Name: Caramelised French onion chicken soup recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 12 brown onions, peeled; 40.00 ml olive oil; 3 cloves garlic; 40.00 ml brown sugar; 60g butter; 40.00 ml plain flour; 250.00 ml white wine; 3 litres chicken stock; 3 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves; 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded; 1 French stick; 1000.00 ml grated tasty cheese; 250.00 ml grated mozzarella cheese

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 05/14/2024

With all the richness of caramelised onions, garlic and herbs and cooked in a chicken-based stock, this a lighter version of the traditional French onion soup. - Greer Worsley

Ingredients

12 brown onions, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp brown sugar
60g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1 cup white wine
3 litres chicken stock
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 French stick
2 cups grated tasty cheese
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Method

Step 1

Halve onions and slice thinly. Heat oil in a large saucepan or stock pot. Cook onions for 15 minutes over gentle heat until very soft and starting to caramelise. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add brown sugar and cook for a further 15 minutes over gentle heat, stirring often, until a rich caramel colour. Add butter and stir until it melts. Stir through flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in wine and allow to bubble up and reduce. Add stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add shredded chicken and stir through to heat. Season well.
Step 2

Just before serving, preheat oven to 180C. Cut French stick into 10 thick diagonal slices. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Combine cheeses in a bowl, then distribute across the tops of the sliced bread. Bake for 8-10 minutes until bread is toasted and cheese has melted.
Step 3

Ladle soup into warm bowls ensuring each serving has plenty of onions and chicken. Top with a piece of cheesy bread and garnish with extra thyme.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

Don’t skimp on the first stage of cooking - you want the onions to be soft and properly caramelised before you add the liquid.

You can use the more traditional gruyere cheese on the bread, but I find a combination of tasty and mozzarella has just enough flavour and stretch to work well.

This soup, minus the bread, freezes well.

Recipe and photo by Greer Worsley.