re: Smothered chicken recipe?

Are the chix breasts bone in/skin on? If so, then chop an onion, a green pepper, and a couple ribs of celery...cook the onion in a little butter until well browned, then add the green pepper & cook until wilted. Scrape this stuff out of the pot onto a plate, add a little more butter & put the breasts into the pot, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is well colored, take breasts out of pot, add liquid (maybe a little wine, apple juice, or chix broth) and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits. Add the browned veg, breasts, and some chopped carrot to the pot. Liquid should not completely submerge the breasts.

Add a couple of bay leaves, salt, pepper, thyme. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, then cover. Cook for 25 minutes or so, until the chicken easily separates from the bone. Remove the skin and debone chicken, if you'd like.

See, smothering is a process, not a recipe. You can sprinkle the chicken w/a little flour if you like a thicker gravy, you can start w/bacon grease if so inclined, or add chopped tomato if you want.