Calling all Caramelized Onion fans for this stove top dinner! This French Onion Chicken and Rice dinner is my take on a French Onion Soup flavour in a family dinner. Made using chicken thigh cutlets for quick cooking and a tender bite every single time!
What’s your go to mid week dinner? We have a lot, but there are always a few of our no fail favourites that I keep cooking on repeat. Everyone loves the Parmesan and Tomato Skillet Chicken serve up with Fluffy Mashed Potatoes. And you can never go wrong with the Creamy Chicken Stroganoff. Have you had a chance to check out either of those dishes yet? If you love hearty family dinners, you’ll be going back for seconds.
And this French Onion Chicken and Rice ticks all the boxes of a mid week family dinner. All cooked in one dish, easy to make, filling and tasty. What more could you want for your family on a busy weekday evening.
What Is This Stove Top Chicken Dinner Like
- Difficulty – This dish is all made in one pan which makes it great! It takes just over an hour from start to finish and uses ingredients that can be found in all supermarkets.
- Taste – This is a delicious and hearty dish. It has a caramelized onion flavour and the rice almost has the texture of decadent risotto.
- Serving – This dish serves between 4 – 6 servings depending on how large you want your portions. I feel, it’s quite a hearty dish. Remember, in the recipe card at the end of the post, you can easily change the serving size to suit your needs.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – I used small skinless, boneless chicken thigh cutlets for this dish.
- Olive oil – Olive oil is used for marinating the chicken as well as cooking the dish.
- Seasonings – I made a seasoning blend for the chicken which was made up garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.
- Onion – I used a large white onion which I caramelised to add a punch of great flavour to the dish.
- Rice – Long grain rice works best for this recipe. Don’t use Minute rice, it won’t work for this dish.
- Chicken – Chicken broth is used to add to the dish to cook the rice and finish cooking the chicken. You can use a stock cube mixed with boiling water or a carton of chicken broth.
- Heavy cream – I used a small amount of heavy cream to add a touch of creaminess to the dish.
- Fresh spinach – Fresh spinach works great in this chicken and rice dish. It adds a great flavour.
NOTE, The full recipe and ingredient list can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Marinade chicken – In a large bowl combine the chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir well to combine and set aside.
- Caramelize onions – In a large skillet set over medium heat, add two tablespoons of the olive oil and the onions. Stir well and cook the onions down until they are golden and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so they don’t burn. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
- Brown the chicken – In the same skillet, add the chicken pieces and sear each side for about 2 – 3 minutes until browned but not cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Finish cooking the dish – In the same pan add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the uncooked rice. Stir well for about one minute. Add the chicken broth, cream, onions and spinach. Stir well and add the chicken pieces on top. Reduce heat to low and cover. Leave to cook for about 20 – 25 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Garnish and serve – Serve and garnish with fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Prep ahead – You can marinade the chicken and keep it in the fridge up to 24 hours before cooking.
- Caramelize onions – Don’t rush the cooking of the onions. You really want them to have a deep caramelized flavour as this will add to the overall flavour of the dish. You will see in the recipe at the end of the post that I cooked mine for about 15 minutes.
Substitutions
- Chicken thigh cutlets – I used small boneless and skinless chicken thigh cutlets. Alternatively, you can use small bone in chicken thighs, chicken breast or chicken tenders.
- Heavy cream – I added a small amount of heavy cream to this dish. If you don’t have any or would prefer to leave it out, you can use Greek yogurt or plain yogurt.
- Fresh spinach – If you don’t like spinach, you can leave it out all together. Alternatively, small fresh broccoli florets would work great.
Serving
This dish is the perfect weekday dinner, is versatile and you can serve it with so many other dishes. You could serve it alongside the Bacon Tomato Salad, the 5 Minute Goat Cheese and Pecan Salad or with some Homemade Garlic Knots on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can easily cook rice in the same pan as chicken. As long as the chicken is properly cooked and hot, there is absolutely no problem.
This dish can be easily frozen. The texture of the rice will change a little bit, but it works great as a freezer meal. Just allow the food to cool completely, then pack it up in freezer friendly containers. Freeze up to one month and allow to defrost completely in the fridge.
Long grain rice is lighter and fluffier. Whereas shorter grain rice is more of a stodgy rice like you could use in Risotto.
Skillet Chicken with Rice and Peas
One Pan Cajun Chicken and Rice
Moroccan Chicken & Rice
French Onion Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large onion peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups fresh spinach uncooked
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir well to combine and set aside.
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, add two tablespoons of the olive oil and the onions. Stir well and cook the onions down until they are golden and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so they don't burn. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the chicken pieces and sear each side for about 2 – 3 minutes until browned but not cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- In the same pan add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the uncooked rice. Stir well for about one minute. Add the chicken broth, cream, onions and spinach. Stir well and add the chicken pieces on top. Reduce heat to low and cover. Leave to cook for about 20 – 25 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Serve and garnish with fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon if desired.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!
