This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
If you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner that’s absolutely packed with savory flavor, this French Onion chicken bake is for you! Made with just 5 simple ingredients most American households will probably already have to hand, the whole family will love the creamy, tender chicken and crunchy fried onion topping!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Weeknight Chicken Bake
- Juicy chicken breasts are covered in a blanket of creamy, slightly tangy, and deeply savory French onion sauce before being covered in plenty of golden, crispy fried onions! It works with so many different side dishes, the perfect family dinner at the end of a long day.
- When I say this is a 5-ingredient chicken dish, I really mean 5 ingredients including the cracked black pepper I like to add to give the flavors already in the French onion soup mix a bit of a lift!
- The small, relatively humble ingredient list also means this recipe is super-affordable, the only item even a little bit pricy are the chicken breasts and you can save money there by buying frozen chicken and thawing it before baking.
- It also only takes about 10 minutes to assemble, with no pre-browning of the chicken required. This really is one of those low-effort, high-impact dinners that really only requires a bit of stirring and layering.
- Because is French onion bake is cooked under foil the crispy onions won’t burn, but by removing the foil at the end to crisp up you guarantee a perfectly crispy topping every time, with no bites of soggy onion!
More Recipes You’ll Love
What I Learned Testing This Recipe
- As the chicken gets covered in crispy onions, I found that a probe cooking thermometer is the best way to check for doneness. Pull the chicken at 160ºF then leave it to rest for 5 minutes before serving (the internal temperature will rise 5ºF as the chicken sits!)
- Make sure the cream cheese soup mixture completely covers the chicken. I’ve found when I accidentally left uncovered chicken patches those bits dried out in the oven!
- I found that the onions brown very quickly once the foil comes off, so keep an eye on them to make sure they stay golden rather than turn burnt!
- This chicken bake works really well if you assemble it (leaving off the onions) in the morning when you’re sorting breakfast, chill it, then add the onions just before baking come dinner time.
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Choose chicken breasts of roughly the same size so that everything cooks evenly! You could also use boneless pork chops; they’ll probably need to cook for 5 minutes less until they reach a safe internal temp of 145°F.
Sour cream – Use full-fat sour cream as using half fat will result in a watery chicken bake.
French onion soup mix – Or dip mix, this is what will bring all those French onion flavors!
Cracked black pepper – There is plenty of salt already in the French onion soup mix, but cracked black pepper will help amp up the existing flavors.
Crispy fried onions – These will add an amazing crunchy topping!
Storage & Serving Suggestions
There are so many different combinations of carbs and veggies (or just vegetables) that you can serve with this chicken bake to make it a complete meal! A few suggestions:
- Sautéed Snow Peas
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Diced Potatoes
- Roasted Kale
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Air Fryer Green Beans
Any leftovers will reheat in the serving dish in the oven, with more crispy onions added towards the end as the ones from the original dish will have gone soft in the refrigerator. The leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, and I don’t recommend freezing as it will split the sour cream in the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I’ve chosen breasts as it is easier to find chicken breasts of equal size so everything cooks evenly, but then again thighs are harder to dry out so it matters a little less if they’re not all exactly the same size. Cook until they reach 165°F at their thickest part.
I’ve not tried it as I’ve not found a fried onion recipe I love yet, but I’m sure they’d work just fine. Let me know if you try it, and which recipe you used!
I’m afraid not, as that swap would add too much extra moisture and liquid to the bake.
I think that’s an excellent idea! Gruyère, Swiss, mozzarella or provolone would all be delicious – add it in the final 6-8 minutes to give it enough time to melt and brown in the oven.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
French Onion Chicken Bake
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 ½-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts 4 evenly sized chicken breasts
- 12 ounces sour cream
- 1 ounce package French Onion soup or French onion dip mix
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 ounces crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Lay the chicken breasts on the bottom of the baking dish, touching but not overlapping as much as possible.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, black pepper, and French onion mix.
- Spread evenly over the chicken breasts using a rubber spatula, being sure to cover entirely so no portions of the chicken are exposed.
- Sprinkle crispy fried onions over the top in an even layer.
- Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through, at 160℉.
- Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving (the internal temp will rise 5℉ during this time, so don't worry about undercooking the chicken!)
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.