Southern Smothered Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lb Chicken pieces (Cleaned; such as thighs or drumsticks)
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil (To help seasonings stick and for searing)
• Paprika (To taste)
• 1 packet Sazón seasoning (For color and flavor)
• Adobo seasoning (To taste)
• Garlic powder (To taste)
• Onion powder (To taste)
• Black pepper (To taste)
• Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (To taste)
• 1 Bell peppers (Chopped)
• 0.5 Onion (Chopped)
• 10.5 oz Cream of chicken soup (1 standard can)
• 10.5 oz Cream of mushroom soup (1 standard can)
• 3 cup Chicken broth (Adjust for desired consistency)

Steps

1. 1

   Clean the chicken pieces and pat them dry.

2. 2

   Season the chicken thoroughly with paprika, sazón, adobo, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and Tony's Creole seasoning. Add a bit of oil to the chicken so the seasonings stick well.

3. 3

   Sear the chicken in a pot over medium-high heat until browned on the outside. Do not cook the chicken all the way through at this stage.

4. 4

   Remove the seared chicken from the pot and place it into an aluminum foil baking pan.

5. 5

   Chop the bell peppers and onions.

6. 6

   In a mixing bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and chopped vegetables.

7. 7

   Gradually add the chicken broth to the soup mixture, stirring until you reach your desired gravy consistency. The author recommends about 3 cups total, using some of the broth to rinse out the soup cans to get every bit of flavor.

8. 8

   Season the sauce with an additional sprinkle of the same seasonings used on the chicken (paprika, sazón, adobo, garlic, onion, pepper, and Creole seasoning) and mix well.

9. 9

   Pour the prepared sauce over the chicken in the foil pan.

10. 10

    Preheat your oven to between 400°F and 425°F (205°C–220°C).

11. 11

    Place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 to 1.5 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

Notes

The author emphasizes not to fully cook the chicken during the searing phase; it should only be browned for flavor before the long bake. For the sauce, you can adjust the amount of chicken broth to make the gravy as thick or thin as you prefer.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• dinner
• comfort food
• baked
• Southern
• chicken