Smothered Chicken – perfectly tender and juicy fried chicken that is shallow-braised in a savory creamy gravy on a stovetop. Easy, succulent and tender chicken recipe! It has comfort food written all over it.

If you’re tired of the same old fried chicken, well, spice things up using this EASY  Southern food Smothered Chicken recipe with a homemade chicken gravy made from scratch.

This recipe is one of those soul food recipes that doesn’t require too much labor in the kitchen and hard-to-find ingredients. In under an hour, you and your family would enjoy this chicken dish especially when served with warm rice and mashed potatoes.

How to make chicken gravy?

Oh, boy, I’ve got to tell you that the first time I had this smothered chicken dish at my sister’s house years ago, I was completely blown away with that creamy, smooth and savory chicken gravy. And yes, I did smothered my warm rice with that gravy all over it.

Who wouldn’t? I could even bathe in that chicken gravy right there. 

This chicken gravy here is easier than you think it is. It’s a foolproof homemade gravy made from scratch and I’ve used it countless of times even on this Smothered Pork Chops recipe. And did I say it always get a 100% approval from my kiddo and hubby?

You start off with melting the butter in a pan and adding the seasoned flour used in dredging the chicken. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth to add volume to that paste-like butter and flour mixture. Then add the milk to make sure there no lumps and to slightly thicken the mixture. And lastly, return the wilted onions and fried chicken back to the pan and slowly braise for 30 -45 minutes.

As easy as that! Just adjust the cooking time if you want a slightly browner and thicker gravy.

How many calories is in smothered chicken?

Not sure why are we even talking about this, ’cause when it comes to comfort food like this, I don’t count the calories, baby. 😉

But for the sake of our friends who keep tab on those numbers, this bone-in skinless Smothered Chicken recipe yields 5 with 514 calories per serving. 

This smothered chicken with homemade chicken gravy makes a perfect dinner for busy weeknights and even on a dinner date night at home. It has the savory, herby flavor with a little kick in every spoonful of this dish. If you want more gravy, go double it and shamelessly pour it all over on a warm rice. I won’t judge! 😉

Enjoy!

How to Make Smothered Chicken

Pat dry chicken thighs  with a paper towel, then season with salt and Cajun seasoning. Mix together flour, paprika, cayenne, white pepper, granulated onion and garlic powder.  

Dredge the seasoned chicken in flour mixture on each side until coated. Shake off excess flour. Heat oil in a cast iron or skillet over medium-high heat; then fry chicken on both sides until golden brown — about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until browned.

Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate. Add onions to the skillet, then saute for about 2-3 minutes. Then  add garlic, thyme and continue cooking for 3-5 more minutes. 

Stir occasionally to prevent any burns  or until onions is wilted. Remove onions and set aside. Add butter to the pan , let it melt . Then throw in the seasoned flour left over from dredging the chicken to the skillet. 

And stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together and forms a paste. 

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, followed by milk making sure there are no lumps; stirring and scraping the pan well,until it is incorporated. Mixture is slightly thicken  — about 5 minutes. Return wilted onions back to the skillet , Thoroughly mix , season with salt .

Add browned chicken  back to skillet, together with its juice that form on the plate to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Slowly cook for about 30- 45 minutes or more, stirring occasional to prevent any burns. Adjust seasonings.

Watch How To Make It

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Smothered Chicken

Smothered Chicken - perfectly tender and juicy fried chicken that is shallow-braised in a savory creamy gravy on a stovetop. Easy, succulent and tender chicken recipe! It has comfort food written all over it.

Course: Main

Cuisine: Southern

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 514 kcal

Author: Immaculate Bites

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Chicken thighs , bone-in and skinless
• salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons or more cajun seasoning
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper , optional (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or preferred cooking oil
• 1 large onion , thinly sliced
• 3-4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme , minced

Chicken Gravy

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 -1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Pat dry chicken thighs with a paper towel, then season with salt and cajun seasoning. Mix together flour, paprika, cayenne, white pepper, granulated onion and garlic powder.
   

2. Dredge the seasoned chicken in flour mixture on each side until coated. Shake off excess flour. Heat oil in a cast iron or skillet over medium-high heat; then fry chicken on both sides until golden brown — about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until browned.
   

3. Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate. Add onions to the skillet, then saute for about 2-3 minutes . Then add garlic, thyme and continue cooking for 3-5 more minutes , stirring occasionally to prevent any burns or until onions is wilted. Remove onions and set aside.
   

4. Add butter to the pan , let it melt . Then throw in the seasoned flour left over from dredging the chicken to the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together and forms a paste.
   

5. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, followed by milk making sure there are no lumps; stirring and scraping the pan well,until it is incorporated. Mixture is slightly thicken — about 5 minutes. Return wilted onions back to the skillet , Thoroughly mix , season with salt.
   

6. Add browned chicken back to skillet, together with its juice that form on the plate to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
   

7. Slowly cook for about 30- 45 minutes or more, stirring occasional to prevent any burns. Adjust seasonings to taste.
   

8. Garnish with parsley, Serve with mashed potatoes.

Recipe Notes

1. You can use other chicken cuts based on your preference. Make sure to adjust cooking times. 
2. For a darker gravy, you may cook the flour for a longer time over low heat. But if you want the lighter one, cook flour for a lesser time over high heat while whisking continuously.
3. If the gravy seems too thick, add up to 1 tablespoon of water to achieve your desired consistency.
4. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.