French Onion Chicken Casserole
French onion chicken casserole is rich and creamy, with tons of caramelized onions mixed in and a crunchy French fried onion topping.
Yield: 4 -6 servings
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
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. (I made this with big ones before and it took a full hour in the oven.)
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!
Serving: This is great served over steamed brown or white rice or you could try a long, thin noodle or some crusty bread.
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 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.)
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 766mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g
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