Smothered Chicken (17 of 150)

Photo from
Salt & Lavender

Tonight's recipe was a birthday dinner for the beasties. I realize they won't be eating dinner, but when I asked what they wanted, they said Smothered Chicken. 

Ok, not really. Smothered Chicken just came up in the random selection. 

This is a good recipe. Very comfort-y. I had a potato left from another meal so I made mashed potatoes to go with the gravy. I mean, what else would go with that thick, luscious gravy? 

I made no substitutions. The only thing I did, like all my recipes, is cut it in half. 

Smothered Chicken

Recipe from Salt and Lavender

Serves 4

• 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 T onion powder
• 1/2 T paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper see note
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1 medium-to-large onion sliced
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 c heavy cream

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner cutlets. Season each piece with salt & pepper on both sides.

Add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper to a bowl and give it a good stir. Measure out 2 tablespoons of this seasoned flour and put it in a small bowl - you will use it later to thicken the gravy.

Add the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.

While the pan heats up, add the flour from the larger bowl to a plate and then coat each piece of chicken it (you will have some leftover flour to discard).

Add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes/side (golden but not quite fully cooked through). Transfer chicken to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter to the skillet. Once it's melted, add in the onions and cook until softened and golden (about 15-20 minutes. It'll depend how thin the onions are sliced and vary from skillet to skillet - I use cast iron). Stir every couple of minutes, and if the onions appear to be burning vs. slowly browning, turn the heat down.

Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour into the pan. Cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.

Add in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir until the flour has dissolved and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then stir in the cream.

Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through (165F) and the gravy has thickened a bit. You may need to increase the heat a bit to get it going again.

Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.