go. It pairs effortlessly and adds another texture to the dish.

If you are after a bread side try the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Garlic Ciabatta, Garlic Pizza Bread or the Turkish Garlic Bread. (Crusty bread will work too if you want to grab a French stick and keep things easy).

For a potato bake side try the Creamy Garlic Potatoes, Potato And Broccoli Bake, Potato And Sweet Potato Bake or the Potato And Cauliflower Bake.

For other types of potatoes try the Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, Skin on Roast Potatoes or the Garlic Butter Potatoes.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Let the chicken fully cool. Then portion into an airtight container (or multiple) and seal with lid. Stack these in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.

How to Freeze

Follow the step above to ensure that the chicken is cool and portioned into containers. Then stack these in the freezer. Frozen French Onion Chicken be be stored for 3 months (in the freezer).

How to Reheat

Place refrigerated leftovers onto a plate and cover with cling wrap. Reheat on high in the microwave until warmed through (1-3 minutes).

For frozen portions of the chicken, allow these to fully thaw and then reheat following the step above. These may take 1-2 minutes extra to heat so check them to ensure that they are consistently heated before consuming.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read this slow cooker recipe and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves finely chopped or minced garlic if you prefer to.
• For the thyme you could use dried oregano or Italian herbs.
• Or if you want to use a packet of French Onion Soup mix in place of the garlic powder, thyme and brown sugar you can.
• For a non mushroom vegetable you can use green beans. Simply trim, cut in half and use in that final cooking period as you would the mushrooms.
• Chicken thighs - I haven't tried the recipe with these. If you want to, keep a close eye on them to ensure that they don't become too dry. Also I would not cut them in half. They tend to be less dense than chicken breast so it is not a straight switch but it is a could give it a go and reduce the cook time option. I know you guys like to have options 😉👌.
• Fresh herbs are great to use for garnish (like I have the parsley), thyme is another option that will pair nicely.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• The cook time on this recipe is short! Much shorter than some slow cooker recipes. This is to ensure juicy moist chicken. If you overcook it, the chicken will be dry and rubbery.
• To ensure that the chicken is cooked through you can use a thermometer to test it. The internal temperature of cooked chicken breast should be 73.9 °C or 165 °F. I find after 1 ⅕ hours on high my chicken is around 70°C, I then add the cheese and mushroom, let it cook a little longer and then it is perfect 👍.
• Love French Onion flavor? Then you might like to try the Slow Cooker French Onion Beef, French Onion Cob Loaf or Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops 😍👌.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

If you love keeping dinner interesting with inspired ideas, then I have some more ideas for you to try. These recipes are ones that offer lots of flavor with a variety of proteins:

• Baked Rigatoni With Sausage
• Beef Mince Potato Bake
• Chorizo Fried Rice
• Meatballs Alfredo
• Dumpling Noodle Soup
• Roasted Capsicum Pasta Sauce
• Fusilli Bolognese

It is time to get our Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes or slow cooker recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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