Want to make Authentic Southern Smothered Chicken? This is the recipe!! Fried chicken breasts smothered in a traditional and delicious brown gravy made from a roux with onions creates the perfect classic southern smothered chicken dish. Serve with Rice or Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Collard Greens, Candied Sweet Potatoes and some good ole Corn Muffins for a soul food meal you will never forget. Love Smothered Chicken, try my Smothered Steak , Baked Turkey Wings , Smothered Turkey Wings and Smothered Pork Chops!
There are many dishes that remind me of my childhood, and this smothered chicken recipe is certainly one of them. As I think about it now, my imagination takes me back to the many times I saw my mother standing in the kitchen over a skillet of freshly fried chicken being added to a homemade gravy she whipped up in a flash.
What is Southern Smothered Chicken?
Smothered chicken starts with a lightly breaded chicken that is quickly fried basically for browning and additional flavor. The gravy is what really makes it tender, flavorful and delicious.
Once the chicken is fried, it needs to be smothered next. This basically means that it is cooked slowly in a delicious deeply delicious gravy which continues to tenderize the chicken making it fall apart in the best way. It drowns in the thick and rich velvety gravy which creates a lovely complement to rice or even mashed potatoes.
How to Make Smothered Chicken and Rice
I have only made a few slight changes over the years but all in all this is pretty much the exact same recipe I had growing up. The key ingredients for my gravy are:
- Flour
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Worcestershire Sauce
My mother used to create her gravy with water but I started adding chicken stock along with water to add a bit more flavor.
My gravy recipe also calls for a drop of worcestershire sauce, because it really intensifies the dish even more. It is similar to the gravy I make for my Salisbury Steak Meatballs recipe. If you are tired of the same ole chicken dishes, its time to spice things up with this Southern Smothered Chicken. I’m sure you will serve it over and over again for your own family just like my mother did for ours.
If you like this Southern Smothered Chicken recipe, you’ll also like some of my other southern recipes.
- SOUTHERN FRIED PORK CHOPS
- FRIED CORN
- BROWN STEW CHICKEN
- RICE AND PEAS
- SOUTHERN SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS
- REAL DEAL SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE
- SOUTHERN SWEET TEA RECIPE
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Southern Smothered Chicken
Southern Smothered Chicken - Fried chicken breasts smothered in a traditional and delicious brown gravy with onions creates the perfect classic southern smothered chicken dish.
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 211kcal
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil separated
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons separated
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup water
- 1-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- Rice for serving
- Garnish: parsley
Instructions
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in large pan over medium heat.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste.
- Dredge chicken breasts lightly in 1/2 cup of flour then brown in skillet on both sides.
- Once browned, remove chicken from skillet and drain on paper towel. Set aside.
- Next scrap the bottom of the pan getting up all of the browned bits.
- Add the onion slices to the pan and saute' for about 5 minutes until a bit browned and tender.
- Add minced garlic and saute' for 1 minute.
- Next add 1 additional tablespoon of oil to skillet then sprinkle on remaining flour.
- Allow the flour to brown then pour in chicken stock and water and whisk together.
- Turn heat to high to bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk in worcestershire sauce then turn heat down to medium.
- Add back in chicken and put lid on pan. Allow the sauce to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon and chicken is nice and tender.
- Serve over rice and garnish with parsley if you desire.
Notes
Make sure you really allow the gravy to thicken. Take the time to let it simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. It will also continue to thicken once the heat is turned off if it is resting.
Nutrition
Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 349mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
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Absolutely outstanding! Sent the recipe to everyone in my family and told them to put it on the menu straight away. So flavorful. ❤️
Your mother is living through you and it’s wonderful. Your gravy is a little thicker than traditional and I like it. The Worcestershire sauce is one of those things (secrets) we will cherish. It is magic in gravy. Thank you, Jacelyn.
Wheweee! Made this tonight for a small dinner party. Good thing I doubled the recipe as they practically licked their plates clean. This will go into my special dinner recipes. Sooo good!
Just delicious!
I made this tonight and it was amazing!! My boyfriend thinks I’ve become a great cook all of a sudden, but really I just discovered your website. This is the 4th recipe I’ve tried and they’ve all been fantastic. Thank you so much!
I made this for Sunday dinner and it was so so SO good! Gravy was super flavorful! I seasoned the flour a bit with a little salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, and pepper. I also used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Can’t wait to make this again!
I’m a Swede from Minnesota but I adore Southern food and your recipes are wonderful
Made this once and am making it again tonight. The Worcestershire sauce absolutely makes the gravy. I am northern born and bred but love these southern recipes. My rating should be 5 star. Hit the wrong tiny star.
Aww thank you so much!