Learn How to Make Chicken Gravy from your pan drippings from any roasted chicken. It’s delicious, smooth, and the perfect sauce for mashed potatoes, stuffing, and any other sides on your plate.
If you have roasted chicken, you can have homemade chicken gravy. This simple chicken gravy recipe is the best way to use up your chicken drippings. If you don’t have any drippings, you can use butter instead and still make gravy.
To the fat, add plenty of chicken broth. Then, pull out a little bit of the hot liquid and make a cornstarch slurry. This thickens the gravy to a perfect consistency while keeping it gluten-free. After that, just add some salt and pepper, and this hearty, tasty gravy is ready to go. Drizzle this easy gravy recipe over mashed potatoes, stuffing, and of course your roasted chicken.
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe. Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
It might seem hard to make gravy from chicken juices, but it’s really quite easy. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps. Many foods, like mashed potatoes, rice, biscuits, and more, taste better with gravy added to them. The important thing is to start with tasty chicken juices and thicken them up the right way to make a rich gravy.
Gather the Chicken Juices
The first step is cooking a chicken and collecting the juices. You can use a whole roasted chicken baked chicken pieces sautéed chicken, or any cooking method that results in flavorful pan juices.
As the chicken cooks, liquid will accumulate in the bottom of the pan. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pan – this is concentrated chicken flavor that will add depth to your gravy! Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.
Pour the juices from the pan into a measuring cup. You should aim for around 1-2 cups of liquid. If you need to, add more chicken broth until you get the right amount.
Prepare the Thickener
For a smooth, lump-free gravy, you’ll need a thickener. The most common options are
-
Flour: Whisk together 1-2 tablespoons flour with an equal amount of butter or oil until smooth.
-
Cornstarch: Dissolve 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch in a bit of cold water.
-
Roux: Cook equal parts flour and butter until golden brown.
Flour or cornstarch are easiest. Roux gives the best flavor, but you have to cook it first.
Make the Gravy
Now it’s time to turn those chicken juices into gravy! Follow these steps:
-
Pour juices into skillet. Return the pan juices to the skillet you cooked the chicken in. Place over medium heat.
-
Add aromatics. For extra flavor, sauté minced aromatics like garlic, onions, or shallots in the pan juices briefly until fragrant.
-
Whisk in thickener. Pour your thickening mixture – flour slurry, cornstarch slurry, or roux – into the juices while whisking constantly.
-
Simmer until thickened. Keep whisking! Let the gravy simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. The flour or cornstarch will absorb moisture from the juices and thicken them into gravy.
-
Season generously. Once thickened, season the gravy to taste with salt, pepper, herbs, and spices. Chicken gravy loves sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
-
Strain for smoothness (optional). For lump-free gravy, pour through a mesh strainer before serving.
Gravy Tips and Tricks
-
Spoon extra fat from the top of the juices for a healthier gravy.
-
Add milk, cream, or broth for an ultra silky and luxurious texture.
-
Splash in a bit of white wine or sherry for added sophistication.
-
Mix in pan drippings from roasted turkey, pork, or beef for more flavor complexity.
-
For more flavor in the gravy, cook the roux in the same pan where you browned the chicken.
-
For a quick thickener, shake in some instant mashed potato flakes while whisking.
-
Keep gravy warm in a double boiler or gravy boat until ready to serve.
-
Make gravy ahead and refrigerate or freeze it for quick meals later. Reheat gently before serving.
-
Substitute cornstarch for flour to make gluten free chicken gravy.
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Gravy
Chicken gravy is extremely versatile. Here are some delicious ways to use it:
-
Biscuits and gravy: Split fresh biscuits and ladle on hot chicken gravy for a comforting Southern classic.
-
Mashed potatoes: Mix chicken gravy into mashed potatoes for next-level flavor and moisture.
-
Chicken fried steak: Smother chicken fried steak or pork chops in creamy chicken gravy.
-
Weeknight rice: Spoon chicken gravy over instant rice or rice pilaf for an easy meal.
-
Pot pie: Use chicken gravy as the base for chicken pot pie or shepherd’s pie.
-
Casseroles: Incorporate chicken gravy into casserole recipes like green bean, broccoli rice or chicken & stuffing.
-
Roast chicken: Pass extra gravy at the table for roast chicken, turkey or glazed ham.
-
Breakfast: Wake up to sausage gravy over buttermilk pancakes or biscuits.
Chicken gravy is endlessly versatile. Keep some on hand in the fridge or freezer and you’ll always have the start of a satisfying home cooked meal.
Common Questions About Chicken Gravy
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about making chicken gravy:
How do you thicken chicken juices into gravy?
Whisk flour, cornstarch, or a roux into the chicken juices and simmer until thickened to the desired consistency. Flour or cornstarch dissolved in water are the easiest options.
What can you use instead of flour to thicken gravy?
Cornstarch and arrowroot work well as alternate thickeners. For gluten-free gravy, use cornstarch, arrowroot, potato starch, instant mashed potatoes, or xanthan gum.
Why is my gravy lumpy?
Lumps mean the flour or cornstarch wasn’t fully dissolved before adding it to the hot liquid. Next time, make sure to whisk the slurry and juice together very well as it simmers to prevent lumps. Straining after simmering can also remove lumps.
How can you fix a gravy that’s too thin?
If your gravy comes out too thin, simmer it a bit longer to thicken or whisk in more thickener like flour, cornstarch, or instant mash potatoes. Adding cream or milk will thin it further rather than thicken.
Can you freeze and reheat gravy?
Absolutely! Let gravy cool completely then transfer to freezer bags or containers. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating gently on the stovetop or microwave. Add a splash of milk or broth if it needs thinning after reheating.
Making great gravy from chicken juices is easy with the right techniques. Follow this guide and you’ll be able to whip up flavorful, smooth gravy anytime. Get creative with different seasonings and ingredients and you’ll have a new go-to gravy recipe perfect for any meal.
Recipe tips and variations
- How much gravy does this recipe make? About 6 cups, which is enough for 12 1/2-cup servings.
- Storage: Cover leftovers and put them in the fridge for up to four days.
- When you roast chicken, you don’t need a whole bird to make gravy. You can also use different cooked chicken parts, like chicken breasts, thighs, or quarters. Just aim for bone-in, skin-on chicken for maximum flavor. Chicken breasts that don’t have bones or skin won’t give off enough fat to make gravy.
- Fond = flavor: Make sure you get all of the “fond,” which is the cooking term for the browned bits that stick to the pan after roasting.
- Make the slurry: Don’t skip the slurry. It will clump if you add dry cornstarch to hot liquid.
- Spices and herbs: Garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, sage, or rosemary can be used to make your gravy taste better. Add these with the broth in Step 2.
- You can add a little white wine to the gravy to make it more acidic.
- Turkey gravy: Use the pan juices from a roasted turkey instead of water to make turkey gravy.
- Let the meat rest. While the chicken rests before carving, make gravy. Keep it warm, and when the gravy’s done, you’ll be ready to cut it up.
Part fat and part all-purpose flour, a roux is a culinary technique for thickening sauces, including gravy. My chicken gravy uses a slurry made with cornstarch for a gluten-free gravy.
My recipe is written with cornstarch, but you can certainly substitute flour. To substitute flour for the cornstarch, remove most of the fat from the roasting pan. Add the flour and cook, mixing with the drippings, until the raw flour smell disappears. Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. No need to strain off the extra fat; just pour the gravy into a saucepan and continue with the recipe.
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
