Easy Smothered Chicken
This Easy Smothered Chicken recipe is the epitome of comfort food. Juicy, tender chicken breasts cooked in a savory gravy topped with crispy bacon makes for a simple, satisfying meal.
Easy Smothered Chicken: The ultimate comfort food
While cooking this dish, I couldn’t get over how delicious my kitchen smelled. The garlic, spices and bacon combine to make the most scrumptious aroma. And when I tasted the juicy chicken in that delectable gravy, I swooned. If you’re looking for a fuss-free weeknight dinner recipe, this is it.
This recipe is straightforward, uses simple ingredients but delivers a deeply flavorful dish the entire family will love.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Flour.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika and dried thyme. Other herbs like oregano, rosemary and basil will also be delicious. Onion powder can be used too.
- Bacon.
- Olive oil. Unsalted butter can be substituted.
- Fresh garlic. I chose to keep this recipe super simple but feel free to add onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms or spinach.
- Chicken stock.
- Heavy cream.
- Milk mixed with cornstarch. This is optional but I like the velvetiness of the sauce with the addition of the cornstarch.
- Lemon juice.
- Parsley, for garnish.
How To Make Smothered Chicken
This recipe couldn’t be easier. A few simple steps and you have the most delicious dinner. Here’s how you do it:
- Dredge the chicken in seasoned flour mixture.
- Cook the bacon in a hot pan until crisp.
- Brown the chicken in the bacon grease.
- Sauté garlic and spices.
- Pour in the stock and cream.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve garnished with parsley.
Can I make this ahead?
The smothered chicken leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the chicken as the sauce can split once thawed.
Serving Suggestions
We love this creamy chicken dish served with mashed potatoes and vegetables like broccoli, asparagus or green beans. It will also be delicious with rice or pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
For the sauce
- 4 strips streaky bacon I used 4 strips but nobody is going to be mad if you cook the entire package
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2-3 tsp lemon juice to taste
- fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a deep pan or large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp with the fat rendered. Remove from the pan, leaving the bacon grease behind.
- Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper and flatten out slightly with a rolling pin.
- Combine flour, paprika, salt and garlic powder in a shallow bowl then coat each chicken breast in the flour.
- Shake off the excess flour then add the chicken to the pan set over medium heat.
- Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. If the flour has browned too much, remove with paper towel.
- Add another splash of olive oil to the drippings (optional if there is still enough fat left in the pan) and add the garlic and remaining spices.
- Cook until fragrant then pour in the chicken stock.
- Allow the stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up any sticky bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Mix together the milk and cornstarch then pour into the pan along with the cream.
- Bring to a simmer then add the chicken breasts back into the pan and allow to cook for another 5-8 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Scatter over the crispy bacon.
- Add the lemon juice and season to taste then serve garnished with fresh parsley.
Video
Nutrition
More Chicken Breast Recipes
I made this last night – it was absolutely delicious! The whole family (from a semi fussy 9-year-old, to a very fussy 79-year-old), was full of compliments. Thanks for another winner!
Fantastic! I love hearing that. Thanks Julie!
Hi.
I’m going to make this tonight but not sure when do I add the bacon back into the pan? With the chicken?
I scatter it over right before serving to keep it nice and crisp but you can add it to the sauce too.
Amazing, thank you 🙏❤️
Hi, Alida! Love your blog and have made many of your delicious recipes. My husband has been suffering with what we think is a dairy-free allergy/intolerance the last few years. How can I make this dairy-free other than omitting the milk/ cream? Will it affect the flavor? Going forward, would you consider offering “dairy-free” versions of your amazing recipes?
Thank you and best regards,
Carla
Hi Carla. Oh no, that sucks. I would use either coconut milk and a bit of cornstarch to thicken or maybe macadamia milk? Because I haven’t tried that myself I can’t vouch for the taste but I always prefer macadamia or cashew milk to other alternative milks. If you do try it, please let me know how it was then I can add that to my recipe notes.
Hi, Alida,
Thank you so much for responding! He is NOT a fan of coconut anything (PITA!!!!) but if I can find macadamia milk……where do you find that???!
Truly, think about a “Dairy Free” recipe portion of your blog! In a way, I am incredibly surprised that it is not more popular. Gluten-Free FINALLY kicked in, but I feel that the world is not recognizing, supporting or advertising for “Dairy Free / Lactose Intolerant” the same way and there are SO many people who suffer, sadly!
I’ll get working on adding a dairy-free category to my recipe index. I have plenty of recipes that are naturally dairy-free but it will be nice to group them all together.