Easy Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken Recipe

Combine the delicious bold flavors of yellow onions with chicken in the Instant Pot for an easy French Onion Roast Chicken dinner.

Jump to Recipe

A few weeks ago I had a LOT of yellow onions left from a client recipe. I needed one and thanks to grocery shortages the only way I could get one was in a full bag. So we started thinking of ways to use up some of the onions. My first thought was French Onion Soup, but it was too hot for this classic soup at that time. We had some chicken thawed, the onions, and an Instant Pot ready to go. Mix that all together and we ended up with Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken.

The Instant Pot is great since you can do so many settings in one appliance. Then, when you’re all done, there’s only one dish to clean! This dish has a very strong flavor, just like French Onion Soup. Adding the chicken also adds protein and substance to the meal, so it goes well together.

Instant Pot French Onion Chicken is the perfect comfort food for an easy dinner recipe the whole family will enjoy. 

What Type of Onions are the Best Onions for French Onion Roast Chicken?

Yellow Onions

After trying a few recipes, yellow onions seem to have the best flavor for traditional French onion soup. They add enough flavor to the soup without being too powerful.

Red Onions

Red onions have a decent flavor for the soup, but they change the color of the soup in the end. They end up making it an unappetizing color to most people. 

White Onions

White onions, while having a good flavor, are mild for the soup. If you want something with more flavor, go for a yellow onion. If you don’t want the onion taste to overpower the rest of the soup then a white onion may be a good choice. 

Sweet Onions

Sweet onions are delicious, but they aren’t exactly right for French onion soup. They are too sweet and that doesn’t balance well with the base of the soup. 

French Onion Chicken Recipe Simple Ingredients

Olive Oil

The olive oil is used to help brown the onions. You could also use unsalted butter for this. 

Yellow Onions

This recipe is based on the classic flavors of French Onion Soup. For this reason, as stated above, yellow onions work the best. 

Chicken Breast

For this easy recipe, I prefer juicy chicken breasts. If your family prefers dark meat you could also make this with chicken thighs. 

White Cooking Wine

White cooking wine, or a dry white wine, give the French Onion chicken bake a bit of extra flavor. Don’t worry, the alcohol will cook out of the meal so it’s safe for kids, too. 

Unsalted Butter

The butter helps make the sauce that the chicken will cook in. 

Beef Bouillon

For extra flavor, we use one cube of beef bouillon instead of beef broth or beef stock. Since it was mixed with only 1/2 cup of water, the flavor was more intense. If you don’t want that, you can use 1/2 cup of beef broth or chicken broth in place of the bouillon and water. 

Water

Just as with the butter, the water helps make the sauce to go with the chicken. 

Thyme

Fresh thyme is the best seasoning for French Onion chicken. You could also try a bay leaf, just make sure to take it out before serving. Fresh herbs will always taste better, but you can use dried herbs as well. 

Kosher Salt

A little bit of salt goes a long way. If you use salted butter, you can skip the salt. 

Black Pepper

Again, it doesn’t take much black pepper to add taste to a recipe. You can always add more at the end if you want more flavor. 

Cornstarch & Water

The cornstarch and water need to be whisked before being added to the sauce. This helps thicken it before serving. 

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with a side of mashed potatoes, green beans, or roasted baby potatoes
• Garnish with melted cheese such as Parmesan cheese or Gruyere cheese
• This gravy would also be good over pork chops

How to Make French Onion Roast Chicken without an Instant Pot

Instead of using the Instant Pot, you could make this recipe in a large skillet or stock pot. 

1. Saute the onions in oil over medium-high heat until they are golden brown, about 3-5 minutes
2. Remove the onions from the pan and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan
3. Add the chicken and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer
4. Remove the chicken then add the white cooking wine, butter, beef bouillon, water, thyme, salt, and pepper
5. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15-20 minutes
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the onions to the gravy
7. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and gravy and mix into the gravy
8. Add the chicken back into the pan to warm together

Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken Step by Step

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 yellow onions, sliced vertically
• 1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

Preparation

Pour the olive oil and sliced onions into the inner pot of the instant pot.

Set to saute and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the onions start to soften and turn a light golden brown.

Add the chicken, wine, butter, beef bouillon, 1/2 cup water, and seasonings to the caramelized onions then stir.

Close the lid and set it to high pressure for 12 minutes.

Manually release the pressure and remove the chicken from the pot.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and 1 tbsp water then pour into the pot and stir.

Serve the chicken smothered in gravy.

Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken Leftovers

Storage: Place any leftover French Onion Roast Chicken in an airtight container. I recommend storing it all together as the chicken will absorb the flavor fo the gravy.

Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through, or microwave it all together.

Freezing: Due to the gravy consistency, I don’t recommend freezing leftovers.

Recipe

Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken

Combine the delicious bold flavors of yellow onions with chicken in the Instant Pot for an easy French Onion Roast Chicken dinner.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Pressure Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Course:

Main Dish

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

chicken

|

french onion

|

instant pot

|

onions

|

yellow onions

Dietary Needs:

Egg-Free

|

Gluten-Free

|

Nut-Free

Meat:

Chicken/Turkey

Cooking Method:

Instant Pot

|

One-Pan Meals

Servings: 4

5 from 6 votes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 yellow onions (sliced vertically)
• 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 8 tbsp butter (unsalted)
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions

• Pour the olive oil and sliced onions into the inner pot of the instant pot
• Set to saute and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the onions start to soften
• Add the chicken, wine, butter, beef bouillon, 1/2 cup water, and seasonings then stir
• Close the lid and set it to high pressure for 12 minutes
• Manually release the pressure and remove the chicken from the pot
• In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and 1 tbsp water then pour into the pot and stir
• Serve the chicken smothered in gravy

Click the buttons below to share and print this recipe

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken

Amount Per Serving (1 each)

Calories 513 Calories from Fat 297

% Daily Value*

Fat 33g51%

Saturated Fat 16g80%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 12g

Cholesterol 133mg44%

Sodium 1508mg63%

Potassium 855mg24%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 27g54%

Vitamin A 906IU18%

Vitamin C 23mg28%

Calcium 98mg10%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Instant Pot Recipes

• Instant Pot Teriyaki Beef
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
• Beef and Broccoli in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot French Onion Roast Chicken
• Instant Pot Lemon-Garlic Chicken
• Creamy Instant Pot Rice Pudding: The Ultimate Easy Dessert
• Orange Chicken in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Corned Beef
• Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
• Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
• Instant Pot New York Strawberry Cheesecake
• Instant Pot Turkey Roasted to Perfection
• Creamy Instant Pot Lemon Parmesan Risotto
• Instant Pot Red Beans & Rice