(lovely photo from originator)
Follow the jump for the recipe, edits and review!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds onions, sliced into thin half-moons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 small sprigs thyme, leaves only
4-inch sprig rosemary
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated or shaved (about 1 cup)
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a deep 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted completely and foams up, add the onions. They will fill the pan to the top, at this point. Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.
When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic, thyme leaves, and whole rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color. When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth. Add it slowly, stirring and scraping the pan vigorously to scrape up any burnt or stuck-on bits. When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.
Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart oven-safe dish with a lid. (If you don't have a Dutch oven or another oven-safe dish with a lid, you can use a 9x13-inch baking dish. Just cover it tightly with a double layer of foil.)
Heat the oven to 325°F.
While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken. Heat another 10-inch or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the thighs and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, 6 minutes total. When they've developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.
Add the remaining 1 cup broth to the pan. Stir vigorously, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish. The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be plenty of liquid in the baking dish.
(At this point you can refrigerate the dish for up to 48 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking, or else add about 5 minutes to the bake time.)
Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the heat up to broil. Take the lid off the baking dish, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the chicken. When the broiler has heated up, return the dish to the oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden on top.
Don't be intimidated by the long list of directions - This dish is well worth it. Served with some roasted green beans, it was a very satisfying meal.
Most of my edits this week were just for convenience of what was already in my house. So what did I change?
A whole cut-up chicken for 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs. Typically I would not do this; however, my mother sent my sister to my house with a whole, pre-cut chicken on a recent visit, and this seemed like a good time to use it.
1 lb onion for 2 lbs of onions - Again, just what I happened to have on hand.
Dried herbs for sprigs of fresh herbs
2 tbsp Honey Dijon for 2 tbsp Dijon mustard - probably heresy but regular mustard is too strong for me.
PS - I intended to sub Provolone for Gruyere due to the price difference - and y'all, I totally forgot the cheese altogether. However, even TBird didn't notice it missing, and any dish that's great without cheese is good in my book (even though it does compromise the integrity of the French onion soup ideal :)
Successes:
- Primary success is that by following the refrigeration directions, I did all the browning and caramelizing the night before and it was such a relief to split up the time it takes to make this dish. After working a full day, I don't want to have a 1.5 hour dinner prep, I want it now! The make-ahead leniency is a huge plus.
- This meal made me love sweet onions. They are so soft and sweet and delicious you just can't help but eat em all up, especially with that garlic.
- I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the sauce - the mustard and balsamic vinegar gave it a depth of flavor that is sometimes lacking in my normal French onion soup.
- Works with all kinds of meat. The thighs were great, but so were the breasts and legs from my whole chicken. The white meat wasn't dried out and the dark wasn't greasy.
- Reheatablity for lunch the next day is great - I took a breast and a leg in for lunch and it was almost as delicious as the night before (and very filling!).
Failures:
- I didn't get as much sauce as advertised. Yes, I got a reasonable amount, but swimming in sauce enough to sop it up with bread? No. I have no idea what I did wrong, but I want more of that tasty sauce next time.
- How did I forget the cheese? It was good without it, but seriously. Failure.
- The sheer amount of time involved. This requires some planning ahead, some dedication to making a fabulous meal, and a lot of patience. Not for the typical full-time worker to make all at once, unless you like eating at midnight. Thank goodness for the make-ahead and refrigeration directions.
BullsBistro rating: A- (would've been an A+ but for the timing).
This I will definitely make again, but maybe on a weekend where I could put in the time this delicious meal deserves instead of speeding through it. Or maybe I'll just move to France and emulate Julia Child.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds onions, sliced into thin half-moons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 small sprigs thyme, leaves only
4-inch sprig rosemary
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated or shaved (about 1 cup)
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a deep 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted completely and foams up, add the onions. They will fill the pan to the top, at this point. Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.
When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic, thyme leaves, and whole rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color. When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth. Add it slowly, stirring and scraping the pan vigorously to scrape up any burnt or stuck-on bits. When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.
Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart oven-safe dish with a lid. (If you don't have a Dutch oven or another oven-safe dish with a lid, you can use a 9x13-inch baking dish. Just cover it tightly with a double layer of foil.)
Heat the oven to 325°F.
While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken. Heat another 10-inch or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the thighs and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, 6 minutes total. When they've developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.
Add the remaining 1 cup broth to the pan. Stir vigorously, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish. The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be plenty of liquid in the baking dish.
(At this point you can refrigerate the dish for up to 48 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking, or else add about 5 minutes to the bake time.)
Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the heat up to broil. Take the lid off the baking dish, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the chicken. When the broiler has heated up, return the dish to the oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden on top.
Don't be intimidated by the long list of directions - This dish is well worth it. Served with some roasted green beans, it was a very satisfying meal.
Most of my edits this week were just for convenience of what was already in my house. So what did I change?
A whole cut-up chicken for 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs. Typically I would not do this; however, my mother sent my sister to my house with a whole, pre-cut chicken on a recent visit, and this seemed like a good time to use it.
1 lb onion for 2 lbs of onions - Again, just what I happened to have on hand.
Dried herbs for sprigs of fresh herbs
2 tbsp Honey Dijon for 2 tbsp Dijon mustard - probably heresy but regular mustard is too strong for me.
PS - I intended to sub Provolone for Gruyere due to the price difference - and y'all, I totally forgot the cheese altogether. However, even TBird didn't notice it missing, and any dish that's great without cheese is good in my book (even though it does compromise the integrity of the French onion soup ideal :)
Successes:
- Primary success is that by following the refrigeration directions, I did all the browning and caramelizing the night before and it was such a relief to split up the time it takes to make this dish. After working a full day, I don't want to have a 1.5 hour dinner prep, I want it now! The make-ahead leniency is a huge plus.
- This meal made me love sweet onions. They are so soft and sweet and delicious you just can't help but eat em all up, especially with that garlic.
- I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the sauce - the mustard and balsamic vinegar gave it a depth of flavor that is sometimes lacking in my normal French onion soup.
- Works with all kinds of meat. The thighs were great, but so were the breasts and legs from my whole chicken. The white meat wasn't dried out and the dark wasn't greasy.
- Reheatablity for lunch the next day is great - I took a breast and a leg in for lunch and it was almost as delicious as the night before (and very filling!).
Failures:
- I didn't get as much sauce as advertised. Yes, I got a reasonable amount, but swimming in sauce enough to sop it up with bread? No. I have no idea what I did wrong, but I want more of that tasty sauce next time.
- How did I forget the cheese? It was good without it, but seriously. Failure.
- The sheer amount of time involved. This requires some planning ahead, some dedication to making a fabulous meal, and a lot of patience. Not for the typical full-time worker to make all at once, unless you like eating at midnight. Thank goodness for the make-ahead and refrigeration directions.
BullsBistro rating: A- (would've been an A+ but for the timing).
This I will definitely make again, but maybe on a weekend where I could put in the time this delicious meal deserves instead of speeding through it. Or maybe I'll just move to France and emulate Julia Child.
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