Smothered Chicken

Chicken is a protein that shows up more and more frequently on our tables. The big question I hear is "anyone have anything new to do with chicken?" Well, I don't have anything new, but maybe something you haven't done in a long time or haven't thought about how to throw a twist on and create something new and fresh. I give you.... smothered chicken.

Smothered chicken is a main stay in the south. Usually a cut up chicken, skin removed, dredged in flour and browned. Sometimes sausage is added to spice things up a bit. Then the chicken is "smothered" in vegetables and gravy and left to braise until fall off the bone tender. I'm a big fan of the dish and love the endless twists and flavor combinations you can do.

For a classic southern style you will need the following:

1 chicken cut in 8 parts and skin removed
All purpose flour
about 1/2 pound fresh sausages, casings removed
1 onion finely chopped
1 or 2 ribs of celery chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium size tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cups or so of a low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

The technique is simple, dredge the chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a large skillet or brassier and brown the chicken on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total and remove that to a plate.

Pour off excess oil (leave about 2 tablespoons) and brown the sausage well, breaking it up as you go. After it is browned remove it to a plate and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat and add the vegetables (not the tomato, it is a fruit). Brown the vegetables for about 8 minutes, add a couple tablespoons of flour, coat the vegetables and continue to cook until the flour is browned. Then slowly whisk in the broth.

Return the chicken and sausage to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring on occasion. Check the chicken for doneness. Sprinkle the tomato over the top and let it heat through, about 5 more minutes.

Serve over rice.

So the variations?

Try adding herbs de provence to your flour, replacing the vegetables with onions, garlic and artichoke hearts. Add a glug or 2 of white wine to the stock and top it off with crumbled feta.

Or, season the flour with Italian seasonings, use spicy Italian sausage, add rounds of eggplant to the vegetables and top it all off with fresh grated parm or melt fresh mozzarella over the chicken and serve the gravy on the side.

Smothered chicken is a comfort food that is great in weather like this. Warm, rich, aromatic and done in a single pan. Enjoy!!