Chicken · American
French Onion Chicken with Roasted Carrots & Mashed Potatoes
This is what I make when I have chicken in the fridge and no real plan. It's rescued more weeknights than I can count.
Method
- 1.1
- 2.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Dice potatoes into ½-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.
- 3.2
- 4.Toss carrots on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, 15-20 minutes.
- 5.3
- 6.Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to pot; cover to keep warm.
- 7.4
- 8.While potatoes cook, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and softened, 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4 servings). Stir in stock concentrate and 2 TBSP water (¼ cup for 4); season with salt and pepper. Cook until jammy, 2-3 minutes more. Turn off heat; transfer to a small bowl. Wash out pan.
- 9.5
- 10.Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for onion over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-6 minutes per side. In the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, top with caramelized onion and cheese. Cover pan until cheese melts. (If your pan doesn’t have a lid, cover with a baking sheet!)
- 11.6
- 12.Heat pot with drained potatoes over low heat; mash with sour cream, 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4 servings), salt, pepper, and a splash of water (or milk, for extra richness) until smooth. Divide chicken, roasted carrots, and mashed potatoes between plates.
Notes
Read through the method once before you start. I know that sounds obvious, but I always skip it and always regret it.
A heavy pan makes a surprising amount of difference here. If you only own one good one, this is a good reason to dig it out.