Smothered Chicken & Mushrooms
I know there are a lot of people who swear by cream of mushroom everything for smothered chicken and gravies. And I’m not gonna argue with you. But I grew up making roux, and I promise you can get the same rich and creamy result without that can.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a texture person, and there’s something about the way that stuff plops out of the can that just isn’t it for me. And even after cooking it down, I still wasn’t a huge fan of the bland flavor. I added so much seasoning and finessing that I might as well have started from scratch in the first place.
So that’s exactly what I did with this recipe.
My smothered chicken and mushrooms recipe gives you the same creamy, comforting dish, but it starts with the methods I grew up with: building a roux, layering flavor, and adding just a touch of cream and butter at the end for that rich flavor we all know and love.
And honestly, part of this came from me being plain lazy. I don’t always keep that creamy stuff in my pantry, so that would require me to go to the store every time I got a craving, and I just don’t always have time for that as a busy mom.
So no, I’m not knocking the canned soup version. If that’s what you love, do you. But what I am saying is that this homemade version is worth a little bit of extra time, and it can be made with ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
The gravy is rich, savory, creamy, and full of flavor, and it’s so good that it woke my husband out of a deep sleep trying to figure out what I was cooking for dinner.
So you be the judge.
Gourmet Mommie Tip#1:
Choose the Right Dutch Oven: Use a Dutch oven large enough to hold all the chicken. A little overlap is fine while baking, but sear the chicken in a single layer, working in batches if needed, to develop a golden crust on both sides.
Gourmet Mommie Tip #2:
Use the Chicken Drippings: The chicken releases fat as it sears. Use the drippings to cook the flour, adding a little olive oil only if needed.
Gourmet Mommie Tip #3:
Taste Before Baking: Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning to your taste before returning the chicken to the Dutch oven.
Notes
1
Prepare the Seasoning Blend | Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine all seasoning blend ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until evenly mixed.
2
Season the Chicken | Cut the chicken breasts in half to make 10 pieces, if needed. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and coat evenly. Season both sides generously (approximately 3–4 tablespoons of the seasoning blend per side), reserving the rest.
3
Sear the Chicken | Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear chicken skin-side down for 3–4 minutes per side, working in batches if needed. Remove chicken, leaving the drippings in the Dutch oven.
4
Make the Gravy Base | Add flour to the chicken drippings. Stir continuously until the flour turns golden yellow.
5
Cook the Vegetables | Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring until fragrant. Add bell peppers and onion. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in 1½ tablespoons of the reserved seasoning blend.
6
Build the Mushroom Gravy | Add white wine and chicken stock, scraping up any remaining browned bits. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–4 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for another 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
7
Add Chicken & Mushrooms | Return chicken and any juices to the Dutch oven, nestling the pieces into the gravy. Add a little more chicken stock if needed to nearly cover the chicken. Top with mushrooms and gently press them into the gravy.
8
Bake the Chicken | Cover and bake at 375°F for approximately 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and beginning to fall off the bone (internal temperature of 165°F).
9
Finish & Serve | Remove from oven and stir in butter until melted. Serve over rice.
Instructions
3 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
3 tablespoons Fiesta Garlic Pepper
2¼ tablespoons Italian seasoning
1½ tablespoons Morton kosher salt
1½ tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
Seasoning Blend
1 whole skin-on bone-in chicken (cut into 10 pieces)
olive oil (for coating and searing)
Chicken
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
½ large yellow onion (thinly sliced)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
3–4 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock (plus more if needed)
¼ cup heavy cream
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons butter
Rice (for serving)
Mushroom Gravy
Gourmet Mommie
Jazzmyne Buckels
SMOTHERED CHICKEN & MUSHROOMS
5-8 Servings
716 Calories / Serve (2 pieces of chicken)
PREP
10 M
COOK
1 H
REST
0
TOTAL
1 H, 10 M
Comments