Smothered Chicken with Gravy
This is the kind of chicken that makes Sunday dinner feel like Sunday dinner. We're talking about tender chicken pieces smothered in a rich, golden brown gravy that's so good you'll want to sop it up with every piece of bread on the table. It's comfort on a plate, and once you get the hang of it, you'll be making this every week.
Cooking tutorial
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 3½ to 4 lbs), cut into 8 pieces
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus 3 tbsp for the gravy
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken pieces all over with the seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Let it sit for about 10 minutes while you get everything else ready.
- 2
Put the ½ cup of flour in a shallow dish and dredge each piece of chicken in it, coating both sides and shaking off any extra.
- 3
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches so you don't crowd the pan, brown the chicken pieces on both sides until they're golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Take the chicken out and set it aside on a plate.
- 4
Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of the oil and drippings from the pan. Add the sliced onions and cook them down until they're soft and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of flour over the onions and stir it around for about 2 minutes until it's all mixed in and starting to brown a little. This is your roux.
- 6
Slowly pour in the chicken broth and water, stirring the whole time to get all those brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring until the gravy is smooth and starts to thicken up.
- 7
Put the chicken pieces back in the pan, nestling them down into that gravy. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until the chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender.
- 8
Taste the gravy and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. If the gravy's too thick, add a little more broth or water. If it's too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes.
Pro Tips
- ★Don't skip browning the chicken properly — that's where all the flavor in your gravy comes from.
- ★If your gravy gets lumpy when you add the liquid, just keep stirring hard with a whisk or wooden spoon and it'll smooth itself out.