So my darling daughter got me Paula's southern cooking bible for Christmas a few years back....and I absolutely love it. There are a few recipes that I posted on OD about, but of course I always seem to never have time to review them. So the other day I made the Smothered Chicken on page 172 and decided that I had to review it, even if it was a few days later. I will post the recipe on here at the end, the original version and my add-ins/deductions.
I love smothered chicken, especially from one of the steak house chains that we have here in Ohio. It's comfort food plain and simple! Over all this recipe was wonderful, there were only a few things that I really didn't care about it. One the original recipe does not have mushrooms in it, and let's be honest, what is smothered chicken without mushrooms...just crazy! (If you can't tell I like mushrooms lol)
The other thing that I really didn't care for is the overly floury taste. I mean I know that gravies with flour are going to have that taste, but I honestly think there was way too much in this recipe. And not only was the floury taste a bit much for me, but the green bell peppers was a bit strong.
The kids loved it. The chicken came out tender and basically falling apart. I will definitely make this again, but with a few minor changes :)
So the original recipe calls for: - 1 cup all purpose flour - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder - salt and black pepper - 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 lbs), rinsed, patted dry and cute into 8 pieces - 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter - 1 small yellow onion, chopped - 1 small green bell pepper, chopped - 1 1/2 cups whole milk
My version (only changes noted) - add 1 pint sliced button mushrooms (or any of your choice really) - 1/2 small green bell pepper, chopped - use 1 tablespoon left over flour for sauce
in a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Lightly sprinkle the chicken all over with salt and black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. Set any left over flour aside to use in step 3.
In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add the onion and bell pepper (mushroom for my version) to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the reserved flour mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. (I am using 1 tablespoon in my version...I think there is enough flour on the chicken it's self) Slowly whisk in the milk and 1/2 cup water. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and is nice and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes (I did 45 minutes just to be safe). Bring to the table right there in that skillet.
In a side note in the book, Paula says that instead of using a whole bird cut up, you can go ahead and use 3 1/2 pounds of whatever chicken pieces your family likes best. That way, if everyone likes drumsticks, there'll be enough to go around. (I used frozen/thawed chicken thighs from Kroger's freezer section)
Overall out of 5 stars, this is by far a 4 for me. With my changes, a 5....so definitely a keeper.
If you try it, please let me know what you think....and I'd like to thank Ms. Paula for her wonderful cookbook.... I would be lost without some of these recipes. More reviews to come...especially when I have the time lol
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