4 Ingredient Crock Pot French Onion Chicken

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The divine aroma of caramelized onions wafts through your kitchen, cooking away in the slow cooker. Now, combine that with the tender, melt-in-your-mouth juiciness of chicken. Sound dreamy? That’s our Crock Pot French Onion Chicken for you! And guess what? It’s made with just 4 ingredients. (Well, 5 if you’re feeling a little fancy). Dive into this savory fusion that takes less than 5 minutes to put together!

4 Ingredient Crock Pot French Onion Chicken topped with cheese in a cast iron pan.

Reasons Why This French Onion Chicken Recipe Works

Minimal Ingredients: With just 4 primary ingredients, this recipe is budget-friendly and super easy to get going for dinner.
Versatility: Whether you’re serving it over rice, potatoes, or baguettes, this dish easily adapts to different presentations and tastes.
Crock Pot Goodness: The slow cooker not only simplifies the cooking process but ensures that the chicken is infused with flavors and remains incredibly tender. Another bonus is that the onions become soft, super tasty, and caramelized.
Bonus: Plus it’s a ‘set it and forget’ type of dinner which is always a great thing in my books.

Three chicken breasts in a onion gravy with melted cheese.

Ingredients Required

Chicken breasts – Use boneless and skinless chicken for this recipe. You can always buy the chicken breasts with the skin on (which is usually cheaper than paying the butcher to remove it for you), and then remove the skin yourself.
Freshly sliced onions – Any type of onion for the most part will work for this recipe. Traditionally, French onion soup is made with yellow onions, but I always say to use what you have on hand or according to your flavor preferences.
Lipton onion soup mix powder – Let me just say that I used the Lipton brand because that’s what I had on hand, but I’ve used the Dollar Store brand as well and it works just fine. Use what you have in your cupboard.
Shredded Gruyère cheese -Wait to shred the cheese until you’re ready to dress the tops of the chicken. If you shred it too early, it could harden. Look below for alternatives to using Gruyere cheese.

Pantry Ingredients: Water.

****EAZYTIP: Ingredients like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oil don’t count towards the ingredient list because most people have these basic items in the pantry.

One onion chicken breast plated with green beans and rice.

How Do I Make Crock Pot French Onion Chicken?

A quick recipe overview is below but for more detail on amounts and cooking time, please refer to the printable recipe card below at the bottom of this post.

Place onions in the bottom of the pot.
Put the poultry in the pot
Season
Add liquid
Cook
Cheese it up!

Simple Dimple, right?

What Goes Well Served With This Onion Chicken Dish?

First and foremost, choose either potatoes (creamy mashed are wonderful) or fluffy rice (Like Mushroom rice) to soak up all those delicious juices from the cooking process.
Adding some greens to the mix like these Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Green Beans would be fantastic.
A fun twist is to toast up some baguette slices. Place them at the bottom of a bowl, place the chicken on top, and drizzle some of those pan juices over top and in the bowl. Each bite will remind you of a hearty bowl of French Onion soup!

Cooking Tips and Variations

Bread Type: Opt for a crusty baguette to withstand the juiciness of the chicken and maintain that crisp texture.
Cheese: While Gruyère is classic, feel free to switch it up with some Swiss or Mozzarella for a different melt and flavor.
Onion Levels: If you’re an onion enthusiast, don’t hesitate to toss in more onion slices. The more, the merrier!
Melting Step: If you don’t want to put the cheese on top of the chicken and then under the broiler (but I highly suggest you do, it’s crazy delicious that way!), then simply sprinkle the cheese on the chicken for ten minutes before serving out of the crock pot. Sprinkle on the cheese and replace the lid to let the residual heat get that cheese all melty and yummy.

French Onion Chicken Breast on a toasted baguette with cheese and pan juices around it.

Storage Ideas and Freezing

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a microwave or oven until warmed through.

For freezing, placing the leftovers into a freezer-friendly container with the juices and such would be fine. They’ll freeze nicely for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and when you want to reheat them, I recommend removing the cheese that was on the chicken previously and replacing it with fresh melty cheese.

Questions You Might Have

What kind of onions should I use for this French Onion Chicken Recipe?

I say use whatever onions you have on hand. But, typically, french onion soup is made with yellow onions, but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to use that type. A sweet onion will give slightly more sweetness to the dish and will caramelize nicely while cooking on the bottom of the pot. Heck, you could even use red onions or shallots if that’s all you have. Just don’t use green onions or scallions. That’s a totally different dish.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?

Absolutely. Be sure they are boneless and skinless though. I would count about two chicken thighs (depending on the size) per person.

Can I use my local grocery store brand of Onion Soup Mix?

Of course. One thing to keep in mind is that not all onion soup packets are the same weight, so be sure that when you use your packets of soup, to measure the same amounts called for in the recipe.

Can I use chicken broth instead of water?

Yes, I have used chicken broth it’s not a problem. In fact, it adds more depth of flavor if you want to use it, but try to use a low-sodium variety as the soup mix usually has a lot of salt in the ingredients.

Thanks so much for stopping by Eazy Grub today and if you like this 4 Ingredient Crock Pot French Onion Chicken recipe, please leave a comment and a ***STAR*** rating below in the recipe card. Have a fantastic day!

Yield: 3 servings

4 Ingredient French Onion Chicken

Dive into the savory world of Crock Pot French Onion Chicken, where classic French Onion soup meets the tenderness of slow-cooked chicken. Made with just 4 (or 5) ingredients, this dish is simplicity at its tastiest.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 Onion, medium, chopped
1 Onion Soup Mix packet
2 cups Gurere cheese, shredded
Pantry Ingredient: 1 1/2 cups Water

Instructions

Layer those fresh onion slices at the bottom of your Crock Pot. I usually use one medium or large onion, but if you're an onion lover, feel free to use more!
Place the chicken breasts over the onions. I don't think you need to season the chicken with salt because the soup mix typically has a lot of salt in it. If you want, you sprinkle a little garlic powder and pepper if your taste buds are into it.
Evenly sprinkle the Lipton onion soup mix powder over the chicken.
Pour in chicken broth or water, whichever your heart desires. (see notes below)
Let the slow cooker work its magic. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high, a minimum of four hours.
Top with generous amounts of shredded Gruyère cheese, and let it melt into gooey perfection. (see notes below)

Notes

If you use particularly large chicken breasts, this recipe can feed four people. feel free to half the chicken breasts before you add them to the crock. You can also substitute chicken thighs instead of breasts. If I have it on hand, I'll substitute the water or broth for a can of French onion soup. It has added sliced onions in it as well as a beefy soup base. I like it both ways, but when I know I'm cooking this dish for someone who likes onions.. but doesn't LOVE onions, I'll use water or broth instead of the can of soup. Also, canned soups can have a lot of salt, so the powdered soup mix and the can of onion soup used together can make it too salty for sensitive palates or dietary restrictions.

I've made this recipe both ways, where I simply sprinkle the cheese over top of the chicken and let the residual heat melt the cheese. But, I really like when I transfer those breasts to a broiling dish. I sprinkle the cheese on top of them just before they go under the broiler in the oven for a few minutes. The cheese melts and gets all golden, developing an even deeper level of flavor.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1 breast
Amount Per Serving Calories 554Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 177mgSodium 1630mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 56g

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands used, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.