This smothered chicken recipe is made in one skillet and loaded with juicy parmesan crusted chicken breasts and a delicious gravy. It is a restaurant-worthy meal right at your home!
Today, we’re preparing tender, juicy, fried chicken breasts in a delicious gravy with a generous dose of crispy bacon. This is ultimate comfort food that feels straight out of a high-class bistro, and you’ll be amazed how fun, and easy, it is to put together.
Smothered Chicken Recipe
Chicken, gravy, and mashed potatoes is exactly the kind of classic, home-style comfort food that just about everybody loves. It’s warm, nourishing, and fills the belly like nothing else. With this recipe, we’re preparing the chicken and gravy in a single skillet. While they’re cooking, you can boil up your potatoes and get ready to mash them into creamy, fluffy perfection.
You'll Need
You will need simple ingredients to make this amazing chicken dinner.
Although this recipe calls for chicken breast, you can try using pork chops or chicken thighs instead. These cuts have a higher fat content than chicken breast, and therefore more flavor, which can help with making the gravy.
How To Make Smothered Chicken
- First of all, you’re going to fry up your bacon until it gets crispy. Set it aside, and reserve some bacon drippings. If you need to, wipe any black residue from the pan.
- Next, you’re going to slice each of your chicken breasts lengthways. Pound it with a meat hammer or rolling pin to about ¾ of an inch thick, season and dredge in flour mixture, and tap away any excess.
- Now you’re going to add vegetable oil to the pan. Heat this over a medium-high heat, and when the oil begins to glisten,throw your chicken in the pan. We encourage you to fry two pieces at a time, taking about five minutes to cook each side. After this, each piece of chicken should have an attractive, golden-brown sear. Set your chicken aside on a plate to stand.
- For the next step, we’ll be removing the oil from the pan, using a paper towel to remove any black spots that have appeared. Leave any of the brown remnants, however. This is concentrated, pure gravy flavor. The brown bits, incidentally, are called “fond”, and are important for flavoring.
- Next we’re going to make the roux. Add butter and smashed garlic to the pan. Melt butter over medium heat, using a silicon or soft rubber spatula to scrape up the bottom of the pan in a “cleaning” motion. Gradually sprinkle in your flour, whisking all the while. This should form a paste.
- Next, add your broth and half-and-half. Add these liquids in small increments, whisking them in as you go. The mix will thicken up with each splash of liquid, and as you become more familiar with the process, you’ll be able to eyeball how much you need. Adding all the broth or half and half at once will overwhelm the roux, breaking it, and prevent the mixture from properly combining.
- For the next step, add your seasonings. If you want a darker color for your gravy, you can add a couple of drops of Kitchen Bouquet.
- Bring this mixture to a gentle boil then let it settle into a simmer by reducing heat. Add the baby spinach and allow to wilt.
- Add your chicken back to the pan, being sure to include any juice left on the chicken plate. Chop up your bacon (if you haven’t already) and place it on top of the chicken in the gravy.
- Cook this mix for 1-2 minutes. Garnish it with parsley and sage leaves and serve with some creamy mashed potatoes.
Smothered Chicken Tips
- When making gravy, controlling its consistency is key. Slow inclusion of broth and half-and-half, in small increments, is the best way to do this. Your patience here will be rewarded with a thick, beautiful gravy.
- For thicker gravy, simmer your sauce uncovered. For thinner gravy, add an extra splash of half-and-half, milk, or both.
- To ensure that the breading on your chicken stays on, make sure your oil is hot enough before you add the chicken to the pan. This will get a nice sear on your chicken breast.
- You can add texture on the surface of the chicken with a meat tenderizer. This gives the breading more surface area to cling to, makes the chicken look a little fancier, and will actually increase the flavor of your chicken.
- Chicken thighs and pork chops make great substitutes for this recipe. If you’re using thicker pork chops, we recommend adjusting the timing of this recipe to ensure that they are fully cooked. Alternatively, you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork chops, guaranteeing a perfectly cooked chop every time.
- If you’re looking to reduce the sodium content of this dish, unsalted butter and reduced sodium broth will work great. You could also leave the bacon out, but we love the taste and crunch of crispy bacon.
What To Serve With Smothered Chicken
Our go-to recommendation for this recipe is mashed potatoes. If you want to branch out, some roasted veggies like Air Fryer Green Beans, carrots, or Roasted Asparagus are a great option, or you could try a Cauliflower Mash. Buttermilk biscuits are a staple side of the American heartland that will soak up this gravy very nicely.
Storing Smothered Chicken
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Alternatively, it will keep in the freezer for up to three months. We recommend that if you do freeze your leftovers, you separate the pieces of chicken from the sauce.
If you want to serve this dish after it’s been frozen, simply allow it to thaw gently overnight by removing it from the freezer and placing the container in the fridge. Reheating the sauce slowly in a pan over low heat is the way to go as this won’t “shock” the sauce. Once the sauce has returned to a low-viscosity liquid state (and it’s still lukewarm), you can add your frozen chicken and allow it to gently reheat in the sauce.
More Chicken Breast Dinner Ideas
If you're craving more comforting chicken dishes, you might also enjoy these favorites:
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts: Tender chicken breasts smothered in a rich garlic cream sauce.
- Baked Chicken Breasts in Honey Mustard Sauce: Juicy baked chicken with a sweet and tangy honey mustard glaze.
- Sheet Pan Garlic Herb Butter Chicken: A one-pan meal featuring chicken, potatoes, and green beans roasted in garlic herb butter.
- Creamy Boursin Chicken: Chicken breasts simmered in a creamy Boursin cheese sauce with herbs.
These recipes are part of our 25 Best Chicken Breast Dinner Ideas collection, perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions.
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! We will be happy to hear from you!
Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
For The Chicken:
- 2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts halved horizontally to make 4 fillets
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
For The Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 7-8 garlic cloves smashed
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock broth
- 1 cups half and half or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 5 ounces 150 grams baby spinach
- Fresh sage leaves and parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat a pan or skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until crispy on both sides; transfer to a plate.
- Season the chicken with lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and Parmesan cheese. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture; shake off excess.
- Heat vegetable oil in the same pan/ skillet. Once it is hot, add the chicken and sear on each side until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side ( depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- Wipe the pan over with paper towel.
- Smash garlic cloves with the blunt edge of the back of your knife.
- Add the butter together with garlic in the same pan. Saute the smashed garlic for about 1 minute.
- Add the flour, whisking continuously until smooth.
- Gradually add the chicken stock and half and half, whisking constantly. The gravy will thicken up. Be sure to add liquids in small increments not to break the roux.
- Season the gravy with salt, onion powder and Italian seasoning and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the baby spinach and cook until it is wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken back to the pan.
- Chop the bacon and add to the pan too.
- Cover the pan partially ( or leave uncovered for a thicker gravy) and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh sage leaves and parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- When making gravy, controlling its consistency is key. Slow inclusion of broth and half-and-half, in small increments, is the best way to do this. Your patience here will be rewarded with a thick, beautiful gravy.
- For thicker gravy, simmer your sauce uncovered. For thinner gravy, add an extra splash of half-and-half, milk, or both.
- To ensure that the breading on your chicken stays on, make sure your oil is hot enough before you add the chicken to the pan. This will get a nice sear on your chicken breast.
- You can add texture on the surface of the chicken with a meat tenderizer. This gives the breading more surface area to cling to, makes the chicken look a little fancier, and will actually increase the flavor of your chicken.
- Chicken thighs and pork chops make great substitutes for this recipe. If you’re using thicker pork chops, we recommend adjusting the timing of this recipe to ensure that they are fully cooked. Alternatively, you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork chops, guaranteeing a perfectly cooked chop every time.
- If you’re looking to reduce the sodium content of this dish, unsalted butter and reduced sodium broth will work great. You could also leave the bacon out, but we love the taste and crunch of crispy bacon.
Nutrition
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Saunders says
One of my favorite chicken recipes, thank you for a great new recipe to route into my dinners.
chefjar says
Hey, Saunders! Thank you for sharing your experience! I am glad you liked this chicken breast recipe.
Tricia says
Tried this tonight and omggg it was so good! Thank you for sharing this
chefjar says
I am glad you enjoyed this chicken recipe, Tricia! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Shawyal says
This looks creamy and delicious. Heavenly!
Peri says
Another amazing recipe from our amazing chef!!
Olivia says
The BEST new recipe I've tried in a long time. This is perfect just as the recipe is listed and it is a very nice dish with vibrant colors.
chefjar says
Thank you, Olivia for your kind feedback!
Rachel says
This is so yummy and easy! My husband and I enjoyed it immensely!
chefjar says
Yay!! That’s so great to hear. Thank YOU!
Cathy says
Made this tonight! My family loved it! This is going into the regular monthly rotation!
chefjar says
Thanks so much for the great review!❤️ Glad you liked the recipe!
Laura says
Made this tonight and it turned out great! The whole family loved it. Super quick and easy.
chefjar says
Thank you, Laura!
Natalia says
This was a hit for dinner! Friends said it was the best chicken dinner ever!
chefjar says
That makes me so happy to hear Natalia, thanks so much for the great comments!😀
Wanda says
This recipe is indeed packed with flavors. I will be making this again! Bookmarking it to add to our family meal rotation.
chefjar says
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked the recipe!
Lexi Dyer says
This is such an elegant and flavorful dish. Will definitely do this again!
chefjar says
Thank you, Lexi! I am glad you liked this recipe)).
Ainara says
I made your recipe it was so delicious! Making this again soon, my family love it! This is a household staple!
chefjar says
Thank you Ainara!
Aubrie Durham says
Made this for dinner and everyone loved it! Adding to my recipe book, thank you!
chefjar says
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked the recipe!
Amorray says
Thank you! I love this recipe! I’ve made this twice now, it’s definitely a keeper!
chefjar says
Thank you Amorray!
Avideh says
Made this last evening for dinner for my husband and I. This is a winner!
chefjar says
Thank you, Avideh!
Brenda says
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! Very filling and satisfying!
chefjar says
Thank you, Brenda!
Nyah says
Love it and the family did too! Definitely saving this recipe!
chefjar says
Thank you Nyah! I am glad you liked the recipe.
Elisa says
I made this dish for my family last night and it was delicious. This recipe will become a regular for us.
chefjar says
Hey, Elisa! I am glad you liked the recipe and thank you for sharing your experience!
Chloe says
This is an excellent recipe. It will be in my regular rotation going forward!
chefjar says
Hey, Chloe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked this recipe!
Lily Collins says
This came out so delicious and the chicken was really tender. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
chefjar says
Hey, Lily! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked this recipe!
Marigona says
Thanks for making such an easy to follow recipe. Will definitely make again.
chefjar says
Thank you, Marigona!
Ciara says
My family absolutely loved it! Thanks for the great recipe! We’ll definitely be making it again in the future.
chefjar says
Thank you Ciara!
Aly says
Perfectly cooked chicken! I followed the recipe exactly as given and it was absolutely moist and delicious with wonderful flavor. I will definitely make this again.
chefjar says
Thank you for sharing your experience! I am glad you like this chicken recipe as much as we do.
Misty says
Made this tonight, came out perfect. It tasted delicious, juicy and perfectly cooked! The family loved it. Definitely going to make this again.
chefjar says
Thank you, Misty! -Tatiana 🙂
Chelsey says
Excellent recipe and easy to make. My daughter raved about how good the flavor was. Going to put it on my weekly menu.
chefjar says
Hi Chelsey! It's wonderful that your daughter loved the flavor. Adding it to your weekly menu sounds like a delicious plan. Thank you for your positive feedback!
Marianne says
Made this last night for my family, they loved it! Will be making it again.
chefjar says
Hi, Marianne! Thank you for sharing! I'm glad to hear that your family loved it.