This smothered chicken recipe is made with juicy fried chicken breasts in a flavorful gravy with crispy bacon. It’s truly a restaurant worthy meal right at home!
Serve these with my creamy mashed potatoes, biscuits, and roasted green beans.
Smothered Chicken
I don’t know about you, but I could eat chicken, gravy, and mashed potatoes any day of the week. That’s the beauty of this Smothered Chicken Recipe. You can prepare the chicken and gravy in a single skillet while you boil up some creamy mashed potatoes next to it. This is definitely a comfort food recipe that your family will love.
BONUS: You can use chicken thighs or pork chops in this recipe instead of chicken breasts. Check out the process shots below to see how this comes together, along with my PRO tips for success!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Fry bacon until crispy and set aside. Reserve 2-4 Tablespoons of clear bacon drippings. Wipe any black residue from the pan if needed.
Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise and pound to about 3/4 inch thick. Dredge in flour mixture and tap off excess.
Add the reserved bacon drippings to the clean pan and enough vegetable oil to cover the chicken by half. Heat over medium-high heat. Once heated and glistening, add the chicken. Fry 2 at a time for 4-5 minutes per side, until they have a nice golden sear. Set aside on a plate.
Remove the oil from the pot and use a paper towel to remove any black spots from the pan, but leave any brown remnants. This is called ‘fond’ and will give the gravy a nice flavor.
Make the Roux: Melt the butter over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the flour gradually, whisking continuously, until a paste forms.
Add the Broth and Half and Half: Add the liquid in small increments, whisking constantly. It will thicken up in between each splash of liquid. If you add it all at once, you’ll “break” the roux and it won’t be thick.
Add beef bouillon, soy sauce, and seasonings. (Add 2-3 drops of Kitchen Bouquet if a darker color is preferred.)
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pan along with any juice from the plate. Chop up the bacon and add it to the top of the chicken.
Cover partially and cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.
Pro Tips
To Control the Consistency of the Gravy:
- Add the chicken broth/half and half to the roux slowly and in small increments. This is the key to keeping the consistency nice and thick.
- For thicker gravy: Let it continue to simmer, uncovered.
- For thinner gravy: Add a splash of half and half, milk, or broth.
Other Pro Tips:
- Ensure the oil is hot enough prior to adding the chicken to ensure the breading stays on.
- Create texture on the surface of the chicken with a meat tenderizer to give the breading more to cling on to, this will give it more of a fried chicken look. Work the breading into every nook and cranny.
- Chicken thighs or pork chops can be used in this recipe instead of chicken breasts.
- To control the sodium: Use unsalted butter and/or reduced sodium broth. You can also omit the bacon, but it does add a nice flavor and crunch!
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 96!
What to Serve with Smothered Chicken
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Roasted Green Beans, asparagus, or Carrots
- more side dish recipes
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)– Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- This is the Le Creuset skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
- Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce– Helps darken the color of homemade gravy if desired.
- Meat Thermometer– To check the doneness of the meat. It’s safe to serve when it’s reached 165°F.
- Kitchen Tongs– Perfect for frying bacon and flipping the chicken.
- Meat Tenderizer– To pound the chicken nice and flat.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these, they’re magnetic and keep your drawer organized.
- Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time.
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Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 strips thick cut bacon
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Vegetable oil, for frying.
Chicken Dredge
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs, plain or Italian
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Gravy
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 4 Tablespoons Flour
- 2.5 cups chicken broth, consider low sodium
- 1 beef bouillon cube, or 1 tsp beef better than bouillon
- 1/3 cup half and half, (half milk, half cream)
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce, can sub Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 2-3 drops Kitchen Bouquet, optional
Instructions
- Prework: Add chicken dredge ingredients to a large plate and toss to combine. Set aside. Measure out gravy ingredients prior to beginning.
- Cook the Bacon: Fry bacon over medium-low heat until crispy on both sides. Remove from pan and pour grease into a heat-safe bowl. Reserve 2-4 Tablespoons of clear bacon drippings. Wipe any black residue from the pan if needed.
- Slice & Pound the Chicken: While the bacon cooks, slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Place saran wrap over them and use a meat tenderizer to pound them to about 3/4 inches thick. This gives them a little more texture for the flour dredge to hold on to. They’ll plump up more when cooked.
- Coat the Chicken: Wipe the chicken dry and coat generously in the flour mixture, get in every nook and cranny.
- Cook the Chicken: Add the reserved bacon drippings to the clean pan and enough vegetable oil to cover the chicken by half. Heat over medium-high heat. Once heated and glistening, add the chicken. Fry 2 at a time for 4-5 minutes per side, until they have a nice golden sear. Set aside on a plate. Adjust heat down slightly and back up throughout cooking as needed.
- Drain the oil: Remove the oil from the pot and use a paper towel to remove any black spots from the pan, but leave any brown remnants. This is called ‘fond’ and will give the gravy a nice flavor.
- Make the Roux: Melt the butter over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the flour gradually, whisking continuously, until a paste forms.
- Add the Broth and Half and Half: Add the liquid in small increments, whisking constantly. It will thicken up in between each splash of liquid. If you add it all at once, you’ll “break” the roux and it won’t be thick.
- Add remaining gravy ingredients: Slowly add the beef bouillon, soy sauce, and seasonings.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add a few drops of kitchen bouquet if a darker color is desired.
- Add the chicken back to the pan along with any juice from the plate.
- Chop up the bacon and add it to the top of the chicken.
- Cover partially and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees prior to serving.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.
Notes
To Control the Consistency of the Gravy:
- Add the chicken broth/half and half to the roux slowly and in small increments. This is the key to keeping the consistency nice and thick.
- For thicker gravy: Let it continue to simmer, uncovered.
- For thinner gravy: Add a splash of half and half, milk, or broth.
Other Pro Tips:
- Ensure the oil is hot enough prior to adding the chicken to ensure the breading stays on.
- Create texture on the surface of the chicken with a meat tenderizer to give the breading more to cling on to, this will give it more of a fried chicken look. Work the breading into every nook and cranny.
- Chicken thighs or pork chops can be used in this recipe instead of chicken breasts.
- To control the sodium in this recipe, you can use unsalted butter and/or reduced sodium broth. Additional salt can always be added if desired. (You can also omit the bacon, but it does add a nice flavor and crunch!)
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 96!
Just made this for dinner, delicious, pure comfort food. Gonna freeze the left over sauce for the next night I’m trying to find something to do with chicken. Definitely will be making it again.
Excellent! I think you’ll love the left-over sauce! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thanks so much for the great review!❤️
I made this meal for my hard to please 90 year old dad who is not prone to compliments. He said this is really really good, very tasty, really flavourful and I have no tastebuds left so really amazing, better than any restaurant meal, I’d rather this than going out to dinner any day. So I guess he liked it 😆. We all enjoyed it. Will definitely make again!
OMG that’s the best compliment ever lol! I guess he really liked it, nice job Cheryl!❤️ Thanks so much for sharing such great comments and for leaving a review!
The recipe is delicious. I made it the first time as written. Nothing is wrong with it, not even a little bit. The whole family loved it. Sometimes your not in the mood for gravy, so tonight I cooked bone in skinless chicken thighs just using the chicken dredge from this recipe. I whipped up an egg wash, dipped the chicken in that then into the dredge. Browned the chicken in a little oil in frying pan then into the oven till done. This chicken dredge is simple, but so good.
Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Lucille, it’s so cool that you enjoyed it with just the dredge. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
Huge hit with my family
Yayyy! Thanks so much for the great review Dana!😍
I made the smothered chicken last night and it was a hit with the grnkids
I’m so happy it was a hit with the kiddos Margie, such a victory! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😍
Wonderful meal with lots of flavor, but it took me well over an hour to cook this.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this one Charity, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
My 13 year old son wants to learn to cook so we made this with the mashed potatoes. It was absolutely delicious! I bought the 4.5L enameled cast iron dutch oven you recommended a couple weeks ago and made it in that. Love it!
I’m so happy your son is learning to cook, good for him!😍 This is a great one to learn from. Thanks so much for the great comments.
Would this recipe work making it for a crowd? If so, would it be okay if it isn’t ate right away? If I had to put it in the oven on warm for a little bit, would it still be moist? I’m sorry for all the questions!!
Hi Brittany, that should work fine as I often freeze leftovers and reheat them for my husband, and the meal is delicious! Once mostly thawed, I basically cover it tightly with foil in a casserole dish that is just big enough to fit the chicken and the sauce and reheat at 350 for 20 minutes or so. I haven’t done this for a crowd but if it can be done for one, it can be done for many! 😉 Just try to find one that you can taste-test to ensure it’s warmed all the way through. Good luck! 🙂 -Stephanie
I’m really looking forward to making this tonight I have all the ingredients besides beef boullion , could I substitute something else ?? Or add beef broth ? Thanks !
Hi Terri! The beef bouillon adds depth of flavor and a little bit of extra richness. Do you have chicken bouillon? If so, you could do 1 cup of beef broth, 1.2 cups chicken broth, and chicken bouillon! If not, then you can just do a combination of beef/chicken broth and maybe let it simmer a little longer to concentrate it a little bit more! 🙂
My husband said it was a 10.
Excellent! That makes me so happy Jeanne, sounds like you nailed it!🙌 Thanks so much for the great review!