These easy and delicious Skillet French Onion Chicken Meatballs in Sauce are a breeze to make, and packed with French onion flavor and plenty of gooey cheese. Serve them over a bed of egg noodles for a tasty meal easy enough for a weeknight!

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A deliciously easy and decadent French onion soup chicken meatball recipe

I love French Onion Soup and Chicken Meatballs, but together they are magic. Out of all the French onion soup mix recipes with chicken, this has got to be my fave.

For this chicken meatballs recipe, you'll combine all the great flavor of decadent French onion soup with the tender and tasty chicken meatballs for a hearty and easy dinner the whole family will love. It's comfort food at it's finest!

What goes into the French Onion Chicken Meatballs?

To make these tasty ground chicken meatballs, you will need:

Ground chicken.
Gruyere cheese.
Fresh mozzarella.
Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master. Never cooked with these? They are browning liquids that work great to add an intense "I cooked this all day" flavor to sauces and stews!
1 Onion soup packet- any brand you like will do! Lipton onion soup is great for these meatballs.
Onion and garlic. For the sauce and for the meatballs.
An egg, to bind the meatballs.
Panko breadcrumbs.
Butter.
A bit of sugar, for cooking the onions.
White wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio.
All-purpose flour.
Beef stock or broth.
Dry thyme.

You'll start this recipe by making the meatballs and baking them. While the chicken meatballs cook, the sauce can be made on the stovetop in a large cast iron skillet. Once the meatballs and sauce are finished, you'll assemble the dish and bake it off with a generous topping of grated gruyere and fresh torn mozzarella cheese.

French Onion Chicken Meatballs ingredients

Making the ground chicken meatballs

Before the meatballs go into the thick and rich French onion sauce and get baked to bubbly cheesy perfection, they bake up on a sheet pan until they are cooked through.

It's important not to over mix the ground chicken meatballs. Simply combine the meatball ingredients well with you hands, then roll gently with your hands to form balls.

You'll gently form the meatball mixture with your hands into 1.5" to 2" balls, spread out on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. While the meatballs bake, you'll make the sauce on the stovetop.

Looking for more great dinner recipes?

Why not try Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs, Bacon Chicken Ranch Meatballs, Creamy One Pan Maitake Mushroom Chicken, One Pot Sausage Artichoke Pasta Bake, or Greek Lamb Feta Meatball Bowls!

Assembling and baking the meatballs

Once the sauce is ready and the meatballs are fully cooked- you'll place the meatballs into the skillet, right into the thick and creamy pan sauce. Top with a generous portion of grated gruyere cheese and fresh mozzarella, and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Serving the Lipton onion soup meatballs

Once the chicken meatballs are sauced, cheesed and baked, you can optionally stick them under your oven's broiler for a few minutes to get a light crust on the cheesy top.

I love to serve these meatballs with the pan sauce piled high over a bed of egg noodles. These would also be great over some creamy mashed potatoes or rice as well! Alternatively- you could serve them in sandwiches!

Can I substitute the ground chicken for another meat?

Yes! If you prefer, you could use ground turkey, ground pork or ground chicken for this recipe! When baking the meatballs, be sure to either line your baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray well with cooing spray. This will help not only with cleanup, but will make sure your meatballs don't stick!

What's the best wine to use in the sauce?

For deglazing the onions in the sauce, I love a good white blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Pinot Grigio. You can use any drier white wine you like to drink. I would not recommend using a sweet wine, such as a Moscato, as it will not work well with the sauce. If you'd rather cook without alcohol, you can sub in additional beef broth, or water for the wine.

If you have it on hand, I highly recommend using the wine- as it lends great flavor to the sauce.

More French onion soup mix recipes with (and without) chicken!

Hot and Cheesy French Onion Soup Dip

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup Burgers

Print Recipe

French Onion Chicken Meatballs in Sauce

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dinner

Keyword: french onion soup, ground chicken

Servings: 6

Equipment

1 large 10-12" cast iron skillet
rimmed baking sheet
parchment paper or cooking spray

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken
4 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
½ cup fresh torn mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet , (browning liquid- see link in directions)
1 onion soup mix packet , (such as Lipton)
½ small onion, minced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 large egg
¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs

Sauce/Topping

4 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
½ tablespoon sugar
1 cup dry white wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups beef stock or broth
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tsp Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet
8 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
½ cup fresh torn mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Making the Meatballs
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add all meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and combine with hands until everything just comes together, being careful not to over mix.
3. Roll mixture gently in 1.5” to 2” balls. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment, or sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees after baking the meatballs.
Making the Sauce
1. While the meatballs bake, make the sauce.
2. In a large cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Once butter is melted, add onions and season with salt, pepper and thyme.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened- 5-6 minutes.
5. Add the sugar and toss to coat with the onions Cook 3-4 minutes more, stirring occasionally- until the onions take on a darker caramel color.
6. Add the wine and and stir. Cook until wine is mostly evaporated, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes.
7. Add the flour and toss to coat well, until all flour is combined with the onions.
8. Slowly whisk in the beef broth until fully combined. Add the Gravy Master and cook, stirring until thickened, 8-12 minutes.
9. Taste -and season with salted pepper to taste.
10. Turn off heat.
11. Add the meatballs to sauce and cover with shredded gruyere and torn mozzarella.
12. Transfer skillet to 350 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes.
13. Optional: Broil on high 2-4 minutes on middle rack for crispy cheese!

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