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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!
We thought this was good the first time I made it, but I made some modifications this time, and it was delicious…Based on other comments, I seasoned the chicken mixture, cooked the meatballs in the air fryer, and used beef broth instead of chicken. I also used a mixture of gruyere and cheddar. Yum!
Hi Bethany,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Just responding now, however I made it during the holidays. It was delicious. It was the first recipe I had tried from your collection. I’m going to try your salmon in parchment next!
Thank you got you cooking creativity!
3-3-22
Hi Maryann,
Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Wow! Thank you for this recipe. My husband and I loved it (and prior to this he refused to even try ground chicken meatballs). Came out perfectly. Followed the recipe and paid attention to the comments. So good. Even scored some beautiful fresh wild mushrooms at the farmer’s market that helped make this a huge success. We will make this again, for sure! Even warmed up meatballs on top of a kale salad the next day was amazing.
forgot to give it 5 stars!
That’s so funny, I was looking up French onion meatball recipes and came to this one. Your comment was the first one I saw, and I thought ‘I don’t remember making these!’. Then I looked at the date. Not a lot of Lois’ out there!
Thanks again Lois!!
Hey Lois,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xxT
This is delicious but needed a little tweaking. I’ve made it twice, first exactly as written and second time with a few minor modifications. I had to broil the meatballs to get them to crisp up as baking just cooked the meatballs. It took much longer to caramelize the onions but it is worth the time and effort to get deep caramelization (45 min to an hour is a closer approximation of time just for the onions). I used beef stock and it made the flavor much richer than using chicken broth. I served over mashed potatoes and the entire family asked for seconds. This is comfort food at its best and is a definite keeper. Thanks!
Hey Jennifer,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. Have the best weekend:) xT
This is supper tonight! Smells and tastes delicious! Don’t rush the onions and you will be rewarded, can’t wait to dig in
Hey Michelle,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it was so good! Kind of felt like a lot of steps, but at least for next time I’ll be more familiar and hopefully breeze through faster.
Oh and I used ground beef as it’s what I had on hand?
Awesome!!
Hey Jen,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Availability delicious!! Cubed the baguette and nestled them into the broth to make an easier whole bite. Definitely keeping this recipe!
Hi Kaitie,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
This was fantastic!!!! I think next time I will cook the meatballs in the air fryer instead of the oven first. It makes them so crispy. I will def be making again! 🙂
Hi Taylor,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I added 1 shallot 2 cloves of garlic to the chicken meatballs and served this with the crispy thyme sweet potato stacks… the family was VERY happy! 10/10 all around.
Hi Taylor,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
This recipe is so good! And a great way to turn a classic (french onion soup) into something that feels more like a full meal than an appetizer. Take the time to caramelize those onions, and use the fresh herbs! It’s all worth it.
Hi Melissa,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
I usually don’t review a recipe that I didn’t follow exactly, but it was a huge hit with my family so I had to chime in! I omitted the mushrooms (taste preference) forgot the milk, didn’t have thyme and we made 1.5X of the recipe to use all of the two pounds of ground chicken I picked up. SO DELICIOUS! So this is a good recipe to be flexible and play around with and it’ll still come out amazing! After reading other reviews, I’ll try adding more flavors to the meatballs next time. Definitely making this again, thanks!
Hey Louise,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
This recipe is amazing and surprised that the calories are not that much for the immense flavor. I am usually not a huge fan of anything french onion soupy but this carries it home, my husband and I ate every last bite right out of the pan lol. Thank you Tieghan for a great weeknight favorite.
Hi Lily,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xT
I made this a few weeks ago and it was so delicious I’m making it again this week!! Recipe is easy to follow, the onions take some time to cook but otherwise comes together fairly quickly.
Hey Caroline,
Awesome! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
Best recipe ever!! The bread, meatballs, and onions were just the perfect combination of flavors. Fairly easy to make as well! One of my favorite meals yet 🙂
Hey Jessica,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
What do you think about prepping ahead of time? Freezing partially, or completely cooked meatballs, and refrigerating the caramelized onions for a few days.
Hey Kathy,
I would prep up until the point of baking and then freeze. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
These were absolutely delicious!! I loved that it was slightly creamy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Alexandria,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays!? xx
One of my favourite dishes! I couldn’t stop eating!! Dangerously good!
Hey Hanaro,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This is the perfect comfort food, delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
Hi Melinda,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for making it and happy holidays!❄️ xTieghan