Texas Roadhouse smothered chicken with jack cheese is a grilled chicken breast topped with sauteed onions, sauteed mushrooms and melted Monterey Jack, listed at $18.99 and 430 calories. Jack cheese is the alternative topping to cream gravy, and two sides are included.
What smothered chicken with jack cheese actually is
It is one menu item with two topping paths. The base is a seasoned, grilled boneless chicken breast; “smothered” means it arrives buried under sauteed onions and mushrooms, and you choose whether the binder on top is cream gravy or melted jack cheese. Ordering the jack cheese version is not a secret-menu request or an upcharge, it is the second half of the printed description.
Servers usually ask which one you want. If they don’t, say it up front, because the topping goes on in the kitchen and swapping it after the plate lands means a full remake.
| What it is | Grilled boneless chicken breast smothered with sauteed onions and mushrooms, finished with melted Monterey Jack instead of cream gravy |
|---|---|
| Menu category | Chicken entrees (dinner menu; also appears on many lunch menus at a lower price) |
| Size / portion | Single chicken breast entree. Roadhouse does not print a weight for it the way it does for steaks; expect a standard restaurant breast, roughly comparable in fill to the herb crusted chicken |
| Menu price | $18.99 (dinner listing; varies by market) |
| Calories | 430 as listed for the entree, before sides and rolls |
| Cooking method | Flat-top / grill, cooked to a food-safe internal temp. Unlike steak, there is no doneness choice |
| Topping choice | Cream gravy or jack cheese, no price difference |
| What’s included | Two sides of your choice, plus the free unlimited rolls and cinnamon butter for dine-in |
Jack cheese or cream gravy: which topping to pick
Jack cheese gives you a milder, saltier plate that stays drier; cream gravy gives you a richer, wetter plate that soaks into whatever side sits next to it. Neither costs more, so the decision is purely about texture and how much sauce you want on the plate.
Practical differences worth knowing before you order:
- Jack cheese melts over the onions and mushrooms and holds them together. The mushroom flavor comes through more clearly because nothing is competing with it. This is the better pick if you are taking half of it home, since gravy turns rubbery in the fridge and reheated cheese does not.
- Cream gravy is peppery and thick, closer to a country-gravy profile. It rescues the breast if it comes off the grill on the dry side, which is the most common complaint about grilled chicken anywhere.
- Both at once is a common off-menu ask. Most locations will do it; some ring it as a topping add-on. Ask what it charges before you commit.
Price and what it costs you
Smothered chicken lists at $18.99 on the dinner menu, with no difference between the jack cheese and cream gravy versions. That price includes two sides, so the real comparison against a $12 sandwich is closer than it looks.
| Line item | Typical price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Smothered Chicken (dinner) | $18.99 | Jack cheese or cream gravy, two sides included |
| Lunch portion, where offered | Lower than dinner | Lunch menus are location-specific; not every store runs one |
| Extra side a la carte | ~$2.99 | Only if you want a third |
| Loading a potato | ~$1.29 | Cheese, bacon, sour cream |
| Rolls and cinnamon butter | $0 | Free and unlimited for dine-in |
Regional pricing swings 10-15% either way. A store in a high-cost metro can run past $20 on the same item. Check your specific location’s online ordering page for the number that will actually print on your check.
Calories and nutrition
The menu lists 430 calories for smothered chicken, and that figure covers the entree only. Your two sides, the rolls and the cinnamon butter are all additional, and they are usually where a “light” chicken order stops being light.
| Component | Effect on the total |
|---|---|
| Smothered chicken entree | 430 as listed |
| Vegetable side (green beans, fresh veg) | Smallest addition |
| Plain baked or sweet potato | Moderate; loading it changes that fast |
| Steak fries or mac and cheese | Largest addition of the side list |
| Each roll with cinnamon butter | Around 230 per roll before the butter |
Roadhouse does not publish a separate calorie count for the jack cheese version versus the gravy version; the 430 is the number printed for the item. If you need exact macros, the in-store nutrition guide and the chain’s official nutrition page are the only sources that will hold up, and they update more often than any third-party listing.
How to order it so it comes out right
There is no doneness setting on chicken, so the levers you actually control are the topping, the mushrooms and onions, and what you put beside it. Say the topping choice at the same time you order.
- Name the cheese explicitly. “Smothered chicken, jack cheese, no gravy” leaves nothing to interpretation on a busy Friday.
- Onions and mushrooms are separable. You can ask for onions only, mushrooms only, or extra of either. Kitchens handle this routinely.
- Ask for gravy on the side if you want both toppings but don’t want a soggy plate.
- Grilled chicken dries out fastest of anything on this menu. If you have had a dry one before, the gravy version is the safer order, or ask for a side of gravy with the cheese.
- Takeout changes the math. Cheese travels better than gravy. If it is going in a car for twenty minutes, take the jack.
Sides that work with it (and the two-side rule)
Every entree at Texas Roadhouse includes two sides at no extra cost, chosen from the same list: baked potato, sweet potato, mashed potatoes, steak fries, seasoned rice, green beans, buttered corn, fresh vegetables, applesauce, mac and cheese, or a house or Caesar salad.
Pairing logic for this plate: the jack cheese version is already rich and dry, so seasoned rice or green beans balance it better than mac and cheese does. The cream gravy version pairs naturally with mashed potatoes, since the gravy has somewhere to go. Salads count as one of your two sides at most locations, which makes a salad plus a vegetable the leanest way to build the plate.
Is it worth $18.99 next to the other chicken plates?
It is the middle option in the chicken lineup, and the jack cheese version is the most flavor per dollar of the three because the toppings do the work. Compared side by side:
- Portobello Mushroom Chicken (~$19.49, 430 cal) is the closest sibling and also uses jack cheese, but adds a portobello sauce and Parmesan. If you liked smothered with cheese, this is the richer version for about fifty cents more.
- Herb Crusted Chicken (~$18.49, 260 cal) is the leaner order at a nearly identical price. Choose it if the point of ordering chicken was to eat lighter, because smothered chicken’s cheese and gravy are exactly what herb crusted leaves off.
- Road Kill chopped steak (~$12.99) uses the same onion, mushroom and jack cheese treatment on chopped steak for meaningfully less money. If you like the topping more than the protein, that is the value play.
Where smothered chicken wins is the person who wants a substantial, savory plate without paying steak prices and without the doneness gamble. Where it loses is the diner chasing either the lowest calories or the lowest price, because a sibling item beats it on each.
What we can’t confirm for your location
This is an independent guide, not an official Texas Roadhouse page. Prices, portion sizes and even topping availability are set store by store, and the $18.99 figure is a national reference point rather than a guarantee. Franchise and high-cost-metro locations commonly sit above it.
Three things we cannot verify for you remotely: whether your store runs a lunch menu with a smaller-portion version, whether it charges for adding both cheese and gravy, and whether it will make substitutions on the onions and mushrooms during peak hours. Confirm all three by pulling up your location’s online ordering page, which reflects that store’s live pricing, or by calling ahead. We update this page when we can verify a change across multiple markets, not when a single store’s price moves.
FAQ
What is smothered chicken at Texas Roadhouse?
It is a grilled boneless chicken breast topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms, finished with either cream gravy or melted jack cheese. It lists at $18.99 with 430 calories and includes two sides.
Can you get smothered chicken with jack cheese instead of gravy?
Yes. Jack cheese is one of the two printed topping options, not a special request, and there is no price difference. Just state it when you order, since the topping is applied in the kitchen.
How much is smothered chicken at Texas Roadhouse?
It lists at $18.99 for the dinner portion, including two sides. Expect 10-15% variation by region, and check your location’s online ordering page for its exact price.
How many calories are in smothered chicken with jack cheese?
The menu lists 430 calories for the entree. That does not include your two sides, the free rolls or the cinnamon butter, which can easily double the plate total.
Does smothered chicken come with sides?
Yes, two sides are included at no extra charge, chosen from the standard list. Dine-in also gets unlimited fresh-baked rolls with honey cinnamon butter at no cost.
Can you get both jack cheese and cream gravy on it?
Most locations will do it, and some ring it as a topping add-on. Ask about a charge before ordering, and request the gravy on the side if you want to keep the plate from getting soggy.
Is Texas Roadhouse smothered chicken grilled or fried?
Grilled. The breast is seasoned and cooked on the grill, then topped. There is no doneness choice on chicken the way there is on steaks, since it is cooked to a food-safe temperature.
What is the difference between smothered chicken and Portobello Mushroom Chicken?
Both use jack cheese, but Portobello Mushroom Chicken adds a portobello sauce and Parmesan and lists around $19.49. Smothered chicken keeps it to onions, mushrooms and your choice of cheese or cream gravy.
Related guides
- Texas Roadhouse menu with full item and price listings
- smaller lunch portions and pricing
- Early Dine discount hours
- ordering this to go