Every once in a while, it is imperative for our sanity and well-being to have a gentle reminder to slow down, not necessarily to the pace of a slow cooker, but rather to the march of the long-forgotten Sunday dinner that simmered or baked for an hour or two, while we sipped coffee or tea and dreamed about the week, the future, that lay ahead.
Remember those enticing aromas that slipped out of the oven when it was opened a crack to check, or to baste, the rosemary-honey roast chicken? Food often assists in creating emotions; why not make happy moments that will be cherished for years to come?
One way to reconstruct the family dinnertime is to serve meals that flood the home with tempting scents of familiar herbs: thyme, rosemary, garlic, and oregano. Combine those spices with breast meat, chicken stock, and caramelized onions, and you have a dinner worthy of a proper sit-down family meal.
Do not limit your use of chicken to the leanest bites, though, as chicken thighs will provide a more intense and delightful flavor, and while baking, they will fill your home with an essence of a simpler past - one that we all secretly long for.
This weekend, go for the juicy chicken, roast your garlic-butternut squash, play a card game, and spend some quality hours with family and friends. Life is better when you share time together!
Oven-Baked French Onion Chicken Recipe
Serves: 4 Prep: 20 min Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
- 2 to 3 onions, sliced
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 ½ cup beef stock
- 1 tsp. dried onion
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. paprika (optional)
- ¼ cup ghee
- Cooking fat
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a bowl, combine the dried onion, dried oregano, paprika, and generously season to taste.
- Rub the chicken with the onion-oregano mixture, making sure they are well coated.
- Melt cooking fat in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until nicely browned.
- Set the chicken aside and add the ghee to the same skillet.
- Add the fresh onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat, stirring until soft.
- Add 2 tbsp. of the stock to the skillet along with the thyme and rosemary; cook until a bit caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Bring the chicken back to the pan, toss everything, pour in the remaining stock, and place in the oven.
- Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning and serve.
📖 Recipe
Oven-Baked French Onion Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 2 to 3 onions sliced
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary minced
- 1 ½ cup beef stock
- 1 tsp. dried onion
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. paprika optional
- ¼ cup ghee
- Cooking fat
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a bowl, combine the dried onion, dried oregano, paprika, and generously season to taste.1 tsp. dried onion, 1 tsp. dried oregano, ½ tsp. paprika, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Rub the chicken with the onion-oregano mixture, making sure they are well coated.2 to 4 chicken breasts
- Melt cooking fat in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until nicely browned.Cooking fat
- Set the chicken aside and add the ghee to the same skillet.¼ cup ghee
- Add the fresh onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat, stirring until soft.2 to 3 onions, 3 to 4 garlic cloves
- Add 2 tbsp. of the stock to the skillet along with the thyme and rosemary; cook until a bit caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes.1 tbsp. fresh thyme, 1 ½ cup beef stock, 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
- Bring the chicken back to the pan, toss everything, pour in the remaining stock, and place in the oven.
- Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning and serve.Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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