French onion chicken bake (Print Version)

Baked chicken thighs with caramelized onions, white wine sauce, and crispy sourdough topping with cheese.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken & Marinade

01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Caramelized Onions

05 - 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
08 - 1 teaspoon sugar
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
11 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

→ Sauce

12 - 2/3 cup dry white wine
13 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
14 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
15 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

→ Sourdough Topping

16 - 3 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
17 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
18 - 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
19 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
20 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F
02 - Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs skin side down for 4-5 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
03 - In the same pan, melt butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onions are deeply golden and caramelized, approximately 20-25 minutes.
04 - Add garlic and thyme, sauté for 1 minute.
05 - Deglaze with white wine, scraping up browned bits. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Return chicken to pan, nestling thighs into onions and sauce skin side up.
06 - Transfer pan to oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
07 - Toss sourdough cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
08 - Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses over chicken and onions, then top evenly with sourdough cubes.
09 - Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until bread is golden and cheese is bubbly.
10 - Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley, and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Chicken thighs stay impossibly juicy while the caramelized onions do all the heavy lifting flavor-wise.
  • It feels fancy enough for guests but honest enough for a Wednesday night when you just want something comforting.
  • The sourdough topping adds this unexpected textural contrast that makes the whole dish feel less like soup and more like an elegant casserole.
02 -
  • Don't rush the onions—if you crank up the heat to speed things along, they'll burn on the outside before they caramelize inside, turning bitter and tough instead of sweet.
  • Your sourdough needs to have some age to it; fresh, pillowy sourdough will turn soggy and collapse, so save the heel or yesterday's loaf specifically for this.
03 -
  • Use an ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven so you're not transferring anything between pans and losing all those flavorful browned bits on the bottom.
  • Pair this with a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc—the acidity cuts through the richness and makes every bite feel brighter and more balanced.
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