This delicious, Southern-inspired smothered chicken is the ultimate comfort food. It’s cozy, creamy, and packed with a ridiculous amount of flavor. In short, it’s the perfect dish for those chilly fall and winter evenings when you’re not sure what to whip up!
Now, I can’t overstate just how creamy this recipe is. Part of the glorious creaminess comes from the cream of chicken soup (which also adds a kick of savory flavor!). But it’s also down to the tangy sour cream that brings an undeniable richness to each bite. Throw in the minced garlic, crispy green onions, and fresh rosemary, and your taste buds will be begging for more!
Oh, and did I mention that most of the prep work takes place in the oven? Simply fry the chicken, onions, green pepper, and mushrooms, then stir together the rest of the ingredients. Pop it in the oven and you’ll have a restaurant-ready meal on the table in an hour flat.
Just as a heads up, I use chicken drumsticks in this recipe (as the dark meat stays tender when cooked!). But honestly, you can substitute this for thighs, breasts, or even wings if you want to switch things up.
Why You’ll Love This Smothered Chicken
- It’s made with a handful of staple ingredients that are easy to find at the grocery store.
- It’s the ultimate comfort food that’s packed with protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied!
- This dish is a complete crowd pleaser – seriously, who doesn’t love chicken and gravy?
- Most of the prep work takes place in the oven, giving you room to multitask while your dinner cooks!
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
- Vegetable oil: For frying your chicken!
- Chicken drumsticks: I like using drumsticks as they turn incredibly tender in the oven (and get crispy skins!).
- Green pepper: For an earthy, crisp sweetness.
- White button mushrooms: You can technically use any mushrooms, but button mushrooms are soft and their flavor won’t overwhelm your dish.
- Sweet onion: These onions don’t pack the same tangy punch as regular onions.
- Cream of chicken soup: For a distinctive, rich, savory flavor (with minimal effort!).
- Sour cream: For tartness and richness.
- Garlic cloves: Use fresh cloves and remove the bulk to avoid any bitterness.
- Fresh rosemary: Gives the smothered chicken a burst of fresh, herby flavor.
- Green onions: For sprinkling (and a pop of color!).
- Cumin, salt, and pepper
How to Make Smothered Chicken
- Step One: Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Step Two: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry chicken 5 to 8 minutes per side. Lay chicken in a 9×13 inch pan. Top with green pepper, mushrooms and onions.
- Step Three: In a medium-sized bowl, stir together cream of chicken soup, sour cream, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and cumin. Pour evenly over chicken and vegetables.
- Step Four: Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle green onions on top. Serve hot.
Equipment Needed
You don’t need much equipment to bring this glorious smothered chicken to life. But if you’re new to the cooking world, these handy pieces of equipment will make things so much easier!
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What to Serve with Smothered Chicken
This smothered chicken is tasty on its own, but you can bulk things out with any of the following side dishes!
If you’d rather keep it simple, just serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- I tend to brown the chicken drumsticks first to give them a glorious, crispy skin and a golden color. You don’t need to do this, but I like the extra flavor and texture frying adds!
- For a slightly thicker gravy, leave your smothered chicken to bake for a couple of extra minutes.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough before adding the chicken. This will give you the crispiest skin!
- If you’re worried about your chicken being cooked, you might want to use a meat thermometer before pulling your baking dish out.
Variations and Substitutions
- I’m a big fan of drumsticks, but chicken thighs or chicken breast should work just as well in this recipe.
- If you don’t like sour cream, heavy cream is a decent substitute (you’ll just lose some tang!).
Storage Instructions
Let your smothered chicken cool and transfer it to an airtight container. It should stay delicious in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can either reheat your chicken in the microwave or on the stove.
Can I Freeze?
You certainly CAN freeze this recipe! I recommend bringing it to room temperature and then placing each portion in an airtight container (or freezer bag).
You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Just remember to label your bags or containers with the date of freezing to be on the safe side!
Chicken Recipes
- South of the Border Chicken
- Sticky Chicken
- Sour Cream Chicken Bake
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
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Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 11 chicken drumsticks
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1 ½ cups white button mushrooms sliced
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp green onions sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry chicken 5 to 8 minutes per side. Lay chicken in a 9×13 inch pan. Top with green pepper, mushrooms and onions.
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together cream of chicken soup, sour cream, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and cumin. Pour evenly over chicken and vegetables.
- Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle green onions on top. Serve hot.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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