smothered chicken with bell pepper and onion
who doesn't like smothered chicken? a while ago, i used to fry the chicken breasts whole for smothered chicken. when i would prepare my children's plates, i noticed that when i cut the chicken breasts, the breading would tear off the chicken. so one day, i cut the chicken into pieces before i breaded and fried them. no cutting and the breading stayed in tact. i found that i like that way better. serve over rice or mashed potatoes!
ingredients:
- 2 cups canola oil -
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts - cut into bite size chunks
- 1 1/2 cups flour -
- season salt to taste -
- 4 tablepoons butter -
- 1/4 cup flour -
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock -
- 1 onion - sliced
- 1 bell pepper - sliced
- salt/pepper -
instructions:
- preheat a large pan over medium high heat. add canola oil and heat the oil to 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
- sprinkle chicken cubes with season salt and pepper to taste. pour flour into a large ziploc plastic bag, add chicken, seal and toss to coat. working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 5 -7 minutes.
- remove the fried chicken cubes from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. repeat with the remaining pieces. discard the oil.
- place the same pan back over heat and melt the butter for the gravy over medium heat. sprinkle in the flour and stir until well blended. allow the flour to lightly toast, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- slowly whisk in the chicken broth and whisk until smooth. let the gravy come to a boil, reduce heat and cook until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. taste, salt/pepper to taste.
- add the fried chicken pieces to the gravy and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. add in the onion and bell pepper. let simmer an additional 5 - 10 minutes depending on desired crunchiness of veggies.
