Craig Claiborne’s Smothered Chicken

Name: Craig Claiborne’s Smothered Chicken
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: southern
Ingredients: 1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, spatchcocked (split down the backbone, breast left intact and unsplit); Kosher salt, to taste; Freshly ground pepper, to taste; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, ideally homemade

Recipe from Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Updated July 5, 2024

Craig Claiborne’s Smothered Chicken — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Rating: 5(2,802)
Comments: Read comments

Craig Claiborne was a child of Mississippi who started as food editor of The Times in 1957 and did as much as anyone to help bring home cooking into the spotlight. The dish “belongs in the ‘comfort’ category,” he wrote in 1983, “a food that gives solace to the spirit when you dine on it.” You could give your smothered chicken some European flair with mushrooms and small onions in the gravy, as Claiborne did in his experiments with Pierre Franey, then his kitchen co-pilot. Or you could send yourself south to the Creole tastes of the Delta, with a blend of tomatoes, chopped celery, onion and green peppers added to the sauce. But sometimes the easiest way is the best. Try it. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: Make Dinner: A Home Cooking Manifesto

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1chicken, about 3½ pounds, spatchcocked (split down the backbone, breast left intact and unsplit)
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2tablespoons unsalted butter
2tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½cups chicken broth, ideally homemade

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Craig Claiborne believed a cast-iron skillet to be essential for the authentic preparation of this dish. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Select a skillet large enough to hold the chicken comfortably when it is opened up, as for broiling. Fold wings under to secure them.
Step 2
Melt the butter in the pan and add the chicken, skin side down. Cover chicken with a plate that will fit comfortably inside the skillet. Place a heavy can, stone or brick on top of the plate to weigh it down. Cook over low heat, checking the chicken skin, until it is nicely browned, about 25 minutes.
Step 3
Remove weight and plate. Turn chicken so skin side is up. Replace plate and weight and continue cooking for about 15 minutes more.
Step 4
Remove chicken and pour off fat from the skillet, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the flour to the fat, stirring with a wire whisk over medium heat. Gradually add the chicken broth and, when thickened, return chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the plate and weight and continue cooking over low heat about 20 to 30 minutes longer or until the meat is exceptionally tender. Spoon the sauce over it.
Step 5
Cut chicken into serving pieces, and serve with the sauce and fluffy rice on the side.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,802 user ratings

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Comments

djh7 years ago

Absolutely delicious. Have made this at least ten times. Prefer it with bone in thighs.
I usually add a splash of white wine, a few sprigs of thyme, & 2-3 garlic cloves to the gravy.
To truly have tender chicken, braise in the gravy for an hour--needs much longer than 20-30 mins.

Amy7 years ago

The most important tip I've (finally) learned is to thoroughly pat the skin dry before putting in. Best to let the chicken or meat come to room temp, maybe even put some salt on to draw moisture out. Then pat dry. Took me decades, but this works for all cooking. This recipe is great training. I love it. I agreed with the comment below about starting the pan a little hotter, then turning it down with the weight on.

smm7 years ago

I've been cooking chicken this way for 45 years, as my grandmother taught me. Never saw the recipe written down before. Grandma added a little sugar at the browning stage - caramelizes nicely. Of course, Grandma often started with the first rule of cooking chicken - catch the chicken!

Lorian Ash6 days ago

Made this according to recipe, but just covered my iron skillet with appropriate top (no weights), and it was spectacular! Used bone-in thighs instead of the whole chicken, and mixed the flour and broth in advance, plus the wine suggested by a commenter - it was fabulous, and served up a lovely gravy with the MOST tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken. Combined with the Butter Swim biscuits (NYT recipe), and risotto/asparagus mix - amazing dinner!! Thank you

john golden2 months ago

I made this using my well seasoned cast iron skillet. It resulted in a stubborn residue that I can’t scrub off. I’ve tried everything and nothing works. I’ll have to re- season the pan and hope for the best

LE3 months ago

So easy! I cooked this for my picky kid and she was delighted. I didn’t have a whole chicken but it worked well with thighs. I wanted crispy skin so I didn’t dallop the sauce on top and instead put it under the broiler for ~5 minutes at the end. Perfect!

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