French Onion Chicken

 

I have long been a huge fan of the flavours of French Onion Soup  . . . caramelised onion, sweet and succulent . . . cheese . . . toast . . . garlic . . .  thyme. 

When done well, it is a beautiful thing to behold and to eat.

 

Everything has to be in perfect balance however.  There cannot be too much of any one thing.  I strongly dislike it when there is too much cheese.  

I have been served French Onion Soup in restaurants where there has been so much cheese in the dish that you are almost choking while you are eating it, which is not a very nice thing at all to experience.

 

I saw a recipe this recipe for French Onion Chicken done in the slow cooker the other day. It looked really tasty and of course quite simple to make.  

Normally I am not such a big fan of chicken cooked in the slow cooker.  Its a texture thing  . . . I also think if you really overcook chicken, especially boneless and skinless chicken, you remove all of the flavour.

 

This did look appealing however and it wasn't cooked for hours and hours, which also appealed.  It said between 2 and 3 hours, which seemed just about right.   

 

Of course I could not leave well enough alone. I reduced the quantities so that I could serve only two people with it.  No waste. 

 

I added some garlic because I thought it belonged in the dish.  I was right. It did. Not too much, just a smidgen.  

I also chose to use dried thyme because well . . . I don't think fresh thyme would make much of a difference in a dish cooked in the slow cooker.  But that's just me. 

 

I also chose to add some sherry, because sherry is a beautiful addition to French Onion Soup.  

It works very well.  I also thought it would enhance the flavour of the chicken.  Again, I was right.

 

So what you are getting today is a dish that is simple to make, won't heat up your kitchen.

Sized just perfectly for us, it is just a tiny bit sophisticated without being over the top, and which is totally delicious.  All winning qualities as far as I am concerned! 

 

 

*French Onion Chicken*

Serves 2

Printable Recipe

This is a perfect meal for two for on those days when you don't want to heat up the kitchen. Some rice perhaps and a vegetable on the side make a complete meal.  

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into chunks

1 large onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin half moons

1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 TBS butter

1/4 tsp dried thyme

pinch sugar

salt and black pepper to taste

1 1/2 TBS cornstarch

1 TBS dry sherry

1 TBS finely grated Parmesan Cheese

6 thick slices of a french baguette

60g grated Gruyere cheese (scant half cup)

Melt the butter in a skillet.  Add the onions, salt, pepper, dried thyme and a pinch of sugar.  Cook, stirring occasionally over medium low heat until the onions have caramelised.  This will take 8 to 10 minutes.  Keep a watch over them so that they don't burn.  Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a few minutes longer. Place the onions into a small slow cooker along with the chicken chunks.  Stir together. Season lightly. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.  Make a slurry of the cornflour and sherry.  Stir this into the chicken along with the Parmesan cheese.  Cover and cook on high for 5 to 8 minutes until the juices have thickened. 

While the chicken mixture  is thickening, preheat the grill/broiler to high.  Place the baguette slices onto a baking sheet which you have lined with foil.  Sprinkle the cheese over top of the slices, dividing it equally.  Pop under the grill until golden brown on the edges and the cheese has melted.  

Spoon the chicken mixture onto heated plates and top with the grilled bread.  Serve hot.

Note - instead of sherry you can use water.

I hope you will give this a go!  I think this makes a great midweek meal!  Bon Appetit!