Southern smothered chicken is a hearty, comforting dish made with breaded and fried chicken thighs smothered in rich gravy and cooked until very tender. Serve this dish with rice or potatoes for an authentic comfort food meal!
Sometimes you just need some good ol' comfort food to warm you up from the inside out. It doesn't get more comforting than juicy fried chicken smothered in peppery gravy with onions and garlic!
I remember eating smothered chicken with white rice and southern buttermilk biscuits almost every Sunday growing up in Mississippi and I'm super excited to share a dish from my childhood with you!
For more comforting southern dinner recipes, check out our Cajun Smothered Chicken Breasts and Cajun Crawfish Etouffee recipes next!
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- Bone-in chicken thighs. Rinse and pat the chicken dry.
- All-purpose flour. To bread the chicken and make the gravy.
- Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. To season the chicken and gravy.
- Extra virgin olive oil. To pan-fry the chicken.
- Unsalted butter. To make the gravy.
- Yellow onion. For additional flavor and texture.
- Fresh garlic. Everything tastes better with garlic!
- Chicken stock. To make the gravy.
How To Make This Recipe
- Add the flour, 1 teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a gallon zip-top bag. Seal the bag and shake the ingredients up to combine them.
- Rinse and pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the chicken with ½ teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Place the chicken thighs in the bag with the flour, seal the bag, and gently toss the bag around to coat the chicken in flour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F while you pan-fry the chicken.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium cast-iron or oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, carefully place the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the skillet.
- Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms. Flip the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on the other side or until golden brown. Transfer the skillet to a plate while you make the gravy. Do not worry about fully cooking the chicken. It will continue to cook in the oven.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 mins until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to get rid of any raw flour taste. Constantly stir the flour with a wooden spoon so that it doesn't burn.
- Add the stock to the skillet and cook the gravy for 3-5 minutes, or until thickened. The gravy should coat the back of a spoon. Season the gravy with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken back into the skillet with the gravy. Spoon gravy and onions over the chicken and place the skillet in the preheated oven. Cook the chicken for 35-40 minutes or until very tender.
- Allow the chicken to cool for about 10 minutes and serve over white rice if desired.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make this recipe with boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time according to the size of your chicken pieces.
- Add green, red, or orange bell peppers for additional flavor and texture.
- Try adding different spices and herbs, such as mustard powder, lemon pepper, thyme, oregano, and rosemary.
What Other Cuts of Chicken Can I Use?
This recipe can be made with chicken drumsticks, wings, or leg quarters. You can even substitute turkey wings or pork chops for chicken!
Be sure to adjust cooking time as needed. Wings will not need as much cooking time and leg quarters and turkey wings will need more.
What To Serve With Smothered Chicken
Smothered chicken pairs beautifully with so many other dishes! Serve it with some of the following for a satisfying and comforting meal:
- Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
- Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Cajun Honey Roasted Carrots
- Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Southern Hushpuppies
- Southern Sweet Potato Pie
- Best Ever Bread Pudding
- Pumpkin Tart with Meringue
More FAQs
You most likely did not cook your flour long enough before adding the chicken stock. Cook the flour with the butter and onions for at least 2-3 minutes to cook out any raw flour taste.
If your gravy turns out too thin, you may have added too much stock or too little flour. Thicken it by adding a cornstarch slurry made of 1 tablespoon of cool water mixed with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
While both are cooked in flavorful gravy, stewed chicken is boiled while smothered chicken is fried.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
The seasoned flour can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and stored at room temperature in the zip-top bag. I do not recommend making any other elements of the dish ahead of time.
Leftover smothered chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recommended Tools For This Recipe
More Southern Recipes You Will Love!
- Southern Candied Yams
- Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
- Southern Green Beans
- Southern Collard Greens
- Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
- Southern Pecan Pie
📖 Recipe
Southern Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
Seasoned Flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika - sweet or smoked
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Chicken
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- ½ teaspon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Gravy
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion - cut into thin strips
- 3 tablespoons seasoned flour
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
- Salt and cracked black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Add the flour, 1 teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a gallon zip-top bag. Seal the bag and shake the ingredients up to combine them.
- Rinse and pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the chicken with ½ teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Place the chicken thighs in the bag with the flour, seal the bag, and gently toss the bag around to coat the chicken in flour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F while you pan-fry the chicken.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium cast-iron or oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, carefully place the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the skillet.
- Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes or until a golden brown crust forms. Flip the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on the other side or until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate while you make the gravy. Do not worry about fully cooking the chicken. It will continue to cook in the oven.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 mins until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to get rid of any raw flour taste. Constantly stir the flour with a wooden spoon so that it doesn't burn.
- Add the stock to the skillet and cook the gravy for 3-5 minutes, or until thickened. The gravy should coat the back of a spoon. Season the gravy with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken back into the skillet with the gravy. Spoon gravy and onions over the chicken and place the skillet in the preheated oven. Cook the chicken for 35-40 minutes or until very tender.
- Allow the chicken to cool for about 10 minutes and serve over white rice if desired.
Notes
- The seasoned flour can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and stored at room temperature in the zip-top bag.
- Leftover smothered chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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