A delicious coating of French-fried onions adds big flavor to this Crispy Onion Chicken. A super family-friendly meal!
I had my very first encounter with French-fried onions recently. Most people are familiar with these tasty onions from all those years of consuming the classic holiday green bean casserole, a required dish on most Thanksgiving menus. But, alas, it was never part of my mom’s holiday repertoire so I managed to go all this time without ever once trying them.
But I always kind of wondered…
Then I saw a version of this Crispy Onion Chicken on Taste of Home and I knew I had to take this opportunity to give them a try. And, I must say, I was a bit wary but, WOW, they are pretty fabulous! And, they are also quite versatile.
They’d be delicious tossed into salads or piled on top of a burger but in this recipe they are crushed, tossed with a little flour and used as a coating for chicken.
First, the chicken is dipped in an olive oil and butter mixture that includes Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic and then it’s dredged in the crispy fried onion coating and baked on a rimmed baking sheet.
The resulting chicken is golden brown and crispy on the outside and super tender on the inside. So, so good!
I served it with rice pilaf and fresh cooked green beans for a simple, comforting meal.
I know that so many of you are in the throes of Back to School time and that plate up there is SO much like something I’d have made for my boys at this time of year. There’s nothing like a simple and tasty kid-friendly meal like this one to soften the blow of summer coming to an end. But, I have to tell you, my grown guys loved it!
For more simple dinner recipes, check out all of my 30 Minute Meals and One-Pot Dinner ideas!
Crispy Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 ounces French-fried onions
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast,
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the French-fried onions in a large, sealed plastic storage bag and use a rolling pin or kitchen mallet to crush them. Measure out and reserve ¼ cup of the crushed French-fried onions for later. Place remaining crushed onions in a shallow dish (a pie plate works perfectly) and toss with flour to combine. In a separate shallow dish, combine melted butter, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and garlic.
- Slice or pound chicken to ½-inch thickness and cut into smaller portion size pieces, if desired. Season each side with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Dip chicken in oil mixture, then coat with onion mixture and place on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle each piece of chicken with about 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil mixture and then top with some of the reserved crushed onions as needed to coat chicken well.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center. Cooking time will depend on thickness of chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Adapted from Taste of Home
I just made this in the oven instead of the skillet. I followed Valerie’s directions to the letter. The coating did not crisp all the way, and the bottom was soggy. My chicken was 1/2 inch thick, coated exactly to the recipe. The chicken was very moist but the coating failed Can anyone tell me what I did wrong?
Hi Lois. Sorry to hear it didn’t work out well for you. I would just want to be sure greased the baking sheet and drizzled the remaining oil mixture over the breaded chicken before baking. Also, it can help to use a dark, well seasoned baking sheet instead of a brand new one.
Can this be done in a skillet instead of the oven?
I haven’t tried it but I imagine you could cook it in oil on the stovetop. It might be difficult to thoroughly cook the chicken without burning the coating. I’d be inclined to keep the heat on medium and check the chicken with an instant read thermometer to be sure it is cooked through (165 F).
Made this tonight. Probably the best baked chicken recipe EVER! Chicken was moist, tender and flavourful!
Awesome recipe!!! I mean this was delicious, and SO easy to make. What would you recommend this to go with??
QFC has this on the frozen food dept, and undusually has an apricot chutney that go with it (and is sooo good)! Any suggestions?
I’m happy you loved it, Alexandra! I like to serve this with a rice dish like my Almond Rice Pilaf but it would also be delicious served with mashed potatoes. I also include a simple veggie side dish like broccoli, green beans, or roasted sweet potatoes.
want to try this with chicken thighs,,,thoughts, please…?
Hi Dina. I think it would work fine but my preference for this recipe would be boneless breasts. Let me know how it works out for you!
It sounds easy to try. Thank you for sharing the recipe. My kids will definitely love it.
Made this tonight and will be making it a lot more often
Is there a recipe for the rice pilaf?
We love this Almond Rice Pilaf!
This looks delicious and I’ll definitely be giving it a try!
Hi Valerie,
Not sure what plug in you are using but when you hit the print button it fails to load page. One time it loaded but no picture. This looks very yummy and cannot wait to try it.
I have some smart folks looking at the issue right now! Thanks, Caroline 🙂