Chicken With Beef Broth – the title says it all…chicken with beef broth. Nothing too special, but this recipe is healthy and easy to make! Who doesn’t love an amazing_taste_of_chicken_with_beef broth? especially when you understand the Chicken Broth Benefits.
In this article you’ll learn How to make chicken broth from scratch using a whole chicken, this is why you should learn how to make chicken broth and not buy it in stores.
Chicken With Beef Broth
If you’re craving easy comfort food, look no further than this French Onion Chicken recipe. It’s a quick and simple weeknight meal that brings forth all the flavors of classic French onion soup but in a heartier, protein-focused version.
How to Make French Onion Chicken
This French onion chicken recipe is really simple to make. While it’s technically not a classic French dish, it does play off the techniques and flavors of French onion soup, which is one of my personal favorites.
When you’re making this dish, you want to be sure to use thin pieces of chicken breast so that the chicken not only cooks quickly, but evenly through the center too.
Most pieces of chicken breast sold at the store are quite plump, so what I like to do is cut the chicken straight through the center horizontally. This creates two equal chicken halves.
I find that cutting the chicken breast in half is much easier than trying to pound it out. Plus, it’s easier to fit in a pan and it’s a leaner meal by splitting each breast.
To season the chicken, I like to use Montreal Steak Seasoning. I know it’s “steak” seasoning, but I honestly use this seasoning on chicken and veggies all the time and it is wonderfully flavorful. If you use this seasoning, you won’t need to add any salt or pepper as the seasoning already has that.
If you don’t use the steak seasoning, you can alternatively just salt and pepper your chicken and add some Italian seasoning for the extra flavor.
Other than the chicken, the sauce for this dish is really just made up of beef broth and caramelized onions. Once the chicken has finished cooking in this sauce, it’s topped with some cheese and either covered with a lid or transferred to the oven to finish cooking and allow the cheese to melt.
Can you make French Onion Soup with chicken broth?
So this is a question I receive quite a bit when it comes to making French onion soup, and I anticipate that I will be asked this when it comes to making French onion chicken as well.
The answer is yes. Both chicken broth and beef broth will work for either recipe, but…and that’s a big but, don’t expect the soup or the sauce in this recipe to be as rich or quite as flavorful as beef broth.
It’s just a fact that beef broth is more rich and flavorful than chicken broth, and if you sub anything else, you’re just not going to get as wonderfully tasty of a dish as you would if you used beef broth.
In a pinch, however, feel free to use chicken broth. Whether I’m using chicken broth or beef broth, I like to use the lower sodium version. It’s always easier to add salt to a dish if you feel like it needs some than to try and take it away after it’s already been added.
French Onion Chicken Bake or Just Keep it on the Stove?
As I mentioned, you’ll want to finish the recipe off with some cheese added to the top of the chicken. After all, isn’t that the best part when you’re having the original French onion soup version?
With the soup, it’s classically poured into oven-safe bowls and transferred to the oven under the broiler to melt the cheese.
If you want to do the same method for this chicken, then you’ll obviously need to make sure you’re using an oven-safe sauté pan to begin with.
But for ease and convenience, I like to just place a lid over my sauté pan and allow the cheese to melt over the chicken as it finishes cooking. That way I don’t have to turn on the whole oven when it’s not actually necessary.
For the cheese topping, you have a variety of choices to choose from. You can go for a classic option like shredded gruyere, or you can use deli slices like I do for a quick and already portioned choice.
I’ll typically use one slice of ultra thin provolone, one slice of ultra thin swiss, and just a teaspoon of finely grated parmesan for a little salty kick. This helps keep the meal from being too indulgent while still delivering that cheesy flavor.
What to Serve French Onion Chicken With?
In my opinion, this French onion chicken recipe is best served with mashed potatoes. This isn’t to say that you can’t serve it with vegetables or French fries, but mashed potatoes are truly the perfect accompaniment here.
This is because one of the best parts about this recipe is the delicious gravy-like sauce that is created with the beef broth and the caramelized onions. That sauce just begs for something like mashed potatoes to soak it all up.
If you serve this recipe with mashed potatoes, you’ll be able to get a piece of cheesy chicken, scrumptious gravy, and creamy potatoes all in one bite. And let me tell you, it sure is one incredibly blissful bite!
Tips for Making French Onion Chicken
Here are some of the tips I’ve mentioned for making this French onion chicken recipe at home:
- Cut your chicken breasts in half horizontally to create two equal chicken halves. This will allow the chicken to cook more quickly and evenly.
- Use Montreal Steak seasoning to season your chicken.
- Be sure to use beef broth (reduced sodium if possible) for optimal flavor and authenticity.
- Use pre-cut deli slices of cheese, like provolone rounds and swiss slices, for ease and a healthier finish.
- Place a lid on your sauté pan to help melt the cheese rather than transfer the dish to the oven for greater ease and practicality.
French Onion Chicken Recipe
- yield: 4
- prep time: 15 MINUTES
- cook time: 45 MINUTES
- total time: 1 HOUR
A quick and delicious weeknight meal made with chicken and intended to replicate the flavors of French onion soup.
Ingredients
- 2 thick chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally to create 4 thin chicken breast halves
- 1 large onion
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- Montreal steak seasoning (or salt, pepper, & optionally Italian seasoning)
- 1 cup reduced sodium beef broth
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 slices ultra thin provolone cheese
- 4 slices ultra thin swiss cheese
- about 1 1/2 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 sprig thyme (optional), for garnish
- 4 small Russet potatoes or 2 large Russet potatoes, peeled, for mashed potatoes
- 1/4 cup whole milk or more, to taste, for mashed potatoes
- salt and pepper for mashed potatoes
Instructions
- If making mashed potatoes, add the peeled potatoes to a large saucepan with boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes simmer in the water while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Melt the unsalted butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. While the butter is melting, slice your onion into half moon slices, then add them to the pan with the butter. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook the onion slices for 15 minutes, until they’re caramelized.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chicken breasts. Sprinkle some Montreal steak seasoning over each chicken breast half, taking care to season both sides. Alternatively, season each side of chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Temporarily remove the onion slices from the pan, then give the pan a quick spray of cooking oil or a drizzle of olive oil. Arrange the chicken breasts in the pan over medium heat, taking care to do your best not to overlap them. Cook the breasts until they’re golden and nicely seared, about 5 minutes, before flipping the breasts over and cooking the other side.
- Temporarily remove the chicken from the pan and add the onions back in. Add the flour to the onions and stir everything together for a minute.
- Pour a little bit of the beef broth in and use your spatula to scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Once you’ve cleaned up the bottom of the pan, pour in the rest of the broth and raise the heat to medium-high, until the broth is simmering.
- Once the beef broth is simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the chicken back into the pan, then cover each piece of chicken with 1 slice of provolone cheese, 1 slice of swiss cheese, and a sprinkle (about a teaspoon) of grated parmesan. Place the lid on the sauté pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- When the potatoes are tender (meaning you can easily pierce them with a spoon), drain the water from the saucepan. Then add the milk to your potatoes and use a potato masher to mash and smooth out the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then swap out the potato masher for a wooden spoon and stir the potatoes to mix in the salt and pepper well.
- Place a generous scoop of mashed potatoes on your plate, then place the cooked chicken breast on top with the sauce poured all over it. Garnish with some thyme leaves before serving.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BROTH
Thanks to the traditional food movement, millions of people are re-discovering and re-learning how to prepare simple nutrient-dense foods at home. Without a doubt, homemade stocks (also called broths), like chicken and beef stock are a big part of that trend.
As a Nutritional Therapist, I consider a properly made chicken and beef stock a superfood, chock full of nutrients that support a wide range of health issues.
Notice though that I said, “properly made.”
Unfortunately, there are no store-bought stocks that are properly made. They all contain chemical flavorings, even the organic ones, to mimic the flavor of real stocks. And that’s because a real stock is slowly simmered for extended periods which draws out nutrients that support things like bone and joint health, digestive and immune health, and even mental health. That slow simmering is also what gives stocks their flavor.
Chicken and beef stock are certainly the two most common types of homemade bone stocks. Once you learn the basics, you’ll have the foundation for an infinite amount of simple stock-based soups.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND BEEF STOCK
CHICKEN AND BEEF STOCK RECIPES
CHICKEN STOCK RECIPE
Simply simmer a whole chicken or any chicken parts in water with vegetables and herbs.
- Course Broth
- Cuisine Any
- Prep Time10 minutes
- Cook Time4 hours
- Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole chicken or chicken parts, cut up
- Vegetables – coarsely chopped – 2-3 carrots, 2-3 stalks celery, 1 medium to large onion
- 1-2 chicken backs and necks, chicken feet, giblets (but not the liver)
- 1-2 TBSP Apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop veggies and place in stock pot with chicken. Cover with water, add vinegar and let sit for 30-60 minutes. The vinegar aids in leaching the minerals from the bones.
- Bring the water to a boil. Before it boils, skim any scum that rises to the surfact. Once it boils, turn the heat to low, put the lid back on, and simmer very gently for 12-24 hours. That’s it!
- Strain broth from bones and veggies.
- Store in fridge for up to 7 days. Freeze whatever you won’t use within a week.
RECIPE NOTES
1. Remove the chicken after 3-5 hours and remove the meat from the bones. It should be well cooked and very tender. Reserve the meat for chicken salad or for a wonderful chicken soup. Return bones to water and continue simmering for 12-24 hours.
2. For a lighter broth, simmer for 2-8 hours.
3. Adding fresh herbs at the end of the simmering imparts additional minerals and flavors. Parsley and thyme are two common additions.
4. You can also do the above with just chicken bones. Save your bones in your freezer until you have enough to make a stock. Add in some additional chicken parts (necks, backs, etc.) if you have them for more depth.
5. When the stock cools, a layer of fat will form on the surface. Despite what every fat-phobic recipe on the internet says, don’t skim it off. It will act as a seal and keep your stock fresher in the fridge for a longer period. When you do break the seal you can either save the fat for use in other recipes (gravies, sautéing, etc.) or dissolve it back into the broth. Dissolving it back is a matter of personal preference. It will make your broth a little heavier. Perhaps wonderful for a cold winter night but not so much for other uses. You can also feed it to your dog who will love you for it!
BEEF STOCK RECIPE
Beef stock is a little more time-intensive as the thicker bones require more exposure to heat to withdraw their nutrients. Meatier bones can also be roasted as they’ll impart a deeper, richer flavor. It’s not totally necessary though and I often skip it.
Ingredients
- About four pounds bones including marrow bones, meaty bones and knuckle bones.
- Vegetables, coarsely chopped – 2-3 carrots, 2-3 stalks celery, 1 medium to large onion
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup full-bodied red wine like cabernet or zinfandel, optional
- 1-2 TBSPs peppercorns, optional
- 2 bay leaves, optional
- A few sprigs thyme, optional
Directions
1. Place non-meaty bones and vegetables in stock pot, cover with water and add vinegar. Let sit for one hour.
2. Roast meaty bones in oven set at 400 degrees tile browned (not charred!) for 15-30 minutes. Add to stock pot. Deglaze the drippings from the roasting pan by adding water or red wine over high heat and scraping with a spatula. Add deglazed drippings to pot.
3. Bring to a boil, skim scum that rises to surface and reduce heat to a very gentle simmer.
4. Add wine, peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme.
5. Simmer for at least 12 hours but as long as 72 hours.
6. Remove the bones and strain broth in a fine mesh or cheesecloth-lined colander.
7. Cool and transfer to fridge or freezer.
Tips and Variations
1. If you can’t get a good variety of bones, that’s OK. Any bones will do. Work with what you have and what you can get. All of them will still impart valuable minerals and nutrients. The great thing about broths is that you can always spice them up after the fact. Some folks even prefer blander broths for that reason. You can even exclude the veggies for all of the above broths as well.
2. You can roast the vegetables with the meaty bones as well.
3. Simmering should be very gentle. Never rapidly boil the bones which can affect the flavor. A good indication of the right temperature is a few bubbles rising to the surface here and there.
4. As with the chicken stock, save the fat that congeals at the surface with cooling!
WHAT TO DO WITH CHICKEN AND BEEF STOCK
OK, so now you have some chicken and beef stock. Now what?
It includes dozens of chicken and beef stock-based soup recipes to get you started.
And as the tagline says, I truly wrote this book for “real people on real budgets.”
All of the recipes emphasize simplicity. They’re geared to all you stressed-out moms and dads and workaholics trying to figure out how to eat well with limited funds and time.
Here’s a little of what you’ll learn:
- 20 quick and simple Broth for Breakfast recipes for those rushed AM hours
- 10 simple Creamy Vegetable Soup recipes including Potato Leek and Carrot-Apple
- 10 Asian Noodle soups including Thai, Vietnamese and Burmese-inspired recipes
- 10 Soup from the Sea recipes including Cioppino, Clam Chowder and Bouillabaisse
- 10 simple sausage and meatball soup recipes including Italian Meatball and Portuguese Kale
Can You Mix Chicken and Beef Broth?
A good bowl of broth is rich in flavor and should provide you with all the nourishment you need. While it may seem mundane, we think that there is just something magical about it.
Thinks about it this way: You’re effectively transforming a plain bowl of water into a pot full of flavor. The process is straightforward enough; infusing water with the flavors of your desired ingredients. These may include meats, bones, and vegetables. From a rudimentary cooking procedure, you are able to get something truly wonderful.
Broths come in different forms. Perhaps none are as popular and widely used as chicken and beef broths.
That said, one of the most commonly asked questions arise: can you mix chicken and beef broth? The short answer to that is yes. The savory yet neutral flavor profile of chicken broth makes it perfectly alright to mix these broths. The best way to do it is to use the chicken broth to complement the beef broth, not the other way around. This is because the beef broth can quickly overwhelm the mild chicken flavors.
To further explain, we’ll be taking a closer look at these broths, their specific characteristics, and what makes them special. So keep reading!
Beef Broth Vs Chicken Broth
Chicken and beef are perhaps among the most popular sources of protein we have today. You can use them as ingredients in a virtually endless list of recipes.
Arguably, they are among the most versatile food items out there. That said, it is hardly surprising that they are also commonly used as the main ingredients for broth.
So, before anything else, we need to take a closer look at how chicken and beef broths differ. This is so that you can better put things into context and keep them in perspective as we delve deeper into the matter at hand.
Cooking Time
Chicken broth cooks at a much faster rate because chicken bones are much lighter and thinner compared to the incredibly thick bones of beef.
Instead of 24-hour cook time, you can finish cooking chicken broth in as little as 18 hours break.
During this time, the connective tissues and bones have broken down and released a myriad of minerals and amino acids into the broth.
Flavor Profile
As a general rule, if you are looking for a hearty and rich flavor for your broth, then you should go with beef.
However, if you want a lighter flavor, then chicken should be your best bet. Of course, remember that you will get more depth and flavor for your broth if you roast the bones for an hour first.
Digestibility
The matter of digestibility becomes important when you are dealing with a weakened digestive system.
While all manners of broth are generally considered to be easily digestible, thanks to the prolonged cooking and simmering time, chicken broth is much easier to digest compared to beef broth. This is because the hearty flavors of beef may prove too much if your stomach is weak.
Nutrients
There are also differences when it comes to the nutritional content of these broths. For instance, chicken bone broth is rich in healthy fatty acids like omega-6.
Chicken broth also has a notably higher protein content compared to beef broth. This increases exponentially when you add chicken feet to the pot. Remember that chicken feet have loads of collagen and connective tissues.
Once broken down, it will give you high levels of protein. On the other hand, beef broth has more energy-boosting minerals including magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and sulfur.
If done properly, your broth should be filled to the brim with flavor and nutrients. With every sip, you will be treated to a bevy of essential nutrients.
The longer you cook your broth, the more concentrated its nutrients will be. So, don’t rush the process and let your broth simmer.
Mixing Chicken and Beef Broth
Now, back to the original question: Can you put these broths together? The answer to that is yes. For instance, some home cooks even make use of chicken broths for dishes such as onion soup and beef stew. This is despite the fact that they are traditionally beef broth-based dishes.
So, why would you want to do this? The answer to that comes in two distinct, but interrelated, parts.
First, there is the matter of flavor. Chicken broth is widely used as a supplement or a replacement for other types of broth because of its savory yet light flavor profile. Unlike beef, pork, or fish, chicken has a neutral palette despite being savory and packed with umami. This means that it can you flavor without overwhelming the dish.
That said, the effectiveness of this mixture only goes one way.
Chicken can complement beef but not the other way around. Its light flavors serve to complement and further highlight the hearty flavors typically associated with beef.
However, attempting to do the same with beef on traditionally chicken-based dishes would be inadvisable. This is because of the distinctive and rich flavor that comes with beef broth will inevitably overwhelm the flavors of the chicken.
Secondly, there is the matter of protein content. As stated earlier, one of the advantages of chicken broth over beef is its higher protein content. For instance, most canned chicken broth contains have a 60-to-1 liquid-protein ratio. This is more than twice the 135-to-1 ratio found in store-bought beef broths.
Remember that the higher the protein level of your broth, the more intense its flavor is going to be.
Of course, there are other reasons why you would want to mix these two broths aside from practicality and maximizing flavors.
For instance, there is the matter of your cultural upbringing that will undoubtedly affect your food preferences. After all, while food is universal, flavors and tastes are partly shaped by your environment. So, while some food may taste strange for you, for others it is completely normal.
Making Chicken and Beef Bone Broth
While you can mix chicken and beef broths together, you should remember that there is another popular and more effective way of bringing together the flavors of beef and chicken into a single pot. We are talking about making your own bone broth.
Bone broth is one of the most basic things you can make with your ingredients. Moreover, it is a time-tested method of culinary art, one that has been around for centuries with virtually endless variations from different cultures around the world.
It is a slow-simmered mixture with a delicate and savory taste that brings together all the nutrients, amino acids, and minerals from your ingredients.
Take note that the best bone broths usually contain a mixture of different bones, meats, and vegetables.
That said, you can take your large and thick beef bones and mix them with some chicken feet, wings, and drumsticks. Cook them for 18-24 hours and you will end up with a broth that is not only rich in nutrients and energy-boosting properties, but is also savory and packed with high levels of protein.
Mixing chicken and beef broths may seem like an interesting, but strange, idea. However, upon closer inspection of their respective properties, it is made clear why people would want to do it. There is a lot of potential that can be explored here, especially with the neutral flavor profile that you get with chicken.
It is also worth noting that you are also completely free to do so. It should go without saying that broadening your horizon is an important part of any culinary journey.
Chicken Broth Benefits
At this point, it becomes clear that one of the main reasons why people opt to mix chicken and beef broths stems from a major problem that comes with canned or store-bought broths.
To be more specific, we are referring to the general lack of flavoring that come with these pre-packaged items.
Despite being the more convenient option, it should go without saying that this is a problem that could have been avoided altogether. After all, anyone can easily make a broth far superior to the ones available in the store.
Making your own broth means having complete control over how it will come out.
This presents home cooks an interesting opportunity. It gives you the unique opportunity to ensure that your chicken or beef stock fits your tastes perfectly. You can make it as savory or as rich as you want.
That said, you should also feel free to experiment with different ingredients until you are happy with the results. You can even add all manners of vegetables and spices into the broth to discover new and interesting flavors.
Aside from having broth that tastes exactly the way you want it to, making your own broth also lets you keep close track of your nutrient intake.
For instance, you may be looking to watching your sodium levels. Making your own broth lets you do just that. You get to decide how much salt goes into your broth.
At the end of the day, the homemade stuff will always be healthier and will taste better.