For Easy Baked Chicken With Double The Flavor, Make It French Onion Soup-Style
We've all been there — you have a package of chicken breasts thawed in the fridge for dinner, but you're absolutely bored to death by everything you normally make with them. If you're not in the mood for low-carb crispy chicken cutlets with almond flour (another excellent choice!), perhaps you want to grab a few pantry and fridge staples and whip up a one-pan meal that your family is almost guaranteed to love. Inspired by the classic flavors and ingredients of French onion soup, this chicken bake is nourishing, cozy, and easy to toss together ... all winning elements of a weeknight dinner!
The basis starts with condensed French onion soup. Thin-pounded chicken breasts are laid atop the soup and then piled high with French onion dip, melty cheese, and crispy crushed croutons. The covered baking dish then pops in the oven for about half an hour. While you're busy whipping up some easy sides — more on that in a second — the chicken is getting gooey, tender, and absolutely delectable. Just broil the pan for a few minutes after baking, and all that cheese and all those crouton crumbs will go molten and golden.
We like to keep condensed French onion soup on hand when we make French dip sandwiches, as it's the perfect sub for a more complicated au jus. The rest of the ingredients you need are awfully flexible, making this an accessible dish when you're exhausted by the thought of cooking but crave a yummy dinner. Thanks to the ease of swapping ingredients, it's easy to pull together everything you need for a main dish that's bound to become part of your monthly rotation.
This dish is forgiving, so use what you have
The most likely culprit for an MIA ingredient in this dish might just be the French onion dip. It's sold as a prepared product in your supermarket's dairy section, but don't despair if you don't have it on hand. It's easy to whip up a passing facsimile by combining sour cream with garlic powder, onion powder, dried onion, salt, and herbs. If you have fresh thyme in particular, you could really lend some freshness to the dish without any undue effort by stirring it into your "dip." Let this chill in the fridge for a few while you're getting settled after work, and it will be ready to spread on your chicken by the time you're ready to slap dinner together.
One fun way to get playful and creative with this dish might be to change up the crunch factor. Croutons are traditional — this dish is based on French onion soup, after all! — but we might just raid the cupboard for subs that we have on hand. Think crispy onions (onion on onion = winning in our books), crushed herb crackers, or even sour cream and onion potato chips.
In terms of side dishes, we would keep the heartwarming, nourishing train going and whip up some mashed potatoes. Celeb chef Ina Garten swears by a food mill for the best mashed, and we're certainly not going to argue with the Barefoot Contessa! Simplify your life by adding a canned veggie to round out the plate. Buttered noodles are a side beloved by families with kids, and we'll certainly never say no to a nourishing, simple kale salad. You've gotta know when to spend energy and when to save effort when it comes to balancing a busy schedule and quality dinners, after all.