These French Onion Chicken Meatballs put a delicious spin on the classic French onion soup. Combine ground chicken with caramelized onions, melty cheese, and crusty bread in a delicious French onion sauce for the perfect dinner, any day of the week!
What’s in French Onion Meatballs?
These fantastic chicken meatballs are made with egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and are cooked in a delicious caramelized onion sauce of butter, onions, and white wine. Add some crust French bread at the end to soak up all the yummy juices!
- Ground Chicken: We used ground chicken for this recipe, but you can use your protein of choice.
- Egg: Eggs help bind the meatballs together so that they are a perfect consistency.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese is an amazing melty cheese and a known staple for French onion soup!
- Breadcrumbs: We used panko bread crumbs as they provide the best texture and crispy coating for the meatballs.
- Oil: Olive oil is necessary to ensure your meatballs don’t stick to the pan!
- Herbs and Spices: Herbs like fresh thyme and garlic pair wonderfully with spices like parsley and garlic powder.
- Butter: You’re going to need butter if you want your onions nice and caramelized!
- Onions: We used yellow onions for this recipe as it’s a French onion soup staple.
- White Wine: Adds the perfect touch of acidity to the delicious sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth creates a rich sauce that everyone will adore.
- French Bread: We kept it classic and used sliced French bread for this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite kind of crusty bread.
Pro Tip: Be sure to use unsalted butter, as salt is already added to the recipe. If you only have salted butter, add in extra salt to taste (if needed).
Keto French Onion Soup Meatballs
To make these meatballs keto, you can swap the breadcrumbs for an equal amount of almond meal and either leave off the bread or swap it for keto bread. Using almond meal is a great way to make these meatballs gluten-free as well, and you can simply swap the French bread for gluten-free bread!
Gruyere is the classic cheese used in French onion soup, but you could use Swiss, Emmental, Comte, Beaufort, Jarlsberg, or Raclette cheese! Any nutty, creamy melting cheese will work well.
Absolutely! These meatballs are great made with 80% lean ground beef or ground turkey!
A dry white wine is any white wine that is not sweet. I like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, or Pinot Grigio. You can also use white cooking wine, which can be found in the oil and vinegar aisle of the grocery store.
These meatballs make use of both breadcrumbs and an egg to bind them together. If you find that your meatballs are not sticking together after adding the breadcrumbs and eggs, you may need to add some liquid (I like to use about 2 tablespoons of milk) to help them stick together.
Meatballs can become tough if not enough liquid was used, if the meatball mixture was overworked, or if the meatballs were rolled too tightly. Make sure your meatball mixture is properly wet. It should stick together with little effort. If not, add a bit of liquid. Make sure to fold the meatball mixture together gently so as not to overwork the meat. Finally, gently roll the meatballs into balls. Don’t over-compact them!
How to Store and Reheat French Onion Soup Meatballs
I recommend storing the meatballs separately from the toasted bread. Store leftover French onion chicken meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add the toasted bread before reheating in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes and broiling if desired.
How to Freeze Baked French Onion Meatballs
These meatballs can be frozen raw or baked.
Freeze raw French onion chicken meatballs in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag to store for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking according to the instructions.
Freeze fully baked meatballs in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. I do not recommend freezing the bread with the meatballs, as it can become soggy once thawed.
What to Serve with Cheesy French Onion Meatballs
These baked French onion meatballs taste amazing on their own, but if you’d like to spruce up your meal, there are plenty of tasty options available on our sister site, Cookie Rookie!
These yummy meatballs would taste delish over some Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower, or Homemade Pasta. They also pair well with Smashed Potatoes and Roasted Mushrooms on the side.
French Onion Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese divided
- ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick)
- 2 yellow onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme plus more for garnish
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or beef broth)
- 1 loaf french bread sliced
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, ½ cup cheese, breadcrumbs, oil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.1 pound ground chicken, 1 large egg, 2 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese, ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Roll the meat into 16 meatballs and place them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- While the meatballs are baking, melt the butter with the onions in a Dutch oven set over medium heat.¼ cup unsalted butter, 2 yellow onions
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and slowly add the wine, ¼ cup at a time, until it evaporates as it cooks into the onions.½ cup dry white wine
- Once all the wine has been added, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft and caramelized.
- Add the garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a low boil.2 teaspoons garlic, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Add the cooked meatballs to the skillet and simmer for 8-10 minutes, spooning the broth over them occasionally, until it has reduced by about half.
- Meanwhile, arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until dry. Remove from the oven and turn the oven to broil.1 loaf french bread
- Place the bread slices between the meatballs in the skillet and sprinkle the top evenly with cheese. Broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Serve warm, garnished with thyme.
Notes
- Use cold ingredients straight from the refrigerator. This will make the meatballs easier to roll.
- You can use beef or turkey instead of chicken.
- To make these meatballs keto-friendly, swap the breadcrumbs for almond meal.
- To make these meatballs gluten-free, swap the breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- I recommend using freshly-shredded cheese, as it melts better than pre-shredded.
- If you find that your meatballs are not sticking together after adding the breadcrumbs and eggs, you may need to add some liquid (I like to use about 2 tablespoons of milk) to help them stick together.
- Make sure to fold the meatball mixture together gently so as not to overwork the meat.
- Gently roll the meatballs into balls. Don’t over-compact them, or they could turn out tough.
- Chicken meatballs are fully cooked when they reach 165°F internally.
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