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Smothered Chicken and Rice

Smothered chicken and rice with fork-tender chicken thighs in a rich onion gravy simmered until dark and luscious. Fluffy long-grain rice cooks in the same one-pot sauce, absorbing the savory drippings for a comforting, cohesive casserole-style dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and seasoning
  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.25 salt to taste
  • 0.25 pepper to taste
Onion gravy base
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2.5 cup chicken broth
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Rice and garnish
  • 1.5 cup long-grain white rice uncooked
  • 1 fresh parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken thighs with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high and sear the chicken skin-side down for 6-7 minutes until golden.
  2. Flip the chicken and sear for 4 minutes more until browned. Remove chicken to a plate while you cook the onions.
Caramelize onions and build the gravy
  1. In the same Dutch oven, cook the sliced onion over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until caramelized. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  3. Stir in the heavy cream and Worcestershire sauce until smooth and combined.
Simmer with rice until tender
  1. Stir in the uncooked long-grain white rice. Nestle the chicken back into the broth skin-side up and bring everything to a simmer.
  2. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 20-22 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the chicken reaches 165°F. Keep covered to maintain steam for evenly cooked rice.
Serve
  1. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot. Spoon gravy over the chicken and rice so each bite stays saucy.

Notes

Pro tip: when adding the chicken broth, scrape the browned bits aggressively—those caramelized bits are the flavor base for the dark onion gravy. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; reheat gently with a splash of broth or water. Freezing is not recommended for the best rice texture. For a lighter swap, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a similar creamy gravy with less richness.