Smothered Chicken
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This Smothered Chicken recipe is destined to become a family favorite. Moist and tender chicken breasts are drenched in a luxuriously creamy bacon and mushroom sauce. What is there not to love? Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta and get ready to enjoy some ultimate comfort food!
A few years ago when I made this Smothered Chicken for the first time I marveled at how our family dinner was actually peaceful. Our normally rambunctious 4 and 2 year old kids were so engrossed in the meal, so contented, that my husband and I were actually able to enjoy the meal ourselves – imagine that! If only family dinner could always be like this! Both of our kids asked for seconds and our 4 year old remained at the table for a full 7 minutes after everyone else was done, savoring every last morsel. I made a mental note: Serve Smothered Chicken every night, ha!
Fast forward several years and our kids love this smothered chicken as much today as they did then. And it’s always a hit when we serve it to friends and family. We’re confident you’ll love it as much as we do!
What is Smothered Chicken?
It’s chicken that’s smothered in a creamy mushroom bacon sauce. Nothing more needs to be said. Except that you may find yourself setting aside everything you learned about table manners and picking up the plate to give it six solid licks to lap up every last drop of sauce. (Not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything).
And if you’re the parent of a toddler, preschooler or teenagers who can’t sit through a family meal without chaos breaking loose, this Smothered Chicken recipe is your new secret tool to peace and happiness – at least for the duration of dinner!
What to Serve with Smothered Chicken
You can serve this with a variety of carbs and veggies. Here are a few ideas:
- Mashed potatoes
- Buttered noodles or Spaetzle
- Steamed rice or Homemade Rice a Roni
- Buttermilk Biscuits or Spelt Biscuits
- Cornbread Muffins
- Or see How to Cook Spaghetti Squash for a low carb alternative!
- Four Bean Salad
- Green beans, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower
Storage & Freezing
Smothered chicken will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge and then gently reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Smothered Chicken Recipe
Let’s get started!
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside, leaving the browned bits in the bottom of the pan – that’s going to add a lot of great flavor to the sauce.
Next fry the bacon until crispy. Don’t drain the bacon grease – that’s a must for flavor! (And yes, it’s okay to live a little once a while.)
Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the butter, let it melt, then add the flour and stir until combined. Cook for about 30 seconds. This will eliminate the “floury” taste.
While whisking constantly, pour in the heavy cream and milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue whisking until the sauce is thickened.
Stir in the salt.
Stir in the parsley. Nestle the chicken breasts in the sauce and spoon some sauce over them. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
And salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately garnished with some fresh parsley.
Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes. See blog post above for more serving suggestions.
Enjoy!
For more classic American comfort dishes try my:
- Sausage Gravy
- Hamburger Gravy
- Corn Pudding
- Ultimate Green Bean Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- New England Clam Chowder
- Shrimp and Grits
- Jambalaya
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Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut in half lengthwise to form 4 thinner chicken fillets (or 4 whole chicken breasts if you prefer a bigger serving), both sides sprinkled with salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon , diced (use more bacon if using thin-sliced)
- 6 ounces fresh white button or cremini mushrooms , sliced
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside, leaving the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.
- Add the bacon and cooked until crispy. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the butter, melt, then add the flour and stir to combined. Cook for 30 seconds.
- While whisking constantly, pour in the heavy cream and milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue whisking until the sauce is thickened. Add the salt and parsley.
- Nestle the chicken breasts in the sauce and spoon sauce over them to cover. Return the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with rice, pasta or potatoes and garnish with some fresh chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet on April 22, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I totally agree this is Southern comfort food at its best, and the recipe is so easy. My family can be picky and even my Yankee born husband enjoyed it. Five stars and 6 thumbs up! We enjoy the international diversity of your recipes!
Fantastic, Kim, I’m thrilled to hear that – thank you! :)
This sounds like what we called growing up chicken and gravy. My mom.used to make it for her 7 kids. With her being a single parent she had to fix meals that was filling with just a little meat. This was one those meals. We kids loved it. She would double it to make sure there was enough.
I made it for my 3 girls and now they are making for their kids.
So I guess tells just how good tasting it is
Keep up the great recipes, li reading them and deciding which one I’ll fix.
Thank you and my God bless
Thanks so much for sharing, Jan. We don’t eat a ton of meat in our family either and prefer “stretching it out” in saucy dishes like this one. This one’s always a hit.
I tried this last night. So very delicious and yummy! I used half and half to replace the heavy cream and milk. I also added tarragon for a different taste. I made enough for two meals so will enjoy tonight again.
Wonderful, Helga, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you! Tarragon’s a great choice.
at last minute i discovered that i was out of heavy cream so i substituted light cream (5%), using same proportions. The sauce was splendidly silky and lush. loved the recipe, so did my guests!
Thank you, Naomi, I’m so glad you and your guests enjoyed it! :)
Such a great meal for any night of the week!
I have a recipe almost the same as this so I know it’s delicious. I chop my chicken up into bite size pieces and make the sauce slightly thick then I make some crepes and fill them with the chicken mix. Yum Yum, everyone loves these when I make them. I roll them, sprinkle cheese over the top and heat them through in the oven.
Using this as a crepe filling is a great idea, Suzanne, thanks for sharing!
Many thanks Kimberley, this WAS plate-licking good. Added some finely chopped celery with the vegetables as well. Really lovely! Mmmmmmm
Wonderful, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the feedback about the added veggies!
What a delicious dinner recipe! Adding this to my dinner line up for the week; looks too good to pass up!
This chicken dish has all the right flavors! Loved it!
Thanks so much, Kevin!