Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken

5 from 5 votes

Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken is a an easy family dinner recipe. With juicy, melt in your mouth chicken and a buttery onion flavor base.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Or low heat3

Total Time2 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: slow cooker french onion chicken

Servings:

Calories: 554kcal

Onions: use a sharp knife and cutting board to peel the skins then slice each onion into rings.
Mushrooms: use the same knife and cutting board to thinly slice the mushrooms.
Chicken breast: lay each chicken breast flat on the chopping board then slice each in half lengthways.
Season: separate the chicken into 4 pieces and season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper.
Slow Cooker insert: add the onions to the base of the slow cooker. Then sprinkle in the brown sugar, add the chopped butter, followed by the dried thyme and garlic powder. Pour in the chicken stock. Use a pair of tongs to place the 4 pieces of seasoned chicken into the slow cooker on top of the rest of the ingredients. Put the lid on and set the timer and temperature to 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
Cheese and Mushrooms: when there is 30 minutes of cook time remaining (high heat) or 1 hour (low heat, remove the lid from the slow cooker and set it aside. Fold each slice of Swiss cheese and place it on top of a piece of chicken. Then sprinkle the sliced mushrooms across the top of the chicken. Put the lid back on and let the cheese melt and mushrooms cook for 30 minutes on high or 1 hour on low. Note 4
To serve: when the cook time is up, remove the slow cooker lid and set it aside. Garnish the chicken with black pepper and parsley. Portion onto plates with mashed potatoes and provide a knife and fork per person.

Note 1 - Mushrooms: I like to use Swiss brown mushrooms as they have a colour contrast to the rest of the ingredients. You can use white mushrooms if you wish too but keep in mind the whole dish might look a bit pale without pops of colour.
Note 2 - Chicken breast: these are known for being a thick dense meat. We are cutting them in half lengthways however. This ensures that they cook thoroughly and throughout whilst staying moist and juice. I haven't tried the recipe with chicken thighs so can't say if that substitution would work.
Note 3 - Swiss cheese: not shown in the ingredients photo, sorry! I forgot it the realised after and it was too late. We add the cheese and mushrooms towards the end of the cooking process. This ensures that the cheese is just melted but still sits as a layer on each chicken pieces as well as ensuring that the mushrooms don't go mushy.
Note 4 - Cook time: High heat is 1 ½ hours to start with then 30 minutes with cheese and mushrooms so 2 hours total. Low heat is 2 hours to start with then 1 hour with cheese and mushrooms so 3 hours total. I would not recommend cooking for longer as the chicken can overcook (become rubbery). Also I don't leave this on the 'warm setting' for too long. Once it is done, it is done and should be portioned and served.