French onion chicken casserole is rich and creamy, with tons of caramelized onions mixed in and a crunchy French fried onion topping.
Who loves a cozy casserole once the weather starts to turn cool? I know I do.
My mom’s chicken divan is a family classic and we all adore this Tex-Mex style King Ranch chicken casserole.
Today, we are taking one of my favorite soups from childhood and making it a main dish meal.
The whole family is going to adore this!
French onion chicken casserole is rich and creamy, with tons of caramelized onions mixed in and a crunchy French fried onion topping.
It’s warm and satisfying and a meal perfect for all the onion lovers like me.
Gimme all them onions!
Also, this dish smells amazing.
Those onions caramelizing on the stove are a big part of that and then the bubbly, baked cheesy casserole is hard to resist.
My wife said it’s one of her favorites that I make!
Oh and stay tuned because I’m working on some other French onion related recipes that I’m hoping to bring you soon.
(Here's my classic and simple French onion soup that we just adore.)
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I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Easy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!
OK, back to today’s recipe. Let’s get cooking!
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make this French onion chicken casserole. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
- Chicken: We’re using regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Do make sure they are on the smaller side though or your cook time will be a lot longer.
- Onions: I recommend choosing vidalia or another sweet yellow onion to help with the caramelization. It’s going to be a ton of onions when you add them to the pan at first, but they cook down quite a bit.
- Sour cream: You can use regular or nonfat sour cream and/or substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Cheddar: Using a sharp cheddar works best here to add that oomph.
- Soup: I like sticking with the theme and using a cream of chicken soup, but I think this would also be really good with a cream of mushroom soup.
- Extra cheese: The optional extra cheese of the top of the casserole can be Swiss, Gruyere or mozzarella. I just like the melty factor it adds as a throwback to the soup - and the beautiful browning.
- Fried onions: You could technically skip these since we’ve got ALL the onions happening within the casserole. But they add such great crunch on top that I always want to add them!
Just be sure to only add the French fried onions in the last 3-5 minutes of cook time - after the chicken is already cooked through - because they can burn quickly.
Feel free to serve the casserole with some chopped fresh parsley or a little garnish of parsley. Adds a bit of brightness!
Speaking of serving, let’s round out this meal so we can eat!
Serving Ideas:
- Serve this casserole over steamed brown or white rice to go with the delicious onions and sauce.
- Or you could use cauliflower rice or try it with quinoa.
- You could even try it with a long, thin noodle like angel hair or spaghetti.
- Serve this with some crusty bread as a nod to the soup.
- And because of the richness of the dish, a simple side salad is a great vegetable addition. A steamed veggie would work well too.
It’s pretty flexible.
And if you need or want to prep this ahead, you absolutely can.
Here’s a few tips on that.
Make Ahead Notes:
- You can prep the entire casserole ahead of time and assemble it. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
- Pull the casserole out of the fridge as you preheat your oven.
- Bake at 400 for 50 minutes (so add about 10 minutes to the regular cook time), until warmed through and bubbly. (Add those French fried onions in the last 3-5 minutes.)
It’s a great option if you have friends or family coming over for dinner.
Or if you just know you’ve got a busy day and you need to get dinner ready earlier.
You could also just prep the onions in advance if you want so the casserole is ready to assemble. Whatever works for you!
Last thing, let’s talk about what to do with any leftovers.
Storage Tips:
- Once cooled, leftover French onion chicken casserole can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave until hot.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers of this dish. The texture and taste just doesn’t hold up to freezing and thawing.
And there we have it!
I hope you give this recipe a try for a new cozy meal that’ll have you happily digging into your plate.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
French Onion Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
For the onions:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
- Salt and black pepper
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth (if needed)
For the chicken:
- 4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the casserole:
- 1 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup shredded Swiss, Gruyere or mozzarella cheese (optional)
- 1 (6 oz) container French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan or similar size 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Make the onions: Melt butter in a very large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Season lightly with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 more minutes, until caramelized. (If pan dries out, add ¼ cup of chicken broth to deglaze.)
- Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and with the oregano and garlic powder. Place in the prepared baking dish.
- Mix together the sour cream, cheddar cheese and cream of chicken soup until well combined.
- Add the caramelized onions on top of the chicken in the baking dish. Dollop the creamy mixture on top of the onions and spread into a somewhat even layer. Top with the additional Swiss/Gruyere/mozzarella cheese, if using.
- Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temp of 165 degrees F. (If you are using large chicken breasts, your cook time will be longer.)
- Top with the French fried onions and bake for 3-5 more minutes (watch so they don’t burn). Serve hot.
Notes
- You can prep the entire casserole ahead of time and assemble it. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
- Pull the casserole out of the fridge as you preheat your oven.
- Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes (so add about 5-10 minutes to the regular cook time), until warmed through and bubbly. (Add those French fried onions in the last 5 minutes.)
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