Ingredients:
• 4 slices of bacon
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2-3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 ½ cups of whole milk
• 1 ½ cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley or thyme
Instructions:
1. Start by cooking the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it’s nice and crispy. Once it’s done, chop it up and set it aside. Don’t throw away that bacon grease, we’ll be using it later!
2. While the bacon is cooking, whisk together the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. Set aside about 1/4 cup of this flour mixture for later use.
3. Pat the chicken breasts dry with some paper towels. Then, coat them evenly in the remaining flour mixture, making sure to shake off any excess.
4. Now, melt a tablespoon of butter in the skillet with the bacon grease over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook them until they’re golden brown on both sides. Once they’re done, set them aside on a plate.
5. Now, let’s make the smothering sauce! Melt enough butter in the skillet to get about 4 tablespoons of fat in there. Turn down the heat to medium-low.
6. Whisk in the flour that you set aside earlier. Keep whisking and cooking for about 3 minutes, making sure to scrape up all those delicious brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
7. Slowly pour in the milk and chicken broth, alternating between the two while whisking constantly. This helps to create a smooth sauce.
8. Once the sauce is nicely combined and slightly thickened, add the chicken back into the skillet. Let everything simmer together for about 10 minutes to make sure the chicken is fully cooked and warmed through.
9. Finally, sprinkle the chopped bacon over the chicken and garnish with some fresh parsley or thyme before serving. Enjoy your delicious Southern smothered chicken!