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    Home » What We're Eating » French Fried Onion Chicken

    French Fried Onion Chicken

    Published: Nov 9, 2020 by Blair Lonergan

    Jump to Recipe
    Long collage image of French Fried Onion Chicken
    Close up front shot of chicken breaded with french fried onions served on a plate with rice and broccoli
    French fried onion chicken served on a blue and white plate with rice and broccoli
    Plate of french fried onion chicken with text title box at the top
    Chicken breast coated in french fried onions and baked and served on a plate
    Front shot of a plate of french fried onion chicken with text title box at the top
    Overhead shot of a tray of Chicken with French Onions

    Oven-fried chicken breasts are coated in a crispy onion breading and baked until golden brown! Perfect on busy weeknights, this French Fried Onion Chicken is ready in just 30 minutes. Serve it with honey mustard for dipping, plus a side of rice and broccoli for an easy dinner that the whole family will love!

    Close up image of a large chicken breast cutlet with french fried onions on a blue and white plate

    French's Fried Onion Chicken Recipe

    This particular dish is very similar to the old-fashioned French's Fried Onion Chicken recipe -- with a few tweaks and tips to make the meat even crispier and more flavorful! It’s a perfect family-friendly, easy dinner when you’re ready for classic comfort food and minimal effort.

    What are French Fried Onions made of?

    This recipe uses French's Crispy Fried Onions as a breading for oven-fried chicken breast cutlets. If you're not familiar with the little gems, they're made with real onions that are coated and seasoned with salt, wheat flour and dextrose, then fried in palm oil. That's it! No other ingredients, artificial flavors, or GMOs. In addition to the crispy chicken coating, we keep a can of the fried onions in our pantry and use them as toppings on dishes like my favorite Green Bean Casserole or a Smoked Sausage Pasta Bake. They're also delicious on salads (in lieu of croutons), on bowls of chili, or on hamburgers.

    Can of French's crispy fried onions

    The Chicken

    I find that chicken cutlets (or thinly-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts) work well for this recipe. The thin chicken cutlets cook quickly in the oven, which means that the coating doesn't burn or get too dark.​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​

    Chicken cutlets are really just thin pieces of boneless chicken that have been cut from a thick breast or pounded flat. I typically purchase thinly-sliced chicken breasts or "chicken cutlets" at the grocery store to save some time on the prep work. If you prefer, you can make your own chicken cutlets by slicing two larger boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Pound the halved chicken breasts with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even thickness and use in the recipe as instructed.

    Overhead image of french fried onion chicken on a wooden table with lemon and parsley

    How to Make French Fried Onion Chicken

    Baked instead of fried, the chicken breasts coated with French fried onions are crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and so incredibly flavorful. Best of all, you only need 6 ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep to get this meal on the table!​​​​​​​

    Ingredients for Baked Chicken with French Fried Onions

    • Chicken cutlets
    • Lawry's seasoned salt
    • French's crispy fried onions
    • All-purpose flour
    • Garlic powder
    • Eggs

    Step 1: Season Chicken

    Pat the chicken dry and then sprinkle both sides with seasoned salt. ​​​​​​​

    Chicken cutlets on a platter

    Step 2: Prepare Fried Onion Coating

    Place crushed fried onions, flour and garlic powder in a shallow dish. The eggs go in a separate shallow dish.

    Egg and breading for oven fried chicken

    Step 3: Bread Chicken

    Dip the chicken in the egg and then coat with the onion mixture. Place on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.

    Chicken breasts coated with french fried onions before baking

    Step 4: Bake

    Bake the chicken in a 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes.

    Overhead shot of a tray of oven fried chicken breasts with french fried onions

    What to Serve with Chicken Breast Coated with French Fried Onions

    I've shown the chicken with a simple side of rice and steamed broccoli. Here are a few more easy options that go well with the oven-fried chicken:

    • Buttermilk Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
    • Cowboy Baked Beans
    • Crock Pot Mac and Cheese or Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
    • Skillet Cornbread or Corn Muffins
    • Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
    • Southern Macaroni Salad
    • Coleslaw
    • Southern Collard Greens
    • Baked Potato Wedges
    • Easy Potato Salad
    • Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon
    • Broccoli Salad
    • Fried Apples
    • Southern Succotash, Fried Corn or corn on the cob
    Square shot of a plate of french fried onion chicken

    Storage​​​​​​​

    This chicken is best when served warm, straight from the oven. If you have leftovers, package them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. The coating will become slightly soggy as it sits.

    How to Reheat

    Place chicken pieces on a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 300 degrees just until heated through (about 10 minutes).

    How to Freeze the Chicken Before Baking

    After the chicken is coated in the fried onion mixture, arrange the raw chicken on a parchment-covered baking sheet and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until frozen solid. Then transfer the frozen chicken pieces to a freezer safe Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, you can bake the cutlets directly from the freezer -- just increase the baking time until cooked through (about 40 minutes). You will likely need to tent the chicken with foil during the second half of baking to prevent the coating from burning.

    Recipe Variations

    • Seasoned salt is a combination of salt, sugar and other spices like paprika, onion and garlic. If you don't have any seasoned salt in your pantry, you can make your own seasoning blend, use my all-purpose seasoning blend, or just season the chicken with salt and pepper.
    • Instead of the French's original crispy fried onions, try a different flavor variety like caramelized crispy fried onions or crispy jalapenos (which are very spicy).
    • Chicken Nuggets: Yes, you can make French's French Onion Chicken into nuggets! Cut chicken tenderloins or breasts into 2-inch pieces and bread with the egg and fried onions as directed in the recipe. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
    • French Fried Onion Chicken Tenders: Use chicken tenderloins instead of cutlets. The oven-fried chicken tenders will bake in approximately the same amount of time.
    • Chicken Thighs: If using a thicker cut of meat (like chicken thighs), you will need to increase the baking time. I recommend tenting the chicken loosely with foil about halfway through baking to prevent the coating from burning.
    • Without Egg: Instead of dipping the chicken in eggs, you can brush mayonnaise onto the meat before dredging in the onion coating.

    Tips for the Best Frenchs Fried Onion Chicken

    • Shake off any extra egg before dredging the chicken in the coating. This will prevent a soggy coating.
    • Place the chicken on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. This will prevent the bottom of the chicken from getting soggy in the oven. I like to line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup!
    • Cooking times will vary depending on your oven, on the size and thickness of your meat, and on the temperature of the chicken when it goes into the oven. Use a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is cooked through -- it should register an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The inside will no longer be pink and the juices will run clear.
    • Offer a side of honey mustard for dipping with the sweet onion chicken.
    • Double the recipe to feed a larger family, or cut all of the ingredients in half to serve just two!
    Close overhead image of a plate of french fried onion chicken on a plate with rice and broccoli

    More Easy Chicken Recipes That You'll Love

    • Cornflake Chicken
    • Crispy Fried Chicken
    • Pecan Crusted Chicken
    • Fried Chicken Cutlets and Country Gravy
    Close up image of a large chicken breast cutlet with french fried onions on a blue and white plate
    Print Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    French Fried Onion Chicken

    An easy weeknight dinner with just 10 minutes of prep! Your family will love this crispy and flavorful baked French Fried Onion Chicken!
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine American
    Keyword french fried onion chicken, french's fried onion chicken recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    0 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 334kcal
    Author Blair Lonergan

    Ingredients

    • 4 chicken cutlets (or 2 large chicken breasts halved lengthwise) (about 1 – 1 ½ lbs. total)
    • Lawry’s seasoned salt, to taste
    • 2 cups fried onions
    • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 eggs, beaten

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
    • Pat chicken dry with paper towel; sprinkle with seasoned salt on both sides.
    • In a large Ziploc bag, combine fried onions, flour and garlic powder. Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to coarsely crush the fried onions. Transfer to a shallow dish.
    • Place the eggs in a separate shallow dish.
    • Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip the chicken in the egg and then dredge in the onion mixture, gently pressing to make sure that both sides are evenly coated. Place the chicken on the prepared wire rack; repeat with remaining chicken.
    • Bake chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F – about 20-25 minutes.

    Notes

    • Shake off any extra egg before dredging the chicken in the coating. This will prevent a soggy coating.
    • Place the chicken on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. This will prevent the bottom of the chicken from getting soggy in the oven. I like to line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup!
    • Cooking times will vary, depending on your oven, on the size and thickness of your meat, and on the temperature of the chicken when it goes into the oven. Use a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is cooked through -- it should register an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The inside will no longer be pink and the juices will run clear.
    • Offer a side of honey mustard for dipping with the sweet onion chicken.
    • Double the recipe to feed a larger family, or cut all of the ingredients in half to serve just two!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1chicken cutlet | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Adela Reinke

      November 10, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight and it was delicious!!

      Reply
      • Blair

        November 11, 2020 at 5:38 am

        Thanks, Adela! I'm so glad that it was a hit!

        Reply
      • Robyn D

        November 04, 2021 at 5:45 pm

        5 stars
        I cooked my chicken at 375 for about 30 to 35 minutes because it was a bit thicker. It was delicious and juicy! It's on the menu for tonight too!!

        Reply
        • Blair Lonergan

          November 04, 2021 at 7:02 pm

          Oh, good! I'm so glad that it was a hit, Robyn. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂

          Reply
    2. Natalie

      July 05, 2021 at 4:52 pm

      Can I use skinless chicken breasts?

      Reply
      • Blair

        July 05, 2021 at 6:21 pm

        Yes, absolutely! Just cut the chicken breast in half to make it a thinner cutlet. The cutlets will cook much faster, which prevents the coating from burning. 🙂

        Reply
        • Donna Dodge

          October 01, 2021 at 3:13 pm

          do you mean onions that I chop myself and fry, or the can of fried onions?

          Reply
          • Blair Lonergan

            October 01, 2021 at 3:43 pm

            Hi, Donna! You just need the can of fried onions. No extra work for you! 🙂 I showed a picture of the onions that I use towards the top of the blog post. Hope that helps!

            Reply
    3. Linnea Novicki

      January 10, 2022 at 8:58 pm

      5 stars
      I made this Chicken recipe today and it’s absolutely delicious. Putting it on a rack over the foil lined cookie sheet kept the breading so tasty and crunchy and not greasy. I recommended it to my daughters as a fast and delicious way to make chicken breasts.

      Reply
      • Blair Lonergan

        January 11, 2022 at 5:17 am

        Perfect! Thank you, Linnea!

        Reply

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