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Simple, cheesy, Baked French Onion Meatballs. For those cold fall and winter nights when you want a fancy slow-cooked french onion soupโฆbut you want something hearty too! Made easily with oven-baked chicken meatballs, white wine, caramelized onions, herbs, and that classic cheesy french bread topping. This dish is warm, flavorful, comforting, and so delicious. Equally great for a simple family dinner or holiday entertaining.
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Happy November everyone! My original plan was to share our 2021 Thanksgiving menu today, but I need a couple more days to put the finishing touches on the post. Very excited to share, but honestly?
Iโm equally excited to share these delicious french onion style meatballs. If I had to choose the recipe for you to all be making this week, tonight even, it would be these meatballs. Perfect dinner to welcome in the chilly month of November.
When I made these meatballs before heading to Los Angelas the other week, my oldest brother, Creighton, was in town. And while I feed him a lot of meals when heโs here, he declared these meatballs his favorite. He LOVED them, so I think itโs safe to say this is a very good recipe.
The process is simple, here are the steps
Start with the bread. I mentioned this last month, but when my grandma made meatloaf or meatballs, she used to wet the bread first. Sheโd then ring out the excess water and tear the bread into super fine pieces. This is the key to a juicy, non-dry meatball.
Add the bread to a large bowl along with ground chicken or ground beef, a large egg, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the mixture together, and youโre ready to roll your meatballs.
Then bake! I love baking meatballs. Itโs so much easier and cleaner, not to mention healthier, than frying them up in a skillet.
While the meatballs are cooking, caramelize the onions
Start with sweet onions, butter, and dry white wine.
I use a dry white wine, which is pretty traditional in most French onion soups. Youโll cook about half of the wine into the onions. Not only does this help the onions to caramelize quickly and evenly, it also infuses the onions with incredibly rich flavor.
Itโs delish.
If you prefer not to cook with wine, I recommend using about half a cup of apple cider or apple juice to caramelize the onions. For the remaining amount of wine (another half cup), use chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth.
When the onions are caramelized, add the mushrooms and let those cook a minute. Then add in the broth.
Now, grab the meatballs and add them to the sauce. Simmer a bit until cooked throughout.
Finish it up
When youโre ready, switch the oven to broil.
Top the skillet full of meatballs with crusty french bread, and a layer of cheese. Then place under the broiler to melt. Watch closely, the broiler works fast.
Then simply pull out of the oven and experience the bubbling cheese and the delicious flavors of a truly good bowl of French onion soupโฆwith the addition of yummy meatballs.
This is truly one of those roll your eyes back, crave-worthy, fall-winter comfort foods.
My favorite way to serve these meatballs is with a side salad. You could add pasta or mashed potatoes, but theyโre also not needed.
Perfect dinner, right? Iโm excited t have this one in my back pocket for the upcoming holiday season. I already know itโs going to be a go-to recipe once my family arrives and the craziness begins in a few weeks! Thanksgiving is so soon!
Looking for other meatball recipes?? Here are my favorites:ย
30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs
Simple Baked Cheesy Italian Chicken Meatballs
Weeknight 30 Minute Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
Lastly, if you make these , be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked French Onion Meatballs
Ingredientsย
- 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
- 1 slice soft whole grain bread
- 1 egg, beaten
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups cremini or wild mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup whole milk, cream, or canned coconut milk
- 6 slices french bread
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Instructionsย
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450ยฐ F. Grease a 9ร13 inch baking dish with olive oil.2. Take the bread and run it under water until dampened but not soaked. Gently squeeze the excess water out of the bread and then crumble the dampened bread into pieces.3. In a bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbles, egg, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Coat your hands with olive oil, then roll the meat into balls about the size of 2 tablespoons, and place them into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside, but not yet cooked through on the inside.4. Meanwhile, melt together the butter and onions in a large oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you'll want to slowly add 3/4 cup of the wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the wine cooks into the onions. Continue to cook another 10-15 minutes until you've used all of the 3/4 cup of wine and the onions are deeply caramelized. 5. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and sage. Season with salt and pepper, cook another 3-4 minutes. Add the the broth and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a low boil. Add the meatballs and simmer 10 minutes, until cooked through. Stir in the cream.6. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until very dry. Switch the oven to broil. Place the bread on/around the meatballs. Top evenly with cheese. Broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with fresh thyme. Eat!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I’m a boring vegetarian and alcoholic. Didn’t use meat or wine. What I did use was Beyond Beef and about 1/4 cup of vinegar in water for the wine. Man, oh man was this a freaking tasty meal!! Didn’t need the egg or oil for the meatless meatballs, just the bread and Beyond Beef. Other than that followed the recipe (mostly). The tips of the bread that’s were naked burned but that was the only issue whatsoever. Thank you for such an easily adaptable recipe that worked perfectly. ๐
Hey Zorina,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad it was enjoyed:)
Happy Holidays!
I made this for dinner today. I added some Parmesan and cranberry to the meatballs and it was lovely
Hi Michelle,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment. Have the best weekend!
Amazing!
Hey Janet,
Awesome! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, Iโm so glad it was a hit! Happy Halloween!๐
This dinner was a hit! I did a few tweaks, I used ground beef and beef broth and added a little flour to the broth to thicken the gravy. I also divided a pkg of Lipton’s onion soup mix between the meatballs and gravy. Mashed potatoes and green beans made this a perfect Sunday dinner!
Yay!! Thanks so much, Lynda! So glad this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it out! XxT
This recipe was spot on and delicious!! I was so surprised at how putting the French bread with cheese into the pot for a second broil took this recipe over-the-top!! I highly recommend it! My only mistake was not measuring my Better than Bouillon when I made the chicken brothโI only guesstimated and it made it a smidge salty because t it didnโt stop us from devouring it!
Hey Denise,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great Monday! x
I agree!! The thin slices of toasted French bread and cheese topped it off so perfectly!!
Loved this! I added some dried sage and thyme to the meatball mixture for a more complex flavor and chilled them in the fridge to firm up. Used fresh herbs in the sauce. I recommend oiling the baking pan generously as my meatballs stuck to the pan a bit.
Hey Karen,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it out! Xx
Very good – incorporated a few reader comments and some of my own tweaks. I would definitely make again and for company!
Took my time caramelizing the onions (20-30 min). Meatballs – 1 lb (that’s what grocery store sells), used bread crumbs instead of bread, added few tablespoons of grated parm and ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon of Herbs d’ Provence. Used unsalted beef stock.
Thank you sooo much for giving this recipe a try! Have an awesome week ๐ xT
I made this last night and we liked it. I would tweak it if I make again.
The meatballs definitely needed more seasoning as they were bland (common with ground chicken) and I almost adjusted but decided to follow the recipe. The sauce with the onions and mushrooms was great and it did really help.
Also, most of the grocery stores around me sell ground chicken in 1lb increments so the 1.25lb recipe was awkward.
It was nice to try something a little different. Thank you.
Hey Shauna,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I made this for my family for dinner. I have teenagers and a preteen and they loved it! Itโs delicious and savory – perfect for a fall evening.
Hey Jessie,
Happy Friday!๐ I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it and your comment! xx
Since this was a French onion recipe, I thought it needed beef stock not chicken.
Hi Drew,
I like to use the chicken stock, but please feel free to use beef stock if that’s what you enjoy:) xx
I made this for dinner last night. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much Lillian!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you! Have a great week! xT
This recipe was delicious. My meatball were really soft so they didnโt keep their shape but it certainly didnโt affect the taste. Will definitely make this again!
Thanks so much Christine! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you making it! xT
Yum this was so good!! I was planning on making a meatball soup and a French onion soup this weekend and then this recipe randomly showed up in my inbox. I did everything exactly as states except I used ground beef instead of chicken, soaked my meatball bread in milk vs water, and cut up the bead at the end to be more like croutons so they were easier to eat. It usually takes me way longer than the recipe states to make a meal but this was pretty close, though caramelizing the onions and broiling the meatballs took an extra 10 mins. The recipe was delicious and I know what Iโll be eating tomorrow too!
Hey Jen,
Happy Sunday!!๐ Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your review, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx