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You are here: Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Smothered Chicken

Smothered Chicken

Main Dishes

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Image of smothered chicken on red plate with side of salad. Text on image reads: Smothered Chicken, one pot dinner

This smothered chicken recipe is an easy one-pot dinner made with chicken breasts that are dredged, pan-fried, and smothered in rich and creamy onion gravy.

Like smothered pork chops, smothered chicken is easy to prep, loaded with flavor, and makes for a delicious comfort food-style dinner.

For more easy chicken dinner ideas give our one-pot creamy garlic chicken or jalapeno popper chicken a try.

Smothered Chicken Breast served with salad on a red plate.

I like to serve this smothered chicken breast recipe with mashed potatoes that I top with the extra gravy. So good.

You can also serve this chicken dish with a side salad, or any other sides you enjoy with chicken.

Make this smothered chicken breast as light or heavy or a meal as you want with what sides you choose to use.

Chicken breast cooked in thick onion gravy in skillet

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Chicken – I recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. While you can use bone-in, you would have to adjust the cook time as bone-in chicken will take longer to cook.
  • Flour – For dredging the chicken.
  • Seasonings – We will be using salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to flavor the chicken. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to fit your preference. A pinch of cayenne pepper can add a pop of flavor.
  • Butter – I recommend real butter, not margarine. If you use salted butter you may want to cut the salt in the recipe.
  • Chicken Broth – This broth is going to add a lot of rich flavor to the gravy. You can use vegetable if you don’t have chicken on hand. Or swap with bone broth.
  • Onion and Garlic – These two ingredients are a fantastic way to add additional flavor to your chicken and the gravy.
  • Heavy Cream – The heavy cream is whats going to make the gravy rich and creamy. For this reason, I don’t recommend swapping with milk.

How to Make Smothered Chicken

Step one. Grab a shallow bowl or pie dish and add the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Then dredge the chicken breast in the flour mixture, coating each side and shaking off any excess.

2 image collage. On left, large plate with flour and seasonings. On right; chicken breast coated in the flour mixture

Step two. Heat the oil and some of the butter in pan, then add the chicken. Cook about 6-8 minutes per side, until well browned and an inserted thermometer reads 165°F. Once done, remove from the pan.

Step three. Add the remaining butter, and toss in the onions. Stir and cook until softened and a little brown. Stir in a bit of the chicken broth at a time if the pan becomes too dry. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.

2 image collage. On left: raw diced onions and garlic in skillet. On right: browned onions and garlic in skillet

Step four. Stir in the remaining chicken broth and heavy cream and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Once it reaches a boil reduce to low heat. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon with gravy, and simmer for 3-4 minutes to let it soak up all the gravy’s goodness.

2 image collage. On left: creamy sauce in skillet. On right: 3 smothered chicken breasts in skillet

Once done, serve with gravy spooned over the top.

Smothered Chicken Breast served with salad on a red plate.

Storage

Store leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tips and Variations

  • While I recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts you can use any cut of chicken to make smothered chicken. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces you will need to adjust your cook time accordingly.
  • Feel free to use jarred minced garlic to save a little time on prep.
  • Try adding chopped bacon to add a nice flavor and crunch.
Smothered Chicken Breast served with salad on a red plate.

Recipe FAQs

Why isn’t my gravy thickening?

This gravy takes time for the liquid to reduce as it cooks. Be patient and give it a good stir often while simmering to help prevent clumps and burning. Stirring also helps to thicken the gravy. You can turn the heat up slightly to speed up the process, but if you do this you will also need to stir more often.

What to serve with smothered chicken?

Smothered chicken breasts can be served with ultimately any sides: mashed potatoes, rice, steamed or roasted veggies, salad, dinner rolls, mac and cheese, etc. Feel free to whip up and serve with any of your favorites.

Does this chicken freeze well?

Due to the heavy cream in the gravy, I don’t recommend freezing smothered chicken. The gravy tends to clump up and have an odd texture when thawed.

More One-Pot Dinner Recipes

  • One-Pot Creamy Spinach Chicken Pasta
  • One-Pot Taco Spaghetti
  • One-Pot Creamy Garlic Chicken
Smothered Chicken Breast served with salad on a red plate.

Smothered Chicken Breasts

Smothered chicken is an easy one-pot dinner made with chicken breasts that are dredged, pan-fried, and smothered in rich and creamy onion gravy.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken breast recipe, one-pot dinner, smothered chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 485kcal
Author: Jaclyn Shimmel

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts we used boneless and skinless
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning or to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons butter divided
  • 2 small onions diced
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • ½ cup chicken broth or chicken stock divided
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Add the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to a large plate or shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, coating each side and shaking off any excess.
  • Place the olive oil and 2 Tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and once hot, add the flour-coated chicken. Cook the chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes per side, until well browned and an inserted thermometer reads 165°F. Remove chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add the remaining Tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in a Tablespoon of chicken broth as needed to prevent burning if the pan becomes too dry. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the remaining chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. When it reaches a boil, reduce to low heat. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon with gravy, and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
  • Serve the chicken warm and smothered in the onion gravy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 485kcal | Saturated Fat: 1g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by a third party and intended to serve as an estimate only. The accuracy of nutritional information is not guaranteed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please rate the recipe and leave a comment on the blog or share on Instagram and tag #crayonsandcravings!
Image of smothered chicken on red plate with side of salad. Text on image reads: Smothered Chicken, one pot dinner

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By Jaclyn Shimmel | 09/28/2021
Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: Chicken, One pot

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