French Onion Chicken Meatballs
French Onion Chicken Meatballs are a cozy cold-weather dinner! If you love French onion soup, you will love these tender chicken meatballs simmered in a savory French onion sauce with melty cheese on top. Serve them with pasta, rice, or bread on the side for an amazing dinner.
This hearty, saucy main dish starts with onions, cooked until they are sweet and jammy, a savory sauce, and tender chicken meatballs. It’s a twist on the classic French onion soup, complete with melted Gruyere cheese but served up skillet-style. They’re a new favorite cold-weather comfort-food dinner.
Ingredients
- Onions: I like large white onions for this recipe and you’ll need a few. So many, in fact, you’ll wonder if it’s too many, but it’s not. A pound of onions will yield about a 1/2 cup of caramelized onions, so for this recipe, I use about two pounds.
- White wine: Use a dry white wine that you like to drink. I like to use Pinto Grigio or Sauvignon blanc.
- Herbes de Provence: This is an herb blend that is used in French cooking. Look for it with the other spices and dried herbs at the grocery store.
- Shredded Gruyère cheese: It’s a classic, but you can use the same amount of Swiss cheese, too.
- Ground chicken
- Unsalted butter
- Breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- Large egg
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken stock
- Fresh parsley
How to Make French Onion Meatballs
☑️ Caramelize the Onions
Start caramelizing the onions first. They will take about an hour and a half (see the tips section for more info about this), but you can prepare other parts of the recipe while they cook.
☑️ Make the Meatballs
Mix the bread crumbs, herbs, salt, pepper, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken and mix just until combined. Roll the meatball mixture into one-ounce meatballs (you should get about 16).
☑️ Brown the Meatballs
After the onions are caramelized, remove them from the pan and adjust the heat to medium. Add the olive oil, and once it’s hot, place the meatballs in the pan and cook them until they’re browned on all sides. They’ll finish cooking in the sauce, which you’ll make next.
☑️ Make the Sauce
The pan has been used to cook the onions and brown the meatballs, which means there are some browned bits that will go a long way to flavor the sauce. It starts with butter and flour that cook together until the flour loses its raw flavor.
I like to add about a quarter cup of the chicken stock at this point, and as it simmers, I use the whisk to scrape up all the flavor off the bottom of the pan. From there, add the rest of the stock and bring it to a boil until it starts to thicken.
☑️ Simmer the Sauce and Meatballs
Add the caramelized onions to the sauce and reduce the heat enough to maintain a strong simmer. The sauce will continue to thicken, and after about five minutes or so, you can add the meatballs back in. Cook all of it together for another five to ten minutes until the French onion sauce is thick and glossy and the meatballs are cooked through.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover the pan. Once the cheese is melted, sprinkle the parsley over the top, and they’re ready to serve.
Tips for the Best Caramelized Onions
If you’ve ever read a recipe that says you can caramelize onions in 15 to 20 minutes, you have, I’m sorry to say, been misled. Depending on the amount of onions, the size of the pan, and other conditions, it just takes a while to develop that deep golden color.
I tested this recipe using a 10-inch skillet, and it takes an hour and 40 minutes to achieve what I consider perfectly caramelized onions. Perhaps a bigger pan would have shortened the cooking time, but I wanted to keep this to a one-pan recipe, and using a larger pan would have messed with the amount of sauce that I wanted. You may, should you choose to take on this caramelized onion challenge, get the same results in more or less time. Just know if you use a bigger pan, I can’t guarantee how the rest of the recipe will go.
Others may take different steps, but I find the best caramelized onions start with some butter in a pan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the onions and then stir them every so often. It will seem like not much is happening for quite a while because in order to caramelize, they need to release a lot of their moisture.
After about an hour, I like to turn the heat down to medium-low and keep a closer eye on them with a bit more stirring than before. I’ve read some recipes that recommend adding more liquid or butter to the pan as you go to prevent the onions from drying out, but I find if I monitor the heat and stir the onions, they stay soft and moist without having to add anything else. Only at the end, right before you take them out of the pan, add a splash of white wine. This gives them a wonderful flavor and also deglazes the pan.
So the moral of the caramelized onion story? Be patient because great things will happen if you take your time.
Recipe Tips
- There are a few ways to serve these French onion meatballs. Pair them with cooked rice, pasta, or buttered egg noodles. Or serve them up with some crusty bread on the side. I also love to pile the meatballs into rolls and serve them up sandwich-style.
- If you have leftovers, they’ll keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. They’re also freezer-friendly. Once you’ve cooked the meatballs in the sauce, transfer it all to a freezer container. They’ll keep in the freezer for a few months. Wait to add the cheese until you warm them up.
More Chicken Meatball Recipes
French Onion Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 pounds white onions, sliced 1/4" thick
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions (the pan will be very full). Cook the onions, stirring them occasionally, for about an hour or until they have turned a light golden-blonde color.
- When the onions are lightly golden, turn the heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally, until they are soft and deeply golden brown, approximately 30 to 40 minutes longer.
- Turn the heat back to medium and pour the wine into the pan with the onions. As it simmers, scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has cooked away, transfer the onions to a clean plate and take the pan off the heat (you'll use it again after you make the meatballs.)
- In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, pepper, and egg. Add the ground chicken and, using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix it with the breadcrumb and egg mixture just until combined. Scoop approximately one ounce of the mixture to form the meatballs. You should be able to make 16 meatballs.
- Place the pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, place the meatballs in a single layer and cook them until they are browned on all sides. Transfer them to a clean plate.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk it with the butter until combined. Add about a 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and, whisking continuously, combine it with the butter and flour. As you whisk, scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Whisking continuously, add the rest of the chicken stock. Bring the pan to a boil and cook the sauce for about five minutes or until it starts to thicken. Add the caramelized onions and stir to combine.
- Lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Add the meatballs to the sauce and continue cooking the sauce until it’s glossy and thickened, about five to ten minutes.
- At this point, you can sprinkle the cheese over the meatballs and either cover the pan to melt the cheese or stick the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Garnish the meatballs with parsley if using.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
More Cozy Comfort Food Recipes
I hope you try these chicken meatballs soon! They’re so decadent and delicious – the perfect comfort food dinner.
Happy cooking,
This is such a delicious twist on the flavors of french onion soup! I love that it’s quick and easy to make in one skillet, too. 🙂
Lol, well it’s not so quick – takes a long time to caramelize onions 😉
These were very delicious. I like that I could use this recipe for a meal or I can make these for an appetizer for a party!
Oh, that’s great! So glad you liked it 🙂
trying this suuuuuuuuper soon!!
Looks delicious! I’m carmelizing my onions now and making the meatballs so they are ready to go. I’ll check back after dinner tonight.
I hope you enjoy it!
April, I did try it and it is simply out of this world. Thanks for sharing. Also, the tip for carmelized onions is helpful in all sorts of recipes; there seems to be no agreement about how to prepare these but yours are right on!
LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it several times and recommend it to everyone. Thank you!! xx
Oh that’s great! Thank you for letting me know and thanks for the rating!
Where are the measurements for the chicken balls
You should be able to get 16 meatballs approximately 1-ounce big before you cook them
I would like to use this recipe for my WW program. Is the fat listed all saturated fat?
Hi Debbie! I updated the nutrition in the card for this info – keep in mind it’s an estimate!
I made this last weekend, turned out great. Instructions were spot on, the onions did take a while but were yummy. Will make it again. The chicken meatballs were tasty not bland like ground chicken can be. Will make it again…..Marie
Next time I will take a picture and I served it with gnocchis.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I do love this. The onions make it more on the naturally sweet side. I personally think it should have a little more spice. I made this to serve with noodles or a chicken meatball sandwich. I will make this again!! Thank you!
I’m glad you liked it!
We loved these meatballs. They were full of flavor. We ate as a sub sandwich with a glass of Viognier. So good together! Next time I’m going to put meatballs over some angel hair pasta.
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
This looks so good! What a great meal for weeknights or to make for guests!
Thanks for sharing! Does it reheat well?
Yep!
We really enjoyed these, the onions were very jammy! I used ground turkey since it was all I had on hand. I served with gnocchi but think an egg noodle or mashed potatoes would be more appropriate. If you want sauce for your noodles or potatoes, I’d suggest adding more liquid. Definitely worth the time to carmelize the onions.
I’m so glad you liked it!
We tried this recipe for the first time earlier this week. AMAZING. The flavors were so wonderful and once the pasta was added it made for an incredibly delicious and filling dinner. Fantastic!