French Onion Chicken Soup

I wanted French onion soup for dinner. Not as a starter, as the whole meal. Problem is, a bowl of onions and broth leaves you hungry by nine. So I dropped chicken right into the pot, and that’s how this French onion chicken soup happened.

It’s still the soup you know. Sweet, dark onions, a little wine, melted Gruyère on toast. But now there’s shredded chicken and carrots and celery in there, so it eats like dinner. Serves 8, makes about 11 cups, and leftovers are better than day one.

Why This Soup Works

Onions first, everything else second. That’s the whole rule.

Those 3 pounds of onions cook down for 35 to 45 minutes until they’re soft and amber. Rush it and you get sharp, slightly raw onion flavor in the broth. Wait it out and the sugars brown, and that browned stuff on the bottom of the pot becomes the soup’s backbone. Scrape it up often.

The wine and sherry go in after the veg, not before. They cook off fast, 2 to 3 minutes, and pick up every stuck bit from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Then the flour. One minute of stirring and it thickens the broth just enough that it coats a spoon instead of running off it.

The chicken poaches right in the simmering broth. It cooks in 10 to 20 minutes, stays juicy, and leaves its flavor behind in the soup. No separate pan, no extra dishes.

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 3 pounds yellow onions (4 large or 6 medium)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium carrots
• 3 medium stalks celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

For the Cheesy Toasts (Optional)

• 1/2 baguette
• 2 ounces Gruyère cheese (about heaping 1/2 cup)

Instructions

1. Peel, halve and thinly slice the yellow onions. You’re looking at about 10 cups.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
3. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and the black pepper.
4. Cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom so nothing burns, until the onions are soft and amber brown. 35 to 45 minutes.
5. While that goes, peel the carrots and cut them crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds. Cut the celery crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Mince the garlic.
6. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the onions.
7. Once it melts, stir in the carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring now and then, until the carrots are crisp-tender and brighter in color. About 5 minutes.
8. Season the chicken all over with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Thick breasts? Butterfly them.
9. Pour the white wine and sherry into the pot.
10. Cook, stirring now and then, until mostly evaporated. 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute.
12. Keep stirring and pour in the chicken broth.
13. Nestle the chicken in a single layer.
14. Bump the heat to medium-high and bring it to a lively simmer.
15. Drop the heat as needed to hold a gentle simmer. Cook until the chicken hits at least 165°F. About 10 minutes for thighs, 12 to 20 for breasts.
16. Making the toasts? Set an oven rack 3 to 4 inches below the broiler and turn it to broil.
17. Slice the baguette crosswise on a bias into 1-inch slices, about 8. Lay them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
18. Grate the Gruyère and scatter it evenly over the bread.
19. Move the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and shred it with two forks.
20. Return the chicken to the pot.
21. Fish out and throw away the bay leaves.
22. Taste. Add more salt if it needs it.
23. Broil the bread until the cheese melts and bubbles. 30 seconds to 1 minute. Don’t walk away.
24. Top each bowl with a cheesy toast.

Recipe Details

• Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes
• Makes: about 11 cups
• Serves: 8

Tips

• Don’t crank the heat on the onions. Medium, and stir. If the bottom of the pot is getting black instead of brown, pull it down.
• Butterfly thick chicken breasts. They cook more evenly and finish closer to the thighs’ timing.
• Use a thermometer. 165°F is the number. Guessing on chicken isn’t worth it.
• Salt at the end. Low-sodium broth plus a reduced base means you’ll want to taste before adding more. Usually it needs a little.
• Watch the broiler. Cheese goes from melted to burnt fast. 30 seconds to a minute.

Variations

• Thighs over breasts. Thighs stay tender even if you lose track of the timer. I’d use them every time.
• Skip the toasts? You can. The soup holds up alone. But the Gruyère toast is the French onion part, so I wouldn’t.
• Swap the Gruyère for a mild melting cheese. Works in a pinch. It just won’t taste as nutty.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The soup keeps well. Make it, cool it, fridge it. Reheat gently on the stove and the flavor is deeper the next day.

Don’t make the toasts ahead. Soggy bread, rubbery cheese. Broil them fresh, every bowl.

FAQ

Final Thoughts

Serve this in wide bowls with the toast floating on top and a green salad with a sharp vinaigrette on the side. The acidity cuts through the cheese and the rich broth. Cold night, big pot, that’s the plan.