Perfectly seasoned chicken gets a little bit of beautiful golden brown color first. Then it gets smothered till fall of the bone tender in the most delicious, luscious creamy and rich gravy. A gravy which is brimming with flavors. Make this Southern classic tonight and see why it has become such an iconic dish over the years… Question: Is there anything better than fried chicken? Answer: Yes, Smothered Chicken… Seriously, there is just nothing like smothered chicken with perfectly seasoned gravy. Plus, you will be surprised how something that delicious can be so simple and so so budget friendly. No wonder families have eaten this every other week and have no complaints about it. Who can say no to anything that has creamy and rich flavors seep deep into your humble regular chicken. This is a great recipe the whole family will love.
What is Smothered Chicken?
Smothered Chicken is classic Soul Food, aka Southern Food. Soul food is an ethnic cuisine that originated in the Southern United States in African American communities. The cuisine originated with the foods that were given to enslaved people by their white owners on Southern plantations during the Antebellum period. Soul food is strongly influenced by West African and Native American food preparation practices. Fried chicken, collared greens, cornbread, black eyed peas, fried okra, macaroni and cheese and, of course, anything smothered and cooked long is your typical soul food. Smothered dishes are staples in Soul Food, Southern cuisine and Creole and Cajun traditions. Anything can be smothered, be it chicken, pork, beef or fish. One variation is the New Orleans classic Grillades. Basically, meat is first dusted with some flour and seasonings and seared to golden brown, then smothered in gravy prepared by roux. Some aromatics are thrown in like just onion and garlic, or sometimes carrots and celery join the homemade gravy too. For the perfect tasting smothered dish, it has to have all those herbs and seasonings soul food is famous for, and with a generous hand. Soul food is definitely not your “salt and pepper” food. With all those flavors added to any of their dishes, no wonder soul food has become one of the celebrated aspects of mainstream American food culture over the years. Today we are doing smothered chicken, but you can use the same recipe to smother some nice pork chops too.
Why this Recipe Works
Layering of Flavors: The individual spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika meld beautifully, but when Creole or Cajun seasoning and chili flakes join the party, the result is an explosive, well-rounded flavor profile. Two-Step Cooking Process: First, you sear the chicken to get that golden, crispy skin. Then, it gets baked in the oven, covered in gravy. This technique ensures that the meat is not just flavorful but also incredibly tender. That Gravy: The gravy is where the magic happens. It’s creamy, rich, and multi-dimensional, thanks to a foundation of sautéed onions and garlic, then boosted by seasoned flour and chicken broth. The heavy cream makes it lusciously thick. Crowd Pleaser: Whether your looking to impress guests, or just enjoy a quiet family Sunday Dinner, smothered chicken will be loved by all.
Ingredients
For exact measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Chicken – We highly recommend smothering bone in, skin on chicken thighs, just very traditional. The end result of the juiciest tender chicken can’t be achieved with breast meat. Period. Saying that, if you are a fan of only chicken breasts, you still can make this dish. (Cooking time needs to be adjusted so as not to dry out and toughen the chicken breast.) Seasoning – Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, Creole seasoning, chili powder, chili flakes, salt and black pepper. All Purpose Flour – For dusting the chicken and creating a roux. Aromatics – Onion and garlic. Butter – There’s no substitute! Chicken Stock or Broth – We use Better than Bouillon. Heavy Whipping Cream – Because we’re not counting calories. Parsley – For garnish.
Southern Smothered Chicken Recipe
- Season and prep the chicken: Remember seasonings and herbs? It all starts with that. Mix in a bowl garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, Creole seasoning, chili powder, chili flakes, salt and pepper. You can use store bought Creole seasoning, but it tends to have so much salt. Making your own creole seasoning is so much easier. Try my homemade Creole Seasoning Recipe. Season the chicken thighs with half of the above seasoning. Rub it all over, making sure you run some under the skin. Mix the remaining half of the seasoning with flour. Dredge the chicken on both sides with this seasoned flour and shake off any excess flour.
- Sear the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet (I love cast iron for smothered dishes) over medium-high heat and place the chicken skin side down first and sear it for 4-5 minutes, or until they have a beautiful golden brown color. Flip and fry for 3-4 more minutes. Plate them out.
- Create the sauce: In the same pan, add in sliced onions and sauté till they start turning brown. Add in garlic and stir it for a minute. Time to add some more butter. Once it’s melted, add in remaining flour mixture and stir it for a couple of minutes till it starts to get a little brown. The color of this roux will determine the color of your gravy. Some like it golden yellow, some like it darker. From here, you will be building up the gravy by adding chicken broth. The technique to make luscious, rich creamy gravy is to add a little bit of broth at one time, stirring in circles all the time. Be sure to scrape up any of those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Keep on stirring for a few minutes till the gravy is smooth. Add in cream to add the richness and creaminess. Cook till the gravy thickens up a bit.
- Complete the dish: Time to place the chicken pieces back into the gravy. Put them skin side up. Sprinkle some parsley. From here you can continue to cook on the stove top, covered, till the meat is fall off the bone, say 35-45 minutes. But we really like to smother this in the oven. Somehow the oven baked chicken comes out so much better and fall off the bone glistening with one great gravy. Cover and bake the chicken in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for an hour. While it’s baking, check out our collection of favorite Chicken Thigh Recipes. Uncover and bake it for another 5-6 minutes till you get the beautiful color on your chicken. Sprinkle some more fresh parsley and there you go.
What to Serve with Smothered Chicken
Variations
Add in carrots and celery along with onion in the beginning to get more flavors and veggie power in dish. We can see sautéing mushrooms along with the onion going great in smothered chicken. Start with bacon. Fry the bacon and plate it out, then fry the chicken in bacon grease. Use the bacon bits later in the dish. Make the same recipe with pork chops. So, so good.
Expert Tips
Bring Chicken to Room Temperature: Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Skillet Choice: Use a cast-iron skillet if you can. Cast iron heats evenly and retains heat well, ensuring a consistent cook for both the chicken and the gravy. Fine-Tuning the Gravy: If you find your gravy too thick, you can always thin it out by adding a little more chicken broth. If it’s too thin, let it simmer a bit longer to reach your desired consistency. Spice Level: If you prefer a milder dish, feel free to dial down on the chili flakes and Creole/Cajun seasoning. For more heat, crank those up! Optimal Searing: Make sure the skillet is hot but not smoking before adding the chicken. This ensures a nice sear without burning. Internal Temperature: For fall off the bone tender dark meat chicken, cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 185-190 degrees, as measured with an instant read meat thermometer. Chicken breast should only be cooked to 165 degrees. Rest Before Serving: Once out of the oven, let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute, making the chicken even more tender. Lazy Day Hack: Crave some smothered chicken on hectic weeknights? Ditch frying the chicken at home. Buy some store bought fried chicken and smother it in gravy on the stove top. This should happen in less than 30 minutes, as the chicken is already cooked. Smart?
Leftovers and Storage
It refrigerates great for 2-3 days. So go ahead and make a big batch and store leftovers in an airtight container. Simply reheat in a pan over medium heat, or microwave when ready for another meal. You can freeze this meal for up to a couple of months in an airtight container. This is a great slow simmered meal, Southern comfort at its best. With tasty, tender chicken in all that gravy, it’s sure to become a new family favorite. What are you waiting for? Get that chicken smothered and cozy up with a good old plateful of rice or mashed potatoes… all Good… all yum… all Soulful!!
Smothered Chicken, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great chicken recipes!Creamy Chicken SkilletPollo GuisadoJamaican Curry ChickenMarry Me ChickenChicken ProvençalPeri Peri ChickenHawaiian Shoyu ChickenGrilled Chicken TacosPeruvian Chicken
