Instant Pot French onion chicken is a cheap protein packed chicken Lipton onion soup mix meal packed with fresh onions to make a thick tasty gravy too.
Do you love all onion recipes? Us too. It’s a cheap way to bring a lot of flavor to any dish. Instant Pot French onion chicken is one of those greats. Serve this thick gravy on top of your meat and mashed potatoes for a fantastic family meal. One of many easy Instant Pot recipes we have on our site. (affiliate links present)
French Onion Chicken Bake
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.
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.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Onion Soup Mix Chicken
Yes you could make a batch of 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
So let’s talk about what you need to make this, you may have some on hand already. 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.
- Boneless skinless Chicken breasts or thighs
- Lots of yellow sweet onions
- Beef broth or bone broth
- Salted butter
- Best balsamic vinegar
- Some thyme and oregano
- or just sprinkle in a packet of Italian seasoning (like you would to make salad dressing)
- Onion soup mix
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 wild rice or garlic mashed potatoes is our fave.
Ninja Foodi French Onion Chicken Recipe
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.
- 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.
Chicken Recipes with Lipton Onion Soup Mix
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….
- Crockpot French onion soup is always a great
- But if you’re in a hurry you can opt to make Ninja Foodi French onion soup instead
- Slow cooker roast with onion soup mix turns out fork tender
- You can even enhance a pot full of Instant Pot black beans with a packet of this
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.
Let’s talk about leftover chicken 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.
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Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium chicken breasts fresh or thawed, medium size
- 2 onions sliced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 c beef broth
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 pkg french onion soup mix
- 3 slices cheese provolone, optional
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper. Turn Instant Pot to saute. Begin to melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add chicken to the pot, brown them all on each side. Once browned, remove chicken 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 chicken back to the pot. Close lid and seal steam release valve. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Once cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick release the remaining. Open Instant Pot, top each chicken breast with a slice of cheese.
- Close lid and let the cheese 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 sauce has thickened, turn Instant Pot off. Serve sauce along with the chicken. ENJOY
Jeanie
Monday 1st of January 2024
If using thighs, how many and would the time change?
The Typical Mom
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
there shouldn't be a huge change, depending on how large they are though...I'd keep the same timing