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recipe
French Onion Chicken Soup - A Family Feast

French Onion Chicken Soup

Yield: 10 servings 1x
Prep: 45 minutesCook: 3 hoursTotal: 3 hours 45 minutes
Units:
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Ingredients

Stock

78 pounds whole chicken (one large or two small)

1 pound yellow onion, quartered

2 large stalks celery cut in quarters

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

2 medium garlic cloves, smashed

1 small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

2 large sprigs fresh thyme

7 quarts water

Soup

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

5 pounds sweet onion, cut in half top to bottom and then cut into quarter-inch thick slices along the grain.

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup brandy

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated (plus more for serving)

Bruschetta

1 loaf French Baguette, sliced on the bias into quarter inch thick slices

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

12 ounces Gruyere Swiss cheese, shredded


Instructions

Place all stock ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a fast simmer and cook two hours with a lid slightly ajar.

Place a sheet tray next to the pan. Using tongs and one or two spider strainers, remove chicken to the sheet pan.

Use tongs to pull the bones and skin from the meat and place back into the pot, leaving the meat on the tray. Raise heat to medium high and cook uncovered for another hour.

In the meantime, place chicken meat in the refrigerator and once cool shred the meat, then keep refrigerated until later in this recipe.

After the total three-hour cooking time, strain out and discard all solids. You should be left with close to four quarts of chicken stock. A little more or less is fine. Skim off fat and discard.

While the stock cooks, in a large Dutch oven, add olive oil over medium high heat and once hot, add all of the onions and cook and stir for ten minutes.

Lower heat to medium low and add the garlic, butter, sugar, salt and Worcestershire sauce and cook 20 minutes, stirring often.

Off heat add the brandy then back on medium high heat to cook and evaporate the brandy, about five minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with a rack closest to the broiler.

Measure out one cup of stock and pour the rest into the pot with the onions along with the shredded chicken and bring heat up to get the soup hot.

Add the Parmesan cheese, stir and let sit over low heat while you prepare the cheesy toasted bread.

Line a sheet tray with foil and spray kitchen pan spray all over the foil.

Add the reserved cup of chicken stock to the sheet pan.

Slice the French bread into quarter inch slices on the bias then set into the prepared pan with the bottoms soaking up the stock.

Sprinkle on the 1 ½ cups of grated Parmesan and the 12-ounces of shredded Swiss cheese and place in the oven for ten minutes.

Turn the oven to broil and broil 2-3 minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly and starting to brown.

To serve, place soup in each bowl, top with additional Parmesan and serve the toasted bread on the sides or over each portion.

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© Author: A Family Feast
Cuisine: French Method: stovetop, simmer