5 Best “Smothered” Chicken Dishes at Chain Restaurants
Oftentimes, chicken seems to be a lighter menu option than pork or beef. However, it doesn’t have to be. Sure, a grilled chicken breast can be healthy but tasty. But a smothered piece of chicken is next-level delicious. If you like your white meat topped with all the fixings, ranging from cheese or gravy to veggies or starches, there are a number of chain restaurants serving up a fully loaded chicken dinner. Here are the 5 best smothered chicken dishes at chain restaurants.
Texas Roadhouse
There are a few options at Texas Roadhouse, starting with Smothered Chicken, topped with onions, mushrooms, and Jack cheese. Next up, the Country Fried Chicken, smothered in cream gravy, a favorite of our ETNT reviewer Jess Kelly. While “a heavier option compared to many others, but it delivers on crispiness,” she says. “The breading is nice and crunchy, and the white gravy helps bring everything together and keep the chicken juicy,” she adds, referring to it as “rich comfort food.”
LongHorn Steakhouse
You can get pretty much everything Parmesan Crusted at LongHorn, including the chicken. The savory, creamy, and crunchy upgrade creates a “weighted blanket of cheese” effect, and diners maintain it is absolutely delicious and worth the extra calories.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
Over at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, the Dijon Chicken & Mushrooms is an excellent choice. You get two grilled chicken breasts with honey dijon and sautéed sliced mushrooms over rice. One Yelper calls it a “DELICIOUS dish,” in a review. “You get two pieces of chicken over a bed of rice, with a honey dijon sauce that’s really good, topped with mushrooms (hence, the name), and two sides, which could be something like broccoli & cheese and buttered corn (two excellent choices).”
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel has a few smothered chicken specials. The Monday Chicken & Rice features a baked chicken breast topped with a creamy mushroom sauce over seasoned rice. Then there is the Wednesday Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, chicken and broccoli baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce and topped with crushed crackers. Each meal is served with two or three sides and biscuits or corn muffins.
Outback
The Alice Springs Chicken at Outback is iconic and has been around for decades. It sounds simple: “Grilled chicken breast topped with sautéed mushrooms, crisp bacon, melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar and honey mustard sauce.” But the flavor combination is out of this world, spawning endless online copycat recipes. “It is my favorite thing ever!” a Redditor declared, adding that it “tastes like heaven.”