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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 soup…but 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.
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?
I’m 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 he’s here, he declared these meatballs his favorite. He LOVED them, so I think it’s 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. She’d 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 bowl along with ground chicken, an egg, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix that all together, and you’re ready to roll your meatballs.
Then bake! I love baking meatballs. It’s 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. You’ll 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.
It’s 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 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 you’re 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 soup…with 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 they’re also not needed.
Perfect dinner, right? I’m excited t have this one in my back pocket for the upcoming holiday season. I already know it’s 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:
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, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked French Onion Meatballs
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 689 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Grease a 9×13 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!
Family loved this dish!!
Hi Nadine,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Delicious! To make this vegetarian, I just bought walnut burgers, made them into balls, and baked them according to the package instructions, instead of making meatballs. It turned out great!
Hi Hannah,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Made this amazing dish last night and it was a hit. I did have a couple of cooking issues; perhaps using a Mandolin to cut the onions (rookie mistake?) wasn’t the best idea. They started to get too mushy, before I could caramelize them into a deep dark brown. I thought the wine was “steaming” them too much? Not sure. I’m not too seasoned at caramelizing onions, so, I’m determined to try again! But, with that all said, the dish was incredible!
Hey Lisa,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Try just slicing the onions by hand, they really don’t need to be super thin. The steaming is just the alcohol in the wine cooking off. xTieghan
This was so amazing! My husband absolutely loved it. Using the moistened bread in the meatballs is a game changer!
Hey Sarah,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Super delish, my husband and I loved this! I did make my own meatballs (pork/beef/veal mix) but other than that followed the recipe and these will be in our regular rotation. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Jen,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Made this absolutely delicious dish!!OMG❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️
Hey Susan,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
My husband loved this dish. Satisfied his craving for French Onion Soup!!
Hey there,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
It was good but a little bland. I think I’ll experiment with this and try more pleasonings, especially in the meatballs.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Aimee! xTieghan
I want to make this for a potluck, how would I cook this if I were doubling the recipe? I only have one large cast iron skillet. Possibly make it in 2 batches and stick them in a large baking tray to broil together? I saw below where you said I can make up to step 5 ahead of time already, so that’s helpful 🙂
Hey Nichole,
Yes, I like the idea of using a large baking tray to broil them altogether and serve. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Received compliments that this was a restaurant quality meal. I was able to adjust a few things to make it gluten free. Great recipe to serve along side a salad.
Hey Alicia,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
I like the recipe, I just found the meatballs to be very bland. Maybe I will add more seasoning next time, or use beef maybe
Thanks so much for trying the recipe Kathy, sorry you didn’t love the meatballs! xTieghan
Another amazing recipe. So flavorful and delicious. Followed step by step precisely and loved the flavor. ?
Hey Claire,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
What’s your favorite brand of wine to cook with? Does the quality of the wine you use make a difference?
Hey Cameron,
I really don’t have a favorite brand of wine, I love a large variety, but yes you want to use something that you would want to drink. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is AMAZING! I added some seasoning and minced garlic to the meatball mix, and due to ingredients, used ground pork and beef instead of chicken. I also added a shallot to the onion.
I am obsessed with how easy and delicious this is! Definitely going into regular cold weather rotation. Family loved it, too!
Thank you for your great recipes!
Hey Johanna,
Happy Sunday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xTieghan
Would you recommend getting a 10″ or 12″ cast iron skillet? Thanks!
Hey Raina,
Either one will work just fine. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan