Instant Pot French Onion Chicken

french onion chicken with vegetables and bread on a white plate

4.67 from 12 votes

Instant Pot French Onion Chicken

Instant Pot French Onion Chicken is a soup-meets-chicken-meets-cheese, in a 1 pot marriage of delicious cheesy goodness. French onion soup broth is made with caramelized onions and red wine, then pressure cooked with chicken and topped with melted gooey Swiss and Gruyere cheese.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy instant pot recipes, onion chicken recipes, recipes using onion soup mix

Servings:

Calories: 242kcal

Author: Kristina Tipps

Equipment

6, 8 or 10 quart pressure cooker

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
2 large sweet onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
½ cup red wine see notes
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup beef broth
10 chicken tenders
½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
10-20 Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices or enough to cover the chicken
paprika for serving

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to saute on high for 10 minutes. Melt the butter, then add the onions, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir often, until onions begin to carmelize.
Pour the red wine into the pot and deglaze thoroughly, removing all stuck pieces from the bottom of the pot. While deglazing, simmer for about 2 minutes to reduce the wine. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Add flour and mix into the onions for 1 minute. Add beef broth, salt, pepper, and chicken tenders. Do not stir after this point. Close and seal the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
Naturally release the steam for 10 minutes, then quickly release remaining pressure.
Remove the lid and wait 5 minutes. Top the chicken with swiss or gruyere cheese slices and sprinkle with paprika. Serve plain, over noodles, or over rice. Use extra broth as a side of soup or reserve as a marinade for future use.

Notes

Serve french onion chicken with easy vegetable sides and over rice, noodles, toasted garlic bread.

Do not use red cooking wine. Use a dry red wine. The wines that will give the soup the richest flavor are Pinot Noir, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Authentic french onion is made with Gruyere cheese. Substitute with Swiss, mozzarella, provolone, or fontina. You can also use a combination of these cheeses.

To use a can of french onion soup instead of the homemade broth, skip steps 1 and 2. During step 3, add the can of soup to the pot, followed by the chicken tenders. Don't stir. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Optional: To thicken the broth, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water, then add to the broth at the very end and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Optional: After adding the cheese, use your air fryer to broil it if desired. Do this for about 2 minutes on 375 degrees F. Or, transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, top with cheese and broil or toast in a conventional toaster or oven for a few minutes until it's browned to your liking.

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