Onion chicken roast is a super fast, minimal prep recipe. It doesn't have any gravy, but the onions cook in the juices of the chicken, become soft and sweet and coat the chicken to make a delicious dish that can be enjoyed with rice or as is with a salad on the side
This caramelized onion chicken roast is perfect for those days when it's almost dinner time and you still have no clue what to make. And this one delivers on all counts - BIG flavours, really fast cook time and a one-pot type of dish. The ONLY work is slicing the onions - for which I generally use a mandoline which means no tears and a pile of onions sliced in five minutes.
Quick Walk Through: Chicken With Caramelized Onions
Reasons you're going to love this recipe
- A quick and easy chicken dish that comes together in a jiffy, making it perfect for random hunger pangs or unexpected guests
- Requires very little chopping, and is mostly a dump-and-go recipe.
- Since it's a one-pot recipe, there's minimal post-cooking clean up.
- A versatile chicken dish that can be served as a snack, appetizer, or even a wholesome meal.
- A great source of protein and healthy fats.
Ingredients you'll need to make caramelized onion chicken
- Chicken: I recommend bone-in pieces so they remain tender and juicy
- Onions: Forms the base of the chicken dish and caramelized in the pot from the juices of the chicken
- Ginger garlic paste: For flavor and aroma
- Salt: For flavor and seasoning
- Lemon juice: Adds a dash of tang and freshness to the whole dish.
- Spices: This recipe just uses whole spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorn for lots of flavor and aroma.
- Green chillies: For heat. Can increase or decrease the quantity depending on your spice tolerance and the heat levels of your chillies.
- Ghee: Adds richness and nice a layer of flavor to the whole dish.
How to make caramelized onion chicken
1. Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, salt and lemon juice. Keep aside while you slice the onions.
2. Once the chicken has been marinating for 15-20 minutes, heat ghee in a pan. Add the cinnamon, bayleaf, cloves and peppercorns. In about 30 seconds, your kitchen will fill up with this beautiful aroma from all the spices.
3. Add green chillies and saute for a minute. Add chicken and brown on both sides for about 2 minutes on high heat.
4. Add the sliced onions. There is no need to saute or fry them. Just layer them on top of the chicken. Resist the temptation to stir things around too much.
5. Place a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes.
6. Halfway through, turn the chicken once. Add two tablespoons of water to the marinade bowl and mix it with the leftover paste. Add this to the pan. Cover and cook.
7. When the chicken is just about cooked (around the 20-minute mark), take off the lid, let all the water evaporate and let it brown in its juices. Serve hot!
How to defrost chicken quickly
If you're using frozen chicken, then defrosting it might be the only time consuming part about this recipe. But there are multiple ways you can speed up the process of defrosting chicken. I generally defrost my chicken by putting it in a big bowl of room temperature water, and changing the water every 30 minutes or so. With this method, it takes about 90 to minutes for the chicken to thaw out completely, making it ideal for those last minute chicken dinners!
Top tips to make the best chicken with caramelized onions
- You can swap bone-in chicken with boneless pieces if you prefer. Stick to chicken thighs if you decide to swap
- Once you add onions to the pan, make sure to spread them out in a thin even layer to allow everything to cook more evenly.
- Do not sauté or stir the onions after adding them to the pan. We want the onions to cook and caramelize from the juices of the chicken, and sautéing it too much will change the final texture and flavor.
FAQs
Absolutely! In fact, you can cook raw chicken with any vegetable of your choice. The juices from the chicken help cook the veggies beautifully, while also lending tonnes of flavor. Additionally, cooking vegetables and chicken in the same pot usually makes for great one-pan recipes.
Most one-pan recipes are best cooked in a cast iron pan as these pans distribute heat evenly and lend a beautiful flavor to the dish. However, you can easily use a non-stick pan if you don't have a cast iron one.
This is one of those dishes that tastes so incredibly delicious, I bet no one can tell how simple it actually is to put together! It also makes for a great appetizer! But if you're eating this for dinner, serve it with some naan or rice and salad for a quick and easy wholesome meal!
Watch the Video!
Caramelized Onion Chicken Roast
Ingredients
- ½ kg bone -in Chicken 2 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Clarified Butter
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 2 Bayleaves
- 5 Cloves
- 8 - 10 Peppercorns
- 2 Green Chillies slit lengthwise
- 3 large Onions sliced
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, salt and lemon juice. Set aside while you slice the onions.
- Once the chicken has been marinating for 15-20 minutes, heat ghee in a pan. Add cinnamon, bayleaves, cloves and peppercorns and saute. In about 30 seconds, your kitchen will fill up with this beautiful aroma from all the spices.
- Add green chillies and saute for a minute. Add chicken and brown on both sides for about 2 minutes on high heat.
- Add the sliced onions. There is no need to saute or fry them. Just layer them on top of the chicken. Resist the temptation to stir things around too much.
- Place a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through, turn the chicken once. Add two tablespoons of water to the marinade bowl and mix it with the leftover paste. Add this to the pan. When the chicken is just about cooked (around the 20-minute mark), take off the lid, let all the water evaporate and let the chicken brown in its juices. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- You can swap bone-in chicken with boneless pieces if you prefer. Stick to boneless chicken thighs if you want to swap
- Once you add onions to the pan, make sure to spread them out in a thin even layer to allow everything to cook more evenly.
- Do not sauté or stir the onions after adding them to the pan. We want the onions to cook and caramelize from the juices of the chicken, and sautéing it too much will change the final texture and flavor.
Jan says
In the list of ingredients you say lime juice and in the instructions you say lemon juice. Just wondering which is it?
Richa Gupta says
Love you for trying it out 🙂
Karan Rajpal says
The onions in this thing are divinity. This is a sureshot for dimwits like me.
Richa Gupta says
Hey Saawni! Its great to hear from you 🙂 I'm really glad your husband liked it - this makes all the effort worthwhile 🙂
I hope you keep visiting the blog for new recipes and do keep in touch.
saawni says
This recipe is super awesome. A quick cook you can easily tackle between returning from work and dinner time.
My husband went into some sort of trance after the first bite and asked me "HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS?? Who taught you this!? It's exactly like how chicken was prepared at my grandmom's place". haha...
I've already shared the recipe with a lot of friends. Absolutely worth trying.
Thanks Richa!
P.S. I added some coriander as garnish.