This Smothered Chicken is a classic comfort food dinner made with tender chicken and rich, savory gravy. Easy to make and perfect served over rice or potatoes.

Smothered chicken is one of those comforting dinners that never goes out of style. Tender chicken breasts are seasoned, lightly browned, and then simmered in a flavorful gravy until perfectly juicy. It’s a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal that feels special but is surprisingly easy to make at home.

 

This recipe uses simple pantry ingredients to create a rich sauce that “smothers” the chicken with great flavor. Whether you’re cooking for your family on a busy weeknight or looking for a cozy dinner to serve on a cold evening, or even want something different for entertaining. This smothered chicken is a dependable recipe you’ll want to make again and again.

Ingredients You’ll Need

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• Chicken Breasts – you can use chicken thighs, you can use bone-in and skin on, really anything goes. It will just change how long you simmer the chicken in the sauce until it is cooked through.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Onion
• Oil
• Butter
• Garlic
• Chicken Broth – you can use low sodium to cut down on salt
• Heavy Cream – you can use half and half, but any less fat and your sauce will be thin and lack flavor.

How To Make Smothered Chicken

• Season Chicken. Generously season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
• Make Coating. In a shallow bowl mix together flour, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture to use later to thicken the sauce.
• Dredge. Carefully dredge the chicken in the flour to evenly coat, shaking off any excess.

• Brown Chicken. Add oil to a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point, just brown on the outside. Remove it from the pan and cover to keep it warm.
• Onions. Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter to melt. Stir in the onions and cook for 8-10 minutes until the onions are soft and very lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and let it cook for another minute, until you can start to smell it.

• Make Sauce. Add the reserved flour mixture and stir until no white streaks remain. Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Chicken. Add the chicken back to the pan, and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165º F) and the sauce has thickened.
• Serve. Remove and serve with rice or mashed potatoes if desired.

Recipe Tips & Suggestions

• Chicken Type. This is a very versatile recipe that you can use whatever kind of chicken you like. I personally prefer thinly sliced chicken breasts as they are super tender and soak up the flavor of the sauce. But skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or even chicken breasts are also delicious. You will just have to simmer in the sauce for longer, as they take much longer to cook through.
• Simmering. You do not want to simmer the sauce over a high heat. One reason is it can separate with the heavy cream. But also, you want the chicken to finish cooking slowly, this is what gives you a super tender piece of chicken.
• Mushrooms. Like Smothered Pork Chops you could definitely add mushrooms with the onions to make it an even heartier sauce.
• Serving Suggestions. This does give you a decent amount of sauce, so it is great to serve with Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Butter Rice, Egg Noodles, or even Hawaiian Rolls so you have something to soak up that sauce.

Storage

If you have leftovers you can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat I use the microwave at 50% power to heat it slowly. This helps keep the chicken tender and not dry out.

More Tasty Chicken Dinner Recipes

• Creamy Chicken & Orzo
• Sheet Pan Chicken & Potatoes
• Chicken & Stuffing Casserole
• Chicken Satay Stir Fry
• Buffalo Chicken Salad