Smothered Chicken with Mushrooms

You'll love this simple recipe for restaurant-style smothered chicken. It's easy to follow, with great results. Moist, flavorful chicken smothered in mushrooms and onions, all drenched in thick and tasty gravy! An impressive dinner to serve your family or dinner guests. Ready in 35 minutes with a 1-hr or up to overnight marinade.

This delicious traditionally southern chicken dish was made famous by the chain restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. It's known for its juicy and flavorful chicken, creamy gravy, and layers of mushrooms and onions.

This smothered chicken dinner can be made at home following a few easy steps. Check out this recipe to learn how!

★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★

It's simple. You don't have to follow a million steps to achieve homemade smothered chicken. This recipe incorporates several shortcuts to get you amazing flavor in no time.

It's versatile. You can use any kind of chicken. Chicken breasts or thighs. You can even follow this recipe using pork chops.

Just like at the restaurant, choose your favorite kind of jack cheese. Like a little spicy? Go with pepper jack. Want something mild and rich? Go with monterey jack cheese.

Don't like mushrooms? Skip them! You can replace them with bell peppers or just go with onions.

The chicken is moist, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. Chicken breasts are tenderized, marinated, seared, and then simmered in a rich sauce made with onion, garlic, and broth. Mushrooms and bacon gristle are optional but add extra layers of flavor.

★ Ingredients You'll Need ★

Here's a look at everything you'll need to make this delicious smothered chicken with creamy gravy at home!

• Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work great or your can use boneless thighs for juicier chicken.
• Italian dressing. Choose your favorite brand.
• Bacon drippings or butter. This is a great way to add flavor and use up bacon grease. If you don't have any bacon grease saved, that's OK. Butter will work just fine.
• Onions. I like white onions but you could use yellow or even red if you prefer or if that's what you have.
• Mushrooms. Sliced white mushrooms or you can use baby portabellas for a meatier flavor.
• Garlic. You can use fresh grated or I like to save time and use garlic paste. In a pinch you can use garlic powder but paste or fresh is going to give you more flavor.
• Chicken broth. Bone broth or any kind of chicken stock if you prefer.
• Heavy cream. Milk can be substituted for a lighter, less rich sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce. This adds a subtle meaty flavor that enhances the mushrooms and gravy.
• Dijon mustard. This adds tang and layers in flavor.
• Smoked paprika. Smoked is ideal but you can use regular paprika if that's all you have.
• Monterey Jack cheese. Shredded. You can also use pepper jack for added kick or colby jack if you prefer.
• Parsley. Fresh chopped for garnish. You can use curly or Italian flat leaf parsley. Whichever you prefer.

★ How to Make this Recipe ★

This recipes is very simple to make, just follow the steps and you can pull off a restaurant quality dish, at home.

Here's a look at the steps:

• Pound chicken.
• Marinate chicken.
• Cook chicken.
• Cook mushrooms and onions.
• Make gravy.
• Combine chicken with gravy.
• Add cheese and melt.
• Garnish and serve.

Very simple! So good!

★ Tips & FAQs ★

Can the chicken be grilled instead of cooking in a skillet?

Yes! If you prefer the flavor or convenience of grilling, you can certainly grill your chicken. Follow the recipe, just prepare the sauce in a separate pan and combine the chicken with the sauce when you're done grilling.

If you have a cast iron skillet, you can use that on your grill.

What type of chicken works best for smothered chicken?

For ease of serving, boneless chicken breasts work well.

If you're a sucker for extra flavor and don't mind the extra work, bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces such as thighs, drumsticks, or breasts work well too. The bone and skin will add even more flavor and help keep the meat moist during cooking.

What are some side dishes to serve with smothered chicken?

Smothered chicken pairs well with a variety of sides such as mashed potatoes, rice, biscuits, cornbread, green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or any roasted vegetables. These sides complement the richness of the chicken and gravy beautifully.

Can I make smothered chicken healthier?

Sure. You can make smothered chicken healthier by using reducing the amount of fat used in the gravy, and incorporating more mushroom or vegetables into the dish. For a lighter gravy, you can use low-sodium broth and use margarine instead of butter or bacon fat.

Can I skip the marinade?

If you are short on time, you can season the chicken with dry Italian seasonings or just salt and pepper to save time. Just sprinkle the chicken generously with the dry seasonings on each side before cooking.

The chicken will not be infused with flavor in the same way a marinade provides, but it will still be delicious with the gravy!

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