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!
Serve these with my creamy mashed potatoes, biscuits, and roasted green beans.
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!
What to Serve with Smothered Chicken
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Roasted Green Beans, asparagus, or Carrots
- more side dish recipes
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)– Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- This is the Le Creuset skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
- Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce– Helps darken the color of homemade gravy if desired.
- Meat Thermometer– To check the doneness of the meat. It’s safe to serve when it’s reached 165°F.
- Kitchen Tongs– Perfect for frying bacon and flipping the chicken.
- Meat Tenderizer– To pound the chicken nice and flat.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these, they’re magnetic and keep your drawer organized.
- Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time.
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Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 strips thick cut bacon
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Vegetable oil, for frying.
Chicken Dredge
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs, plain or Italian
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Gravy
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 4 Tablespoons Flour
- 2.5 cups chicken broth, consider low sodium
- 1 beef bouillon cube, or 1 tsp beef better than bouillon
- 1/3 cup half and half, (half milk, half cream)
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce, can sub Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- 2-3 drops Kitchen Bouquet, optional
Instructions
- Prework: Add chicken dredge ingredients to a large plate and toss to combine. Set aside. Measure out gravy ingredients prior to beginning.
- Cook the Bacon: Fry bacon over medium-low heat until crispy on both sides. Remove from pan and pour grease into a heat-safe bowl. Reserve 2-4 Tablespoons of clear bacon drippings. Wipe any black residue from the pan if needed.
- Slice & Pound the Chicken: While the bacon cooks, slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Place saran wrap over them and use a meat tenderizer to pound them to about 3/4 inches thick. This gives them a little more texture for the flour dredge to hold on to. They’ll plump up more when cooked.
- Coat the Chicken: Wipe the chicken dry and coat generously in the flour mixture, get in every nook and cranny.
- Cook the Chicken: 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. Adjust heat down slightly and back up throughout cooking as needed.
- Drain the oil: 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 remaining gravy ingredients: Slowly add the beef bouillon, soy sauce, and seasonings.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add a few drops of kitchen bouquet if a darker color is desired.
- 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 over low heat for 10-15 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees prior to serving.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.
Notes
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 in this recipe, you can use unsalted butter and/or reduced sodium broth. Additional salt can always be added if desired. (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!
I cooked this today for my husband. I had to do a low sodium version by cutting the amount of soy sauce and making up for it with some Worcestershire sauce and kitchen bouquet. I also went very easy on the seasoned salt when seasoning the chicken. Also only 3 slices of low sodium bacon. Served with mashed potatoes and green peas. I was afraid with the cuts I made to the salt that it wouldn’t have enough flavor. Anyway the dinner was a hit. We both really enjoyed it. I am so glad I found this website. The wealth of recipes to work with is making my job much easier. Next up is Lemon Pepper Chicken and then Broccoli Beef.
I’m so happy to have you hear Patricia! Thanks so much for the support. I can’t wait for you to try the Lemon Pepper Chicken, and Beef and Broccoli, both great choices. Enjoy! 💗
This was absolutely delicious!
I’m so happy to hear that Kate, thanks so much for the great review!💗
OMG! Awesome flavor, quick & easy to prepare and many requests for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing it!
I’m so happy you liked it Gloria, thanks so much for the great comments!💖
Amazing! Such good flavor combinations!
Thanks so much Jaime, I’m so happy you liked it!💖
Delicious! You can do quite a bit of the prep ahead of time. I did make mashed potatoes and the gravy in top was irresistible. I didn’t eat the bacon, but did use the flavor. I omitted the garlic and onion powder because I can’t eat them. I didn’t miss them at all.
I’m so happy you liked it Karen! I agree, a little bit of prep goes a long way. Thanks so much for the great review!💖
One of my favorites that I will continue to use. So delicious.
Was easy to make too and put on a movie to pass time too!
Hi Ashley! I am soooo happy that you enjoyed it and I LOVE that you put on a movie to enjoy while you cook- that’s the best! Thank you so much for the review!
Made this for dinner tonight and I’m obsessed. So much flavor and juicy!!
I’m so happy to hear you like this one as much as I do Victoria! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
I made it for dinner tonight and it was so easy and it tastes good.
I’m so happy to hear that Susan, thanks so much for the great review!💖
Did this for a senior community center and I love how simple it was
I’m so happy to hear that Elizabeth! Great recipe choice for the event! Thank you so much for the review!
This was incredible, very tasteful !!! I will let my my kids know about this recipe since we are always passing around recipes we find that we enjoy. Thank You !!!
You’re very welcome Kim, I’m so happy you liked it, and thanks for letting your kids know about it!💖