Combine the caramelized flavors of traditional French onion soup, with juicy pieces of chicken and perfectly cooked pasta. Make this French Onion Chicken Pasta, and transport your taste buds to a charming bistro on the streets of Paris. Toss the Caramelized Onion Dip and French Onion Soup aside, because this pasta dish has it all!
Love our one-dish Chicken and Rice Bake recipe? Enjoy the convenience of this flavor packed pasta dish. Based on our Philly Cheesesteak Pasta recipe, it turned out amazing! Try out our Creamy SPAM Tetrazzini Pasta if you're looking for something a little different, and discover how SPAM can be elevated in a dish.
Ingredients
This recipe is made with few ingredients, and has amazing flavor! The trade off for that is time, because you cannot take any short cuts when it comes to the caramelizing the onions. Take the extra time and you'll be richly rewarded! Find the list of ingredients below and let's get cooking!
- Butter
- Onion
- Chicken Breasts
- Garlic
- Short Pasta (Penne, Bowtie, Rigatoni)
- Beef Broth
- Cream Cheese
- Grated Mozzarella
- Grated Parmesan (optional garnish)
- Fresh Parsley (optional garnish)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make French Onion Chicken Pasta
Place the sliced onions in the melted butter over medium-high heat. Stir every few minutes. For the first 10-15 minutes, the onions with sweat out most of their water content and there will not be any change in color.
Notice that when most of the water has cooked out, the natural sugars in the onions will concentrate and the caramelization will begin. Turn the heat down to medium-low and keep stirring every few minutes for even cooking. It should take 25-30 minutes for a dark caramel color.
Remove the caramelized onions from the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil in the pan and cook the cubed chicken and garlic.
Pour in the broth to deglaze the pan when the chicken has cooked through. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
Add the raw pasta once the broth is simmering, and the caramelized onion. Submerge the pasta in the broth. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquids have been absorbed by the pasta.
Take the cooked French Onion Chicken Pasta off the heat. Stir in the cream cheese until melted and incorporated in the sauce. Stir in the grated cheese. Cover with parsley and grated parmesan before serving.
Substitutions
- Pasta - Use any short pasta, like Bowtie, Penne, Fusilli, Rigatoni.
- Broth - Replace the beef broth with chicken broth if needed.
- Grated Cheese - Try replacing the Monterrey Jack with Gouda, Mozzarella, Havarti, or even White Cheddar.
You can technically caramelize any type of onion, even red onions. Use sweet onions, like Walla Walla or Vidalia for best results.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers of this pasta dish in air tight containers for 2-3 days. Place the containers in the freezer for up to a month for a delicious surprise when in a pinch.
Recipe
French Onion Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter
- 2 large White Onions , thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 3 large Chicken Breast , cut in ½ inch cubes
- 3 cloves Fresh Garlic , finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 900 ml Beef Broth
- ½ pound Farfalle Pasta , uncooked
- 4 oz Cream Cheese , room temperature
- ¾ cup Monterey Jack Cheese , grated
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Parsley , chopped (optional garnish)
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese , freshly grated (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large skillet pan or cast iron braising dish (3.5 quart in size), slowly melt your butter on medium heat. Without letting the butter brown, add in the sliced onion. Start the onion caramelization process by cooking the onions for 15 minutes while stirring every couple minutes. This step is mostly to cook the water out of the onions.
- When most of the water has evaporated, sprinkle in the sugar over the onions. Turn the heat down to medium-low heat. Keep stirring every 2-3 minutes for even cooking. It should take another 25-30 minutes to complete the caramelization process. Once the onion have a nice dark brown color, remove from the pan. If they get stuck to the pan, simply pour a tablespoon of the broth over the onions to deglaze and release them.
- Keep the same pan on the stove and turn the heat up to medium-high. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and place the cubes of chicken in the pan. Also add in the minced garlic with the chicken with the teaspoon of salt and the teaspoon of thyme. Cook the chicken pieces through and keep them in the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with the beef broth. Run your stirring utensil on the bottom of the pan to release any stuck on bits. Add in the caramelized onions and the uncooked pasta.
- Bring the broth boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente and has absorbed most of the liquids. Take the pan off of the heat.
- Break apart the cream cheese in tablespoon pieces and stir in the pasta dish to melt and incorporate with the sauce. Do the same with the grated cheese.
- Serve with the optional chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Tammy says
This was very easy to make with all ingredients being in you fridge. Loved it can’t wait to try a few more of your recipes.