This Smothered Chicken breast recipe is about to become your new favorite chicken recipe; it is that good! Flavorful, juicy chicken, pan fried and smothered in a delicious homemade pan sauce. You'll never want to serve chicken without a sauce ever again.
This easy recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, coming together in under 1 hour, and makes absolutely delicious leftovers! I love pairing it with Rice Pilaf!
Table of contents
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I truly believe that every home cook should master sauce and gravy making. You can bring so much more flavor to a dish when you know how to prepare sauces and gravies. Most simple sauces and gravies can be made with pantry staples.
In my Pantry Essentials post I talk about the many different ingredients that should be on your "pantry staples list" to make cooking from scratch easy. The sauce in this recipe is your basic pan sauce made right in the pan after cooking the chicken. The addition of chicken stock and heavy cream makeup this delicious sauce.
How To Make Smothered Chicken
This homemade smothered chicken is so easy to make with just a few basic pantry staples. Here is my process:
- Step 1: Pat the chicken dry and season on both sides with spices. Dredge lightly in flour.
- Step 2: Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. Set aside and discard the oil. Making sure to leave any of the brown bits in the pan.
- Step 3: Add the butter and garlic to the pan, and sauté for 30 seconds. Scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as you sauté the garlic.
- Step 4: Stir in the flour to make the roux. Cook for 1-minute, while continuing to scrape any of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Step 5: Pour in the chicken stock, whisking to prevent clumping. Add in the heavy cream. Mix until well combined.
- Step 6: Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
👉 Tips
- Pan frying the chicken and then making the sauce in the same pan is crucial for developing flavor. The fond, aka "the brown bits", that is left in the pan from cooking the chicken has loads of flavor that helps build the sauce.
- Let the chicken simmer in the sauce for 5-10 minutes to really soak up the flavor of the sauce and tenderize it.
- For a thinner sauce add in a little more chicken stock until you reach your desired consistency.
- The longer the sauce simmers, the thicker it will get.
Substitutions & Variations
- Sauté onions (and/or mushrooms) before the garlic.
- Chicken broth or vegetable broth can be substituted for the chicken stock.
- Substitute the heavy cream for more chicken stock or milk is needed.
- Add parmesan cheese to the sauce after it has thickened for a cheesy smothered chicken dish.
- Substitute the chicken breasts with chicken thighs. Bone-in or boneless (skinless) with work just fine in this recipe. The cooking time will need to be adjusted.
Storage Tip
Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days. To reheat the leftovers, reheat in a pan on low until the chicken is hot. If using a microwave, place a damp paper towel over the chicken while reheating to prevent drying it out.
I hope this simple Smothered Chicken recipe becomes a staple in your kitchen like it has mine.
-Sky🩷
What To Pair with Smothered Chicken
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📖 Recipe
Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut lengthwise
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ - 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (for dredging) + 3 tablespoons for the roux
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or any neutral tasting oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise, pat dry and season with 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Dredge each piece of chicken in the ⅓ cup of flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the 3 tablespoons of oil. Once hot fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. If using a thermometer, the internal temperature should be 165° F. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the heat off and carefully pour out any excess oil, leaving the brown bits in the pan. Let the pan cool down for a few minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, add in the butter and minced garlic, and sauté 30 seconds while scraping up the brown bits.
- Whisk in the flour to make the roux. Cook for 1 minute, continuing to whisk and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock, whisking continuously to prevent clumping. When all of the stock has been added, pour in the heavy cream, reduce the heat to low and continue whisking until fully combined. Season with remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and the ¼ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, coat with the sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Salt may need to be adjusted depending on the salt content of the chicken stock you are using.
- The longer the sauce cooks, the thicker it will get.
- For a thinner sauce add in a splash of chicken stock.
Lorain says
Made this lastnight and it was amazing!
Simply Scratch Made says
Thank you!
Leann P. says
The sauce! Oh my goodness is it so good. It looks like it would be hard to make, but it is so easy. I love this sauce! Thanks for sharing!
Simply Scratch Made says
Thanks Leann!