We love that this Instant Pot French Onion Chicken comes together in one pot in less than 30 minutes and makes a delicious everyday meal for busy cooks. This recipe is super easy and only requires a handful of ingredients. It's low-carb, keto and gluten-free but you can also serve it over pasta noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.
Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
In this recipe, a French onion soup meets melt-in-your-mouth shredded chicken and creamy mushroom sauce to make a glorious Instant Pot dinner meal.
We're using French onion mix instead of slowly cooking onions from scratch. It adds a lot of flavor and texture to the sauce - like a gravy mix would - and saves you from crying over onion slicing. Plus, it speeds things up significantly, which we love for a weeknight meal.
Using cream cheese adds that lovely subtle cheese flavor (hello cheesy onion soup!) and lots of creaminess.
Once cooked, the chicken meat is shredded and returned to the sauce. Each meat strip gets coated with that delicious French onion sauce. Drool!
This Instant Pot French chicken and mushroom can be served as a stew with good bread for dunking on the side or enjoyed over pasta noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. Oh, it's delicious in a sandwich, too!
For a low-carb, keto meal, serve this dish over cauliflower rice or with a side of green vegetables or zucchini noodles.
French Onion Chicken Ingredients
The ingredients for this creamy French chicken stew are super simple. Don't you love it when it's just a few of them? We do!
- Chicken – We used two large chicken breasts (no skin or bone) cut into 3 pieces each, which allows it to cook through to super tender in a shorter time. You can also use skinless chicken thighs.
- French onion soup mix – We used a regular packet of soup mix powder. You need about 1.4 oz or 40 grams; or, about 3 tablespoons if using a larger container. Many of the brands are gluten-free but check the labels!
- Cream cheese - We recommend reduced-fat, lighter cream cheese as it makes the dish a little less heavy (and cuts down on calories) but you can use the full-fat option too.
- Other bits – Mushrooms are optional but add earthy, umami flavor and nutrients. Chicken stock should be low-sodium as you get plenty of salt and seasoning from the French onion soup mix and cream cheese. If you only have regular chicken stock, dilute it with water to reduce the salt.
- Garlic always works well in creamy sauces but can be left out. You can also use a little garlic powder instead. Finally, you need some green onions to garnish!
How To Make French Onion Chicken In Instant Pot
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos of how to make creamy French onion chicken and mushroom stew with the help of the Instant Pot. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.
Pressure Cooking The Chicken
- Prep. Cut the chicken breasts into three pieces (cut the thickest part of the breasts to make them a little thinner and more even). Slice mushrooms, chop the onion and garlic and get your chicken stock ready.
- Step 1. Add a cup of low-sodium chicken to the Instant Pot. Stir in half of the French Onion mix and half of the garlic.
- Step 2. Nestle the chicken breast pieces in the stock and sprinkle with the remaining onion mix and garlic.
- Step 3. Evenly top with mushrooms and place a block of cream cheese in the middle, do not stir. It will melt into the sauce during cooking.
- Step 4. Secure and lock the lid. Set to Pressure Cook for 15 minutes on HIGH pressure. The Instant Pot will take about 6-7 minutes to come to pressure. Once the timer is done, leave the pot alone for 5 minutes and then use the quick release to let off the remaining pressure.
Once Chicken Is Cooked
- Step 5. Open the lid and remove the chicken pieces. Set aside.
- Step 6. Press the Saute function on the Instant Pot. Use a whisk or a spatula to whip the sauce and to break up any clumps of cream cheese. Once the sauce starts to simmer or bubble, the cream cheese will eventually melt completely. Let the sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes to reduce and thicken.
- Step 7. Shred the chicken with two forks or dice and return to the sauce along with half of the green onions. Stir through.
- Step 8. If you would like to thicken the sauce further, whisk a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Stir it into the chicken and watch the sauce thicken instantly.
- Serve over pasta noodles, rice, and mashed potatoes, as a stew with good bread or croutons, or with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles for a low-carb version.
What To Serve With French Onion Chicken
Creamy, saucy chicken is pretty versatile when it comes to side dishes and how you can serve it. Here are some ideas.
- As a stew: Dig in with a spoon and some good bread on the side to dunk into the sauce. Croutons can be added on top to soak up the liquid as well.
- With something starchy: Pasta noodles of any kind, gnocchi, rice (white or brown), mashed potatoes or roast potatoes, quinoa, polenta, couscous.
- Saucy Chicken Sandwich: Think French dip steak sandwich or pot roast beef rolls but with this creamy onion chicken instead.
- Casserole: Turn it into a bake with rice, pasta noodles or added vegetables and a topping of cheese on top.
- Don't forget the veggies: Freshen things up with a side of vegetables such as steamed or grilled green beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and peas.
- Low-carb/keto: For a lighter option, serve the chicken over green vegetables, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles
How Long Is Chicken Stew Good For
- As French onion chicken contains cream cheese, it might not freeze as well as stews without dairy. You can absolutely freeze it but beware that the texture may change and become noticeably grainier.
- This dish will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Make sure to reheat to piping hot!
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Fricassee
- Easy Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Meatloaf With Honey Mustard Glaze
- Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Curry (Only 5 Ingredients!)
- Want even chicken recipes? 45+ Instant Pot Chicken Recipes For Every Taste
Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
Rate This Recipe
Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock low sodium
- 1.5 pounds chicken 2 large breasts, cut into 3 pieces
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 packet French onion soup mix
- 4 ounces mushrooms Swiss brown, sliced
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 green onions finely diced
- 1 tablespoon flour or corn starch
Instructions
- Prep. Cut the chicken breasts into 3 pieces, slice mushrooms, chop garlic and onions and prepare the chicken stock (if making from stock cube).
- Add a cup of low-sodium chicken to the Instant Pot. Stir in half of the French Onion mix and half of the garlic.
- Nestle the chicken breast pieces in the stock and sprinkle with the remaining onion mix and garlic.
- Evenly top with mushrooms and place a block of cream cheese in the middle, do not stir. It will melt into the sauce during cooking.
- Secure and lock the lid. Set to Pressure Cook for 15 minutes on HIGH pressure. The Instant Pot will take about 6-7 minutes to come to pressure. Once the timer is done, leave the pot alone for 5 minutes and then use the quick release to let off the remaining pressure.
- Remove the chicken pieces and shred or dice. Set aside.
- Press the Saute function on the Instant Pot. Use a whisk or a spatula to whip the sauce a few times to break up any clumps of cream cheese. Once the sauce starts to simmer or bubble, the cream cheese will eventually melt completely. Let the sauce bubble for 2-3 minutes to reduce and thicken.
- Return the shredded chicken back to the sauce along with half of the green onions and stir through.
- If you would like to thicken the sauce further, whisk a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Stir it into the chicken and watch the sauce thicken instantly.
- Serve over pasta noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, as a stew with good bread or croutons, or with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles for a low-carb version.
katie
I love onions. How would you recommend incorporating real onions to the recipe?
Ann Fabrizio
Saute the onions at the very beginning until they carmelize.
Penelope
This recipe is delicious! It is easy to make and it tastes great.
Shelly
Hi, l would love to try this, but also need to double it. When I try the calculator it only changes the chicken stock. Would you double everything? Even the soup mix and cream cheese?
Instant Pot Eats
Yes, pretty much. Pressure cooking time can stay the same but the coming to pressure will take a little longer as there will be more food/liquid in the pot.
Richard
My family, including our young kids, enjoyed this so I want double the amount I made last time. It’s very delicious.
Richard
Hi, I want to double the recipe but amounts of some ingredients do not change. For example the amount of cream cheese for a 1x recipe and a 2x is 8oz for both. Can you confirm the ingredient amount for a 2x recipe?
Instant Pot Eats
Should be times 2, there might be a glitch in the calculator for ingredients.
barbara
this sounds wonderful and my daughter recommended it but I have a question...how mush is a scoop? I have to be careful and don't make recipes without nutrition information, which you have, but what is a scoop? a cup, a flour bin scoop, a soup ladle? very confusing. thank you.
Instant Pot Eats
It would be about a cup.
Melinda K Baldwin
How would you go about adding fresh green beans to this recipe?
Instant Pot Eats
Hey Melinda, this depends on how cooked or crunchy you like the beans. If you add them at the same time as the chicken, they will turn out very soft. If that's what you're after, then cook them at the same time as the chicken. If you like them to retain crunch, add them once the chicken is cooked and set the pot on Saute function without the lid, and cook the beans in the stew for a few minutes. You can also pre-boil the beans briefly on the stove and stir them into the chicken later.
Brenda Lawrence
Very tasty. However i dont like shredded meat. I made with chicken thighs, and when I make it again, I will only cook for 12 mins. I found the French Onion Soip during a recent trip to Fr@nce, I cant find it in the UK
Instant Pot Eats
Hey Brenda, you can definitely make it with diced chicken meat or whole chicken thighs. In the UK, you can look for Onion Soup/Dip mix, like this on from Ocado: https://www.ocado.com/products/telma-onion-soup-dip-mix-573481011
Teresa
My first instant pot meal. Delicious. I served it over egg noodles. Skipped the green onions. It was delicious and easy!
Instant Pot Eats
Thanks, Teresa. Glad you enjoyed it and that it was easy 🙂 Egg noodles - the perfect side dish!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! This is my kid of comfort food; my whole family loved it!
Anita
This soup is so creamy and delicious, it must be the addition of cream cheese which I have never added to my soup before. I'm addicted!
veenaazmanov
Soups are my all time super meals for Dinner. Love your soup recipes. Looks cream rich and delicious.
Gina
After a busy day this meal really hit the spot. Not only was it quick and easy to make but so very delicious. This will definitely stay in my dinner rotation!
Amanda
This was so good! That creamy sauce was so delicious with the French onion flavor, and the Instant Pot made the whole process super quick and easy.