French Onion Chicken Bake in the Instant Pot

This recipe takes the very best part of French Onion soup, including tangy broth, melty cheese, and sauteed onions, and transforms into a chicken dish that will blow your mind. Plus dinner will be ready in just about an hour with this recipe!

Why Make this Recipe

1. The Most Tender Chicken: Cooking chicken in the Instant Pot makes for perfectly tender chicken thighs every time. They are so easy to cook and don’t need to be checked constantly like when cooking chicken in the oven. 
2. Dinner in an Hour: This recipe makes the most delicious chicken dinner in about 60 minutes, complete with chicken smothered in cheese with a delicious and flavorful sauce. 

Ingredients Needed to Make this Recipe

1. Chicken Thighs: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. 
2. Onions: Sweet onions. 
3. Beef Stock: Make sure to use low-sodium beef broth to keep the dish from being too salty 
4. Balsamic Vinegar: This is what gives the sauce its familiar tang. 
5. Cheese: This recipe calls for Mozzarella cheese. You can use shredded mozzarella or buy a block of mozzarella and cut it into slices before placing on the chicken. 

How to Make this Recipe

Step 1: Prep the Chicken 

Place your boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a large plastic ziplock bag and seal tightly. Use a meat cleaver to pound your chicken thighs until about ¼ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove chicken thighs from the bag. Pour flour into a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken thighs in the flour, coating each side in flour thoroughly.

Turn your Instant Pot on to the saute setting. Add 1 tbsp of butter and allow it to melt. 

Add the chicken thighs into the pot, browning them on each side (about 4 minutes each). Cook in two rounds if you need to so as not to crowd the chicken. Remove the browned chicken and set on a separate plate.

Step 2: Prep the Vegetables

Still on the saute setting, add two more tablespoons of butter into your Instant Pot. Add the onions and saute until they begin to turn translucent. Add small drizzles of olive oil if the bottom of the pot seems too dry.

Once the onions have softened, turn off the saute feature.

Step 3: Pressure Cook

Pour the beef stock and into the Instant Pot along with the balsamic vinegar, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that had stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Add the chicken back into the pot with the oregano and tyme, and put on the lid. Turn Instant Pot to Manual for 9 minutes. Once the 9 minutes are up, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then instant release the rest.

Step 4: Finish the Sauce

Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set on a separate plate.

Turn the Instant Pot to saute again, and allow the sauce to come to a boil.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Add into the boiling sauce, and stir until sauce thickens.

Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the pot. Add the chicken back into the pot. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken. Place the lid back on for about 2 minutes, using the residual heat until the cheese melts all the way.

Serve chicken with sauce. Enjoy

Expert Tips 

• If you don’t want to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, you can choose instead to use chicken breasts. In this case, I would use only about 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Make sure to pound them until they are about ¼ inch thick
• If you would prefer not to use mozzarella, you can use any type of cheese that you’d like. Provolone, gruyere, or Swiss are all great options. 
• For a full meal, serve this chicken alongside rice and vegetables, such as broccoli. The chicken would also be delicious over noodles!
• For a true French onion chicken experience, toast some small baguette pieces and dip them in the sauce. Serve these baguette slices as an accompaniment for the chicken. 

Recipe FAQs

Why is it Called French Onion? 

French onion soup originated in France in the 18th century. It is a delicious soup made with beef broth, onions, cheese and, normally, bread on top of the soup.

This recipe recreates the best part of French Onion soup and serves it alongside chicken for a savory, umami filled meal. 

What Kind of Onions Do You Use for French Onion? 

You can use white or sweet onions. Though I have seen recipes using red onions, I would not recommend them for this recipe.

How to Store this Recipe

Place the chicken in an airtight container and store in the fridge. You will be able to store the chicken for up to 5 days! 

Did you like this recipe for French Onion Chicken Bake in the Instant Pot? If so, make sure to check out the other recipes on this page that I picked out just for you: 

• Instant Pot Chicken Marsala 
• Pineapple Chicken Recipe in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
• Lavagni (Walnut and Plum Stuffed Chicken Breast) from Azerbaijan

French Onion Chicken Bake in the Instant Pot

This recipe takes the very best part of French Onion soup, including tangy broth, melty cheese, and sauteed onions, and transforms into a chicken dish that will blow your mind. Plus dinner will be ready in about an hour with this recipe!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: chicken dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Pressure Building: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: The Foreign Fork

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ▢ 3 tbsp butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ Salt and Pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 medium sweet onions, sliced
• ▢ 1 cup beef stock
• ▢ 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ ½ tsp Thyme
• ▢ 1 tsp Oregano
• ▢ 5 tbsp water
• ▢ ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Place your boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a large plastic ziplock bag and seal tightly. Use a meat cleaver to pound your chicken thighs until about ¼ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove chicken thighs from bag. Pour flour into a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken thighs in the flour, coating each side in flour thoroughly.
• Turn your Instant Pot on to the saute setting. Add 1 tbsp of butter and allow it to melt. Add the chicken thighs into the pot, browning them on each side (about 4 minutes each). Cook in two rounds if you need to so as not to crowd the chicken. Remove the browned chicken and set on a separate plate.
• Still on the saute setting, add two more tablespoons of butter into your Instant Pot. Add the onions and saute until they begin to turn translucent. Add small drizzles of olive oil if the bottom of the pot seems too dry.
• Once the onions have softened, turn off the saute feature.
• Pour the beef stock and into the Instant Pot along with the balsamic vinegar, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that had stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Add the chicken back into the pot with the oregano and tyme, and put on the lid. Turn Instant Pot to Manual for 9 minutes. Once the 9 minutes are up, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then instant release the rest.
• Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set on a separate plate.
• Turn the Instant Pot to saute again, and allow the sauce to come to a boil.
• In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Add into the boiling sauce, and stir until sauce thickens.
• Once the sauce has thickened turn off the pot. Add the chicken back into the pot. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken. Place the lid back on for about 2 minutes, using the residual heat until the cheese melts all the way.
• Serve chicken with sauce. Enjoy
• Can also use swiss, gruyere, or any other cheese you want

Notes

Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 

Recipe was made using an 8 qt pot.

• Chicken Thighs: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. 

• Onions: Sweet onions. 

• Beef Stock: Make sure to use low-sodium beef broth to keep the dish from being too salty 

• Balsamic Vinegar: This is what gives the sauce its familiar tang.
• Cheese: This recipe calls for Mozzarella cheese. You can use shredded mozzarella or buy a block of mozzarella and cut it into slices before placing on the chicken.
• If you don’t want to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, you can choose instead to use chicken breasts. In this case, I would use only about 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Make sure to pound them until they are about ¼ inch thick
• If you would prefer not to use mozzarella, you can use any type of cheese that you’d like. Provolone, gruyere, or Swiss are all great options. 
• For a full meal, serve this chicken alongside rice and vegetables, such as broccoli. The chicken would also be delicious over noodles!
• For a true French onion chicken experience, toast some small baguette pieces and dip them in the sauce. Serve these baguette slices as an accompaniment for the chicken. 

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