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This Southern Smothered Chicken Recipe is comfort food at its best. It features crisp bacon, lightly breaded chicken breasts, and lusciously creamy seasoned gravy made from common pantry spices. The family is always delighted to see this recipe cooking in the skillet when they come home from work and school.
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Chop the bacon up and set it aside. Reserve the bacon grease.
- Whisk together the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. Set aside 1/4 cup of the flour mixture.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge the chicken in the remaining flour mixture shaking off the excess. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet with the bacon grease over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until it is golden brown on both sides. Plate the chicken.
- Melt enough butter in the skillet to have 4 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Turn heat to medium-low. Whisk in the flour that you set aside. Continue whisking and cooking for about 3 minutes, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Slowly add the milk and chicken broth alternating between the two while whisking constantly. Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes to warm the chicken and finish cooking it. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon and garnish with fresh parsley or thyme.
Notes
- If your chicken breasts are oversized, cut them in half or use chicken cutlets. If they are too thick on one end, pound them a little bit with a meat mallet.
- Use the bacon grease to brown the chicken. It adds extra flavor and a crispy texture that can’t be beaten.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Chicken is cooked through when it hits an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- The spices for the breading and gravy are unusual yet delicious. They will tantalize your taste buds.
- If the gravy gets too thick, add a little more milk or chicken broth.
- Don’t forget to scrape the skillet and get those magical browned bacon and flour bits that add tons of flavor to your gravy.
- Make it Louisiana-style smothered chicken by substituting 1 tablespoon of Cajun or Creole seasoning for all the spices.
- Serve the chicken over rice, mashed potato, or egg noodles. Pour the sauce over the top.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on low in a skillet or in the microwave at reduced power.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 1002mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 842IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 2mg
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