Ingredient Substitutions:
🔄 Chicken Thighs → Boneless skinless chicken breasts, Rotisserie chicken (stir in during the last 5–10 minutes just to heat through), chicken sausage, or Italian sausage or ground chicken
🔄 French Onion Soup Mix → 1 tablespoon beef bouillon + 1 teaspoon onion powder + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
🔄 Rice → Jasmine or basmati rice, Brown rice (increase broth to 2½ cups and cook 35–40 minutes), Orzo or small pasta (cook uncovered and stir more often), Frozen microwavable rice (stir in at the end with spinach and reduce broth to 1 cup)
🔄 Chicken Broth → Vegetable broth, Bone broth, Water + bouillon cube
🔄 Spinach → Kale (cook a few minutes longer to soften) or leave it out! You could also add some mushrooms or zucchini if you prefer extra veggies over greens (add them when you add the onions)
🔄 Parmesan → Shredded mozzarella for extra meltiness, gruyère, swiss cheese, white cheddar, or a dairy-free parmesan alternative

Notes:
Don’t worry about fully cooking the chicken at first. It finishes cooking with the rice!
Dice the chicken small. Bite-size pieces cook faster and make it easier for kids to eat.
If the rice isn’t done but the liquid is gone, just add a splash more broth or water, cover, and cook a few more minutes.
Stir in a spoonful of cream cheese or a splash of heavy cream with the parmesan at the end to make it extra creamy
For deeper French onion flavor, add some brown sugar to the onions when they cook and let them get a little golden and caramelized before adding the rice.
Toss in mushrooms, zucchini, or any other vegetables along with the onions to use up what you have.