Smothered Chicken

 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!

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!