Get ready for old fashioned comfort food, Southern style!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Super tender, juicy chicken every single time
- Easy homemade chicken gravy has rich flavor from pan drippings
- Comfort food to the max—but with minimal cooking time
This herbed oven-baked chicken is one of those easy recipes that tastes satisfying, hearty, and full of home-cooked love. It's a true family favorite for busy weeknights—easy on mom, and irresistible to everyone!
The gravy is a type of basic cream sauce but it adds so much flavor!
If you're the daring type you might like to take Sunday dinner to a new level with this cranberry chicken, next time.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Season chicken and dot with butter. Bake.
- Melt drippings and butter then whisk in flour.
- Whisk in milk.
- Simmer until thick and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
🥫 Storage
This delicious herb-baked chicken recipe isn't just good for a single night—it makes great leftovers, too.
Pack up the chicken breasts into an airtight container. A single layer is best to preserve the herby crust, but it's fine to layer them, too.
Refrigerate the chicken for four to five days, or freeze it for up to three months. Let it thaw (if frozen) then just use the microwave to warm it up!
You can also store the brown gravy, but I'd do so separately from the chicken. Pour any remaining room-temperature gravy into an airtight container and refrigerate for two or three days at the most. Otherwise, freeze it for a few months.
To rewarm the gravy, let it thaw in the fridge if frozen. Then, place it in a small pan and warm it over low heat, stirring occasionally.
📖 Variations
- You can make this herb-baked chicken recipe with pork chops. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chops reach at least 145 degrees F (the cooking time may be less than chicken.)
- Instead of boneless skinless breasts, experiment with your favorite dark meat cuts or boneless chicken thighs.
- Using skin-on chicken? If you have a few minutes, you can sear it in a few tablespoons of hot oil, first, for extra crispy skin.
- Use an Italian seasoning blend for extra simple prep.
- Or, chop up fresh herbs for a more flavorful finish.
- Feel free to swap the garlic powder for onion powder, if you prefer.
- You can add diced onions to the butter (in the gravy portion of the recipe) and then proceed as written to make a tasty onion gravy!
- Accidentally toss your chicken drippings? No worries—use some chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth instead.
If you don't have chicken on hand why not try these fried pork chops and gravy.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: You don't need to add olive oil or any grease to the pan before baking. The chicken will release juices that will prevent it from sticking. Doesn't hurt to give it a spritz of cooking spray.
- Always pat chicken dry with a paper towel before cooking with it.
- Sometimes you can buy pre-packaged mixed bunches of fresh herbs in the grocery store. The great thing about that is you get a variety of herb flavors, without needing to spend a ton of money.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan well to get all the browned bits of chicken drippings out. This is what adds the most flavor to your delicious gravy.
- Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Larger chicken pieces will take longer to bake than smaller ones.
- If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, baking is done when the juices of the chicken run clear (rather than pink or red.) However, this method is trickier, not as accurate as measuring by temperature, and often results in drier meat.
- Let the milk and half and half come to room temperature while the chicken cooks. Avoid adding ice-cold milk to the gravy mixture.
- Don't hold back on the black pepper. Fresh-cracked is even better!
- This gravy recipe is fabulous on mashed potatoes and green beans, too, so don't skip it and you'll have a complete meal! Don't ya' just love easy dinners?!
👩🍳 FAQs
Sort of. Smothered chicken usually refers to a style of cooking where the meat is simmered or braised in the cooking liquid. This easy baked chicken recipe isn't cooked with gravy. However, you can still smother your chicken in it, once both components are finished! Yum!
Buy some frozen vegetables and microwave mashed potatoes! Or, serve the herb-baked chicken with minute rice and steamed broccoli.
You can, but I don't totally recommend it. Boneless chicken breasts will cook on low in about eight hours, but the herb-butter topping won't get as crispy. The flavors will still taste great, though!
📚 Related recipes
- If you crave comfort food with no effort, this Crockpot Smothered Chicken is for you! Creamy sauce, tender chicken—and two thumbs up.
- Creamy Lemon Chicken also has a creamy sauce but it's tangy with lemon flavor, too.
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken comes out of the oven or air fryer golden brown, crunchy, and full of herbal flavor. Easy enough for weeknight dinners, but tasty enough to impress guests!
- Creamy chicken lazone is quick and easy - we love it with pasta.
- Tender beef tips simmer in a homemade gravy made with red wine and poblano and guijillo peppers—this Beef Tips and Gravy is a must-try!
- If you love this you're bound to want to try this crockpot angel chicken recipe!
- French Onion Chicken Bake has tender chicken and a crispy French onion coating in every bite.
🍽️ Serve with...
- Red Skin Mashed Potatoes or Candied Yams with Marshmallows
- Italian Green Bean Salad
- Double Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake or pumpkin spice cake.
- Apple Cider Sangria
📞 The last word
This is a southern Sunday dinner classic! We used to have it served with fried cabbage, biscuits, green beans... all the good stuff!
You may also like this chicken pot pie skillet with biscuits. So easy!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Herbed Baked Chicken with Cream Gravy
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
- 3 pounds chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground ancho chile
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper as needed
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons drippings from chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup half and half
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Mix herbs and rub over the chicken breasts
- Place chicken in a 13 x 9 inch dish
- Dot each chicken breast with ½ tablespoon of butter
- Bake until chicken reaches about 160F (20-30 minutes)
- Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to stand while preparing the gravy. Chicken will finish cooking to 165F during standing time
- Add the drippings from the baking dish to a pan over medium heat
- Add butter and allow it to melt
- Add the flour and whisk until flour is thick and begins to get golden
- Add the milk and half and half whisking constantly
- Cook until gravy thickens
- Taste and add salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Always pat chicken dry with a paper towel before cooking with it.
- Sometimes you can buy pre-packaged mixed bunches of fresh herbs in the grocery store. The great thing about that is you get a variety of herb flavors, without needing to spend a ton of money.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan well to get all the browned bits of chicken drippings out. This is what adds the most flavor to your delicious gravy.
- Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Larger chicken pieces will take longer to bake than smaller ones.
- If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, baking is done when the juices of the chicken run clear (rather than pink or red.) However, this method is trickier, not as accurate as measuring by temperature, and often results in drier meat.
- Let the milk and half and half come to room temperature while the chicken cooks. Avoid adding ice-cold milk to the gravy mixture.
- Don't hold back on the black pepper. Fresh-cracked is even better!
- This gravy recipe is fabulous on mashed potatoes and green beans, too, so don't skip it and you'll have a complete meal! Don't ya' just love easy dinners?!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully:
- 13"x9" oven-safe pan—a baking dish or casserole dish is perfect.
- Meat thermometer—not 100% necessary, but highly recommended.
Alice
this sounds so good to me today! thanks for sharing! I have some chicken that I was undecided on and this fits the bill perfectly!