Smothered Chicken with Onion Gravy

Ingredients

• 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Before you cook

• Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.
• Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne and rub the mixture over every piece.
• Put the flour in a shallow dish and dredge each piece, shaking off the loose flour.
• Reserve 3 tablespoons of the leftover dredging flour in a small bowl.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Brown the chicken in two batches, about 4 minutes per side, and set the pieces aside on a plate.
3. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat in the pot.
4. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, scraping the browned bits up as they soften.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
6. Sprinkle the reserved 3 tablespoons of seasoned flour over the onions and stir constantly for 3 minutes.
7. Pour in the chicken broth a splash at a time, stirring smooth after each addition.
8. Drop in the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and bring the gravy to a simmer.
9. Nestle the chicken pieces back into the pot along with any juices from the plate.
10. Spoon gravy over the tops of the pieces until they are half submerged.
11. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
12. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes more to thicken the gravy.
13. Fish out the bay leaf and thyme stems and taste for salt before serving over rice.