This French Onion Pasta is tossed with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions coated in a rich, velvety sauce of white wine, gruyere, and heavy cream. Add some roasted chicken to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a full meal.

For more delicious pasta dishes, try my family’s favorites like this Steak Pasta, which combines tender strips of steak with a robust sauce. For a lighter option, this Spinach Pasta is a must-make, and finally, don’t miss my easy Chicken Pasta Bake.

Closeup overhead image of French onion pasta in a pan with a wooden spoon.

If you’re looking for a simply delicious meal to make your busy life easier but still tasty, this TikTok viral French onion pasta recipe is your answer. Relive the classic soup taste with perfectly tender pasta that soaks up the flavor of the rich, velvety sauce it’s cooked in.

This one-pot meal is loaded with caramelized onions, tender pieces of chicken, hints of thyme, and sauteed mushrooms. It’s finished with a touch of cream and a generous portion of gruyere cheese that just melts into the sauce. Serve it with garlic breadsticks or focaccia and a fresh green salad for a full, satisfying meal.

Why I Love This French Onion Pasta

One-pot. You’ll roast the chicken separately, but the rest is all cooked in one pot for easy cleanup!
Rich Flavor. Think caramelized onions, tender pasta, cheese, and white wine – it’s a deliciously filling bite.
Creamy goodness. Melty, nutty Gruyere blends with heavy cream to make one irresistible, creamy sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

You can tailor this French Onion Pasta recipe to your taste or use what you have. Adding a splash of balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce can enhance the dish, and using ground beef instead of chicken is a fantastic substitution that works well with these flavors.

Chicken thighs are what I use for this recipe, but you could use chicken breasts instead.
Olive oil is used for the chicken and for the sauce.
Salt & Black Pepper to season.
Butter for the onions.
Yellow Onions are always my go-to, but sweet onions, like Vidalia, are a good alternative.
Garlic
Cremini Mushrooms are my choice, but white button mushrooms would also work.
Fresh thyme sprigs or use dried thyme instead.
Dry White Wine, or you could use some apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar instead.
Short pasta like orecchiette, but mezze rigatoni, bow ties, or fusilli would do the trick as well.
Beef broth is used for authenticity, but you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Cornstarch & Water to make a slurry.
Heavy cream
Freshly grated gruyere cheese will melt into the sauce more smoothly.

How to Make French Onion Pasta

This pasta dish is absolutely amazing. It’s a perfect fusion of my go-to pasta and the rich taste of French onion soup. Sure, caramelizing onions takes a bit of extra effort, but the resulting sweet, deep flavor is totally worth it!

Raw, seasoned chicken thighs on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.

Chopping roasted chicken on a cutting board.

Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Season the chicken. Toss the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper and transfer it to the baking sheet; bake for 30 minutes. Then, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Caramelize the onions. Heat olive oil and melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them over medium-low heat for 30 to 40 minutes until caramelized, stirring occasionally.
Sauté the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the wine and stir until it has mostly evaporated.
Cook the pasta. Stir the pasta and the beef broth into the mushroom mixture and boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Thicken the sauce. Whisk together the cornstarch and water and stir it into the pasta. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Finish it off. Turn off the heat and stir in the chicken, followed by the heavy cream and the gruyere. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Sauteing mushrooms with caramelized onions.

Overhead image of orecchiette pasta in a pan with a wooden spoon stirring through the pasta.

Recipe Tips And Variations

Keep the broth near you when caramelizing the onions. Add broth as needed if the pan starts to dry up.
Be patient and caramelize the onions so they are a deep brown. The flavor will deepen with the color, and it takes some time to get to that.
Keep stirring the pasta frequently as it cooks, or it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
Use rotisserie chicken instead of roasting your own to save some time. Remove the meat from the bone and shred it or chop it up.
Make it vegetarian, and leave out the chicken in this recipe.
Add veggies like spinach at the end and let it wilt into the pasta dish. Or add diced, roasted asparagus or another veggie of your choosing.
Try a different cheese if you want. Gruyere is reminiscent of French onion soup, but you can use freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino.

Serving Suggestions

For an even more delicious dining experience with this French onion pasta, add this La Scala Chopped Salad to the menu. I am a big fan of these Air Fryer Carrots and my Roasted Artichokes – they go great with this rich pasta. Settle in for a heartwarming meal and introduce this Cream of Zucchini Soup as a starter. This Slow Cooker Leek and Potato Soup pairs beautifully with any pasta recipe.

Overhead shot of a bowl of French onion pasta.

Storing Leftovers

Seal the pasta in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
To reheat, transfer the pasta to a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.