Easy Smothered Chicken With Bok Choy and Mushrooms
Golden, crispy chicken smothered in a savory gravy with baby bok choy and mushrooms. This easy bok choy chicken recipe is comforting, flavorful, and made in one pan. Looking for another easy chicken dinner? Try my Teriyaki Baked Chicken Legs next.
Crispy Smothered Chicken with Roasted Baby Bok Choy and Mushrooms
This crispy smothered chicken is cooked in a creamy, savory gravy and finished with tender baby bok choy and mushrooms for a comforting, one-skillet bok choy chicken recipe that’s both hearty and balanced.
The chicken is pan-seared until the skin is golden and crispy, then gently simmered in a rich gravy made right in the same skillet. The baby bok choy and mushrooms are added at the end and lightly steamed, keeping them tender without overcooking. Everything comes together in one pan, which makes this bok choy chicken recipe feel approachable for weeknights while still being special enough to serve for company
I f you’re looking for a comforting dinner that combines crispy chicken, creamy gravy, and fresh vegetables, this bok choy chicken recipe delivers big flavor without complicated steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements, easy instructions, and helpful tips.
How to Make Smothered Chicken and Bok Choy
- Season Chicken
Season chicken thighs, reserving a small amount of seasoning for the gravy. - Season the chicken thighs all over with the seasoning mixture, leaving 1 teaspoon reserved for the gravy.
- Cook Onion & Garlic
Sauté diced onion until soft, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. - Remove Aromatics
Remove onions and garlic from the skillet and set aside. - Sear Chicken
Sear chicken skin-side down until golden and crispy. - Make Gravy
Add butter, flour, milk, bouillon, and reserved seasoning. Stir until smooth. - Simmer Chicken
Return chicken, onions, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cover and simmer. - Add Bok Choy
Place bok choy on top, cover, and steam until tender. - Serve
Once bok choy is tender and gravy is creamy, serve hot.
This is a great dinner when you want something cozy but still put-together. It works well for weeknights, but it’s also nice enough to serve when you want a homemade meal that feels elevated without a lot of extra effort.
Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements, step-by-step instructions, and tips to make this crispy smothered chicken come out perfect every time.
Smothered Chicken Bok Choy Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs with skin on
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp tsp garlic powder (see note)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp or two of garlic
- 1/2 tsp or two of onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Skillet & Gravy
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more if needed
- 1 small ed onion diced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk (plus a splash more if needed to thin)
- 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
Vegetables
- 1 bunch baby bok choy, cleaned, dried, cut lengthwise then quartered
Instructions
- Mix garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tsp of this seasoning mix for the gravy.
- Season the chicken thighs all over with the seasoning mixture, leaving 1 teaspoon reserved for the gravy.
- Sauté onion + garlic: Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion 2 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove onion/garlic to a plate.
- Sear chicken: Add a little more oil if the skillet looks dry. Sear chicken skin-side down first until the skin is crispy and deep golden, then sear the other side. Remove chicken to a plate. Carefully drain off most of the fat, leaving about 1–2 Tbsp in the skillet.
- Make the gravy: Reduce heat to medium. Add butter. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook 30–60 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Stir in Better Than Bouillon and the reserved 1 tsp seasoning. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer chicken + mushrooms: Add chicken back to the skillet, then add the cooked onion/garlic and mushrooms. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. (Check the gravy—if it thickens too fast, add a splash of milk.)
- Scrape and smooth: Remove chicken briefly. Scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and stir into the gravy. If gravy is too thick, thin with a splash of milk. Return chicken to the skillet.
- Steam bok choy (one-pot): Lay bok choy on top of the chicken (it’s okay if a little sinks). Turn heat to medium-high until it starts bubbling, then reduce to low, cover, and cook about 6 minutes, until bok choy is tender.
- Serve: Taste the gravy and adjust salt, pepper, or onion/garlic powder if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
Notes
- Seasoning amounts: If you like stronger flavor, use 1 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder instead of ½ tsp.
- Searing tip: Don’t move the chicken while it sears—let it sit so the skin crisps.
- Doneness: Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internal temp.
- Gravy too thick? Add milk a splash at a time until creamy.
Don’t forget to check out these other keto friendly meals, beef with broccoli with a twist, or maybe these steak rolls, beef asparagus rolls, cheeseburger salad
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Have I missed something? Where does the flour come in. I’m guessing with the gravy but I don’t see it
Hi Glynis, You must’ve missed it but that step is in the recipe.
Hi, I’m confused about the gravy. All you say is “mix the bits at the bottom of the pan into the gravy”. In the previous set of directions, you say drain the pan of fat. So how do you make the gravy? This sounds like a delicious dish and I’d love to make it for my family but could you please let me know about the gravy. Thank you!
Yes you want to drain the fat. When the chicken is done cooking there will be “bits of flavor” from the chicken stuck on the pan. You need to scrape it up and mix it into the gravy. You don’t want to leave all that flavor stuck to the pan 🙂 I hope that helps ya!
What a wonderful combination of ingredients. I would definitely give this recipe a try for my family.
This chicken is just incredible. Tender and juicy and so comforting. I will totally be making this again!
Thank you Danielle!
I still don’t see the gravy recipe. Can you please share?
Hi Ximena, the gravy steps are in the recipe and instructions. The gravy is made with the milk, flour butter, seasonings, btb base etc.I made this recipe two ways. If you take a look at the bottom of the recipe card you’ll see the attached original recipe. Most people seem to like that one better. I may just update the recipe to reflect just that one. I hope I clarified everything.
I must try this recipe. Never made Smothered Chicken, but have eaten it. Thank you. Love your recipes.
Thank you so much Mahy! I’m so happy you like them! 🙂
I have never had bok choy. I love greens so this sounds right up my alley and we all love chicken and mushrooms so this is a must try! thanks
These is a most delicious recipe! Big hit with my family. Thank you so much for the recipe
Very happy you and your family enjoyed it! Thank you so much Barbara!
I am confused how I would save 1 teaspoon of seasoning for later when the total quantity of the seasoning (1/4 tsp garlic, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika) totals 1 teaspoon. I also have no idea what 1/4 tsp or two means. Do you mean 1/2 tsp?
Sorry about that. It’s actually supposed to be 1/2 tsp each of onion and garlic powder. I updated the recipe.
Why did you change the recipe? It was great the way it was. I found the PDF of the original so but you don’t have the oven temp indicated and I can’t remember what it was other than over 400
Thanks Jenn! I like it both ways but I just think the new way is easier and uses less pans. You can bake at 450. I’ll update the recipe with the temperature. I can’t believe I missed that!
Can I substitute almond milk and cornstarch to make it dairy free and glutton free ?
I’ve never tried using almond milk and cornstarch but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it.
Hi! I have all of these ingredients on hand and I am looking forward to making this tonight! My only concern is I do not have the chicken bouillon base. Can I replace it with chicken stock? Or best to just leave it out? Thanks!!! Can’t wait to try.
Hello Katie! Yes you can use chicken stock. I’m not sure if you have homemade chicken stock which is better than the bland store kind. If you are using a store brand, they are not as flavorful as the chicken base so you’ll need season the sauce a bit more. Enjoy!
The chicken with mushrooms and bok choy sounds great. Never cooked bok choy but the beautifully cooked chicken and other veggie makes me crave for it
Thank you Lathiya! Bok choy is delish. You should try it out.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! All of my kids (5, 3, and 2) are it all up! The only thing I was confused about is when to incorporate the flour. Do I add that to the seasoning (garlic powers, onion powder, cayenne and paprika)?
Yay!…I love when the little ones enjoy their dinner! Thanks so much luv! I updated the recipe. I can’t believe I missed it! Thanks for letting me know!
This looks incredibly delicious! I can practically taste the crispy chicken and the smooth gravy!
Thanks Stephanie!
I recently stumbled across bok choy and fell in love with it. I can’t wait to make this dinner.
Enjoy Thanks!
That chicken skin must be so crisp and yum that I would eat all the skin first! 🙂 And if there was a perfect sauce to serve it with, it would definitely be this creamy onion gravy. So delicious!