Smothered Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 large sweet or yellow onions, sliced

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

4 tablespoons butter (2 for the chicken and onions, 2 for the mashed potatoes)

4 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons thyme

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with a few tablespoons water, for the slurry)

Potatoes, enough for 6 servings

1/2 cup milk

Directions

Slice the onions and set aside.

Pat the chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until golden, about 5–10 minutes per side, don't flip too early. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the butter and sliced onions to the same pan. Season with salt right away, this draws out moisture and helps the onions caramelize. Cook low and slow, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized.

While the onions caramelize, peel and dice the potatoes. Add to a pot of water, bring to a boil, and cook until soft enough to mash. Drain, then mash with 2 tablespoons butter and the milk. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Once the onions are caramelized, add the chicken broth to the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom to deglaze.

Return the chicken to the pot along with the thyme and black pepper. Bring to a light boil, then turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes. About halfway through, the chicken should be tender enough to shred with two forks, shred it and continue cooking.

Remove the lid. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Cook a few more minutes.

Serve the chicken and onion sauce over the mashed potatoes.