Instant Pot French Onion Chicken

Instant Pot French onion chicken breasts or thighs are a cheap protein packed chicken Lipton onion soup mix meal packed with fresh onions to make a thick tasty gravy too.

A while back we made Instant Pot French onion pork tenderloin. That was amazing so I kept it in the back of my mind to use with other proteins to. I mean onion gravy goes well with so many things right? Comfort food to the max for sure.

Ninja Foodi French Onion Chicken

If you don’t have an IP you can use your Crockpot Express or make as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe as well. They all basically work the same so the brand on the front really doesn’t matter my friends.

Instant Pot Onion Soup Mix Chicken

Yes you could make a batch of brown sugar caramelized onions + add a bunch of seasonings, or just open this packet here and throw it right in. Along with some fresh onions from the produce section they will essentially do the same thing in your pot. (with no effort from you)

Yes our pressure cooker has in fact changed our lives, in a great way. We’re able to eat together more often (big win) because I can prep and cook an entire meal in about 30 minutes. For something like our French onion pressure cooker roast you’re closer to an hour but still so much faster than any other cooking method.

To enhance the flavors you’ll want lots of butter, don’t skimp my friends, do not use margarine, honestly organic salted is by far the best. ever.

French Onion Chicken Ingredients

1. Boneless skinless Chicken breasts or thighs
2. Lots of yellow sweet onions
3. Beef broth or bone broth
4. Salted butter or dairy free alternative sticks
5. Best balsamic vinegar
6. Some thyme and oregano or just sprinkle in a packet of Italian seasoning (like you would to make salad dressing)
7. Onion soup mix, dry in a packet

Can you use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

In general yes, but timing may change. First off this really does work best with fresh or defrosted meat. With that being said you could use chicken thighs instead of breasts if you preferred. If you do choose white meat don’t buy those HUGE ones, medium is always best.

Variations

If you want to add cheese at the end and let it melt on top, provolone or pepper jack is usually best. Served on a bed of Ninja Foodi wild rice or Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes is our fave.

Here’s a quick step by step on how this is made, you can skip the last step if you don’t want cheese or need it to be dairy free.

How to Make French Onion Chicken in Pressure Cooker

• First start by seasoning meat with salt & pepper.
• Turn Instant Pot to the saute function.  Begin to melt 2 Tbsp of butter, or olive oil.
• Add chicken to the pot, brown them all on each side.  Once browned, remove from the pot.
• Add remaining 2 Tbsp of butter to the Instant Pot.  Add the sliced onions and saute until they become slightly tender and translucent.
  • Add broth, balsamic vinegar, thyme and oregano. 
• Stir together. Turn the saute function off. 
• Add the meat back into the bottom of the pot.  Close lid and seal steam release valve.  Cook on high pressure cook for 9 minutes.
• Once cooking time is complete, do a natural release with the steam for 10 minutes.
• Quick release the remaining steam. Open pot, top each chicken breast with a slice of cheese.
• If you want to put cheese on top just set the top on to melt for 1-2 minutes. Then remove meat.  Add French Onion Soup Mix packet to the pot. Turn on the saute function, bring to a boil. 

Once your sauce has thickened as much as you’d like (as it cools it gets even thicker so keep that in mind). Serve on top to make it really moist.

Other easy Lipton Onion Soup Mix recipes you’ll love

1. I do use this a lot. It is just so easy to add a ton of flavor when you make our quick meatloaf recipe and….
2. Crockpot French onion soup is always a great
3. But if you’re in a hurry you can opt to make pressure cooker French onion soup instead
4. Slow cooker roast with onion soup mix turns out fork tender

You can jump to recipe below. There is nutritional info. listed there too but it will vary depending on the meat you choose, weight and fat content.

What to do with leftovers

Let’s talk about leftover chicken recipes and how to save it well. I hate to waste food, period. There is no reason to not save and use in another way the next day. The best way to do this is to wait until it is completely cooled first. You will want all of the onion sauce / gravy as possible too. If you cover the meat with it it will not only marinate in it and get stronger flavors when reheated but also keep it really moist and tender too.

Best way to reheat chicken breasts

Like I said, always save the sauce!! You’re going to save it in a container that is air tight and reheat within 2 days or so. Transfer it from that container on to a microwave safe plate or bowl. Dice the meat into bite size pieces and spoon the gravy over the top of all of it. If you served this with sides, save and re-heat those separately.

Microwave the meat for 45 seconds, stir and heat for another 45 again or until it is as hot as you’d like. This is by far the best way to make it really moist again with tons of flavors you will love (maybe more than day one). Potatoes can be warmed again in a different bowl and then served together but it is best to do them in different dishes.

Ok let’s get going friends!! Remember, choose medium sized breasts so they cook evenly all the way thru to the center. Boneless and skinless is important as well when choosing your ingredients.