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Pan-fried seasoned crispy tender chicken breasts smothered in an onion gravy are downright delicious. Smothered chicken is easy to make and satisfies all those comfort food cravings.
This recipe is similar to my Smothered Pork Chops, but instead of using an Instant Pot, this is a quick and easy stovetop recipe.
Table of Contents
- Why I love this recipe
- Ingredients needed
- How to make Smothered Chicken
- Tenderize the chicken
- Prepare flour mixture and coat chicken
- Pan fry chicken
- Sauté the onion
- Make the roux
- Make the onion gravy
- Smother the chicken
- Recipe tips and substitution ideas
- Serving suggestions
- Storage and reheating
- Easy chicken dinner recipes
- Smothered Chicken with Onion Gravy Recipe
Why I love this recipe
- The best way to enjoy juicy chicken breasts smothered in a flavorful creamy gravy
- It’s a quick and easy dinner perfect for busy weeknights
- This delicious recipe is a dinner the whole family will devour
If you love comfort food that involves a rich gravy, you’ll also love my homemade country fried steak, chicken a la king, or my classic beef tips and noodles.
Ingredients needed
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and black pepper
- all-purpose flour
- granulated garlic
- seasoning salt
- cayenne pepper
- butter
- olive oil
- sliced yellow onion
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- Worcestershire sauce
How to make Smothered Chicken
Tenderize the chicken
Lay each breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Cut into 4-6 pieces. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Prepare flour mixture and coat chicken
In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with the granulated garlic, seasoning salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the mixture and set it aside – this will be used later to make the roux. The rest of the mixture can be set on a plate or shallow dish.
Cover all sides of each piece of chicken with the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour.
Pan fry chicken
In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with olive oil. When hot, add the chicken. Use tongs to move it around every so often to prevent sticking. When the bottom is a nice golden brown, flip the chicken. Reduce heat a bit, if needed, to ensure you get a nice brown without burning the flour. When done, transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with aluminum foil.
Sauté the onion
Add the onion slices to the pan and stir them around to coat them in the residual butter and oil. As the onions release moisture, stir the pan with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon to release any of the browned bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook onions until they start to brown, about 5 minutes.
Make the roux
Add the two tablespoons of the seasoned flour mixture to the onions and stir to coat. Allow them to cook for a few minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
Make the onion gravy
Add the chicken broth to the onion mixture and stir well. Scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze and release anything that is stuck. When the gravy starts to thicken, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream and Worcestershire sauce.
Smother the chicken
Set the chicken pieces back into the pan with the gravy and cook for a few minutes until they’re nice and hot. Garnish with minced fresh parsley.
Recipe tips and substitution ideas
- Flour mixture – The smothered chicken has plenty of flavor, but if you want to add more seasonings, you could use poultry seasoning, onion powder, or garlic powder. If you want to add an additional bit of heat, you can add creole seasoning or chili powder.
- Boneless skinless breasts – you can use chicken cutlets or boneless skinless thighs as well
- Check doneness – verify the chicken is done by using an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. It is done when the temperature reaches 165°F.
Serving suggestions
This Southern smothered chicken recipe tastes great over mashed potatoes or white rice.
This meal tastes great with a side of roasted green beans.
Storage and reheating
Store any leftover smothered chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers are best enjoyed within 3-5 days.
To reheat, either cover and warm in the oven or microwave at 50% power in one-minute increments until heated through.
Easy chicken dinner recipes
If you want more chicken dinner recipe ideas, here are some of my favorites:
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts approximately 2 large breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 thinly sliced yellow onion
- 1 cup chicken broth use more if you want a thinner gravy
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Prepare chicken: Lay each breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Cut into 4-6 pieces. Cover both sides with salt and pepper.
- Prepare flour mixture: Combine the flour with the granulated garlic, seasoning salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the mixture and set it aside – this will be used later to make the roux. The rest of the mixture can be set on a plate or shallow dish.
- Coat chicken: Cover all sides of each piece of chicken with the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
- Pan fry chicken: In a very large skillet over medium-high to high heat, melt the butter with olive oil. When hot, add the chicken. Use tongs to move it around every so often to prevent sticking. When the bottom is a nice golden brown, flip the chicken. Reduce heat a bit, if needed, to ensure you get a nice brown without burning the flour. When done, transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with aluminum foil.
- Sauté onion: Add the onion slices to the pan and stir them around to coat them in the residual butter and oil. As the onions release moisture, stir the pan with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon to release anything that is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook onions until they start to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Make the roux: Add the two tablespoons of reserved flour mixture to the onions and stir to coat. Allow them to cook for a few minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
- Make the gravy: Add the chicken broth to the onion mixture and stir well. Scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze and release anything that is stuck. When the gravy starts to thicken, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add chicken: Set the chicken pieces back into the pan with the gravy and cook for a few minutes until they're nice and hot. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
Notes
Recipe tips and substitution ideas
- Flour mixture – The smothered chicken has plenty of flavor, but if you want to add more seasonings, you could use poultry seasoning, onion powder, or garlic powder. If you want to add an additional bit of heat, you can add creole seasoning or chili powder.
- Boneless skinless breasts – you can use chicken cutlets or boneless skinless thighs as well
- Check doneness – verify the chicken is done by using an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. It is done when the temperature reaches 165°F.
Serving suggestions
This Southern smothered chicken recipe tastes great over mashed potatoes or white rice. This meal tastes great with a side of roasted green beans.Storage and reheating
Store any leftover smothered chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers are best enjoyed within 3-5 days. To reheat, either cover and warm in the oven or microwave at 50% power in one-minute increments until heated through.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This easy to make smothered chicken is comfort food at its finest. I am looking forward to making it for my family.
I love this chicken dish! The onion gravy is out-of-this world, amazing!!!
Smothered chicken in cast iron is a match made in heaven! Thank you for this perfect recipe! My family loved it!
This is a great recipe to change up the standard chicken dishes I sometimes put on rotation. This pan sauce is amazing!
This is currently one of of my favorite chicken recipes! I have made this 2x in a row and always perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!