French Onion Chicken

This is a simple and quick weeknight main course and after you make it once, you won't need a recipe again. 

Julian's French Onion Chicken

Ready for the Cheese

It mimics the flavors of French onion soup, but uses a boneless chicken breast to make it more of a main dish. I'm using the classic Gruyère cheese, which is a relatively hard, yellow Swiss cheese known for its nutty, savory flavor. It grates well and melts easily, but you can substitute whatever cheese you prefer. Today I'm making three servings and have used 1 1/2 times the ingredients below. For four servings just double the recipe and don't bother with exact measurements. This recipe includes optional butter and cream, which I rarely use, as the sauce is very flavorful and you don't find butter and cream in classic French onion soup. So why add it here?

Ingredients

Ingredients (2 Portions)

1 chicken breast

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning of your choice
1 medium yellow or white onion

2-3 ounces of Gruyere cheese (or other cheese of your liking)

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)

Instructions

Slice the chicken breast in half horizontally to create two thinner, flatter pieces. (This is most commonly referred to as making chicken cutlets or filleting the breast.) Pat dry with paper towels. Spritz with oil. Season with poultry seasoning of your choice. Set aside.

Using a sharp knife, cut the onion in half from pole to pole. Peel and discard the dry outer layer. Place the halves flat-side down. Making a V-shaped cut, remove the end core. Make consistent, thin vertical slices along the natural grain (lines of longitude. See photo.) Set aside. Grate the cheese.

In a heavy stainless steel or cast iron skillet, add oil and heat the pan over medium-high until the oil is shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken, presentation side down and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another minute until just lightly cooked through. Remove the chicken to plate. 

Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly until the onions are softened and golden brown, scraping up any brown chicken bits stuck to the pan, about 3-4 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir until it's mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

Pre-heat your oven's broiler. 

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute and then stir in the beef broth. The sauce will thicken as it cooks, about 2-3 minutes. Return the chicken breasts to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate and stir together. Using tongs or a fork, place some of the onions over the chicken breasts. Top with most of the cheese reserving about 1/4.

Move the skillet into the oven under the pre-heated broiler to melt and lightly brown the cheese. (Alternatively you can use a kitchen torch.) Remove to cooktop and the optional butter and/or cream. Serve the chicken over rice or noodles, with a side of green vegetables. Spoon onto the chicken any extra sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.