Smothered Chicken and Gravy #recipe #Giveaway #Thanksgiving @vmburns

 V.M. Burns: This recipe was yummy, but it isn't exactly on my diet (I'm almost always on a diet). However, I just needed some comfort food and this dish had all of the comfort I could want. Bacon (I love bacon), mashed potatoes, and gravy. After this, the poodles and I took an extra lap around the block, but it was so worth it. As we approach the Thanksgiving season, I am thankful to have smothered chicken and mashed potatoes in my life. 

Smothered Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 5 strips of bacon
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's season salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 Cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp beef bouillon
• 1/3 cup milk or half and half
• 1 Teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 Teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 Teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon ground sage

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the grease and keep 3 Tablespoons for later. 
   
   
   
2. Slice the chicken breasts in half. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to flatten until they are about 3/4 inch thick. Pat the chicken with a paper towel until dry.
   
   
   
3. Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, Lawry's season salt, and pepper on a large plate. Dredge the chicken into the coating mixture. 
   
   
   
4. Add the reserved bacon grease into a skillet with the vegetable oil and heat the oil, then add the chicken and fry for approximately 5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
   
   
   
5. Drain the excess oil. Melt the butter over medium heat and use a spatula to scrape up any of the little brown bits. Sprinkle the flour gradually. Whisk continuously until it forms a paste. Add the broth and half and half gradually and in small increments, whisking constantly. If you add too much liquid at one time, then it won't thicken. 
   
   
   
6. Slowly add the bouillon, soy sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a gentle boil and then reduce to a simmer.
   
   
   
7. Add the chicken back to the pan. Chop the bacon and sprinkle it on top of the chicken.
   
   
   
8. Cover and cook over low heat for another 10-15 minutes. If you have a thermometer, you want the chicken to reach 165 degrees.
   
   
   

READERS: Before I moved to the South, I was Team Brown Gravy. Now, I am converting to Team White Gravy. Which are you? Brown? or White? Let me know in the comments for a chance to win a copy of MURDER ON TOUR the ninth book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series (US Only). Please remember to include your email address if you want to be included in the giveaway. 

MURDER ON TOUR 

Releases November 28, 2023

Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .
 
While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .
 
When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .

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