Description
This Smothered Chicken and Rice Bowl recipe is the ultimate comfort food—featuring tender chicken simmered in savory onion and tomato gravy, served over fluffy rice. Perfect for cozy dinners, meal prep, or a family feast. Southern-style, easy, and deeply flavorful, it’s a one-bowl meal you’ll make on repeat.
Ingredients
4 boneless chicken thighs or breasts
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 tablespoon fresh parsley or thyme, chopped
3 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on both sides until golden. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, sauté sliced onions until soft and caramelized. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and let them cook down for 3–4 minutes.
5. Pour in chicken broth, stir, and scrape up the browned bits. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Return chicken to the pan, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes.
7. Serve chicken and gravy over bowls of cooked rice. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
For extra flavor, use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and remove skin before serving.
You can use canned diced tomatoes if fresh aren’t available.
To thicken the gravy more, add a slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southern Comfort
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 610mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 95mg