Growing up, Sunday dinners at my grandmother’s house were sacred. The roasting chicken aroma would fill her tiny kitchen, but the chicken gravy always made everyone reach for another helping of mashed potatoes. That silky, savory sauce transformed simple dishes into comfort food, creating lasting memories. Today, I’m sharing my grandmother’s method for making perfect homemade chicken gravy—a skill that turns ordinary meals into something special.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Pan drippings from roasted chicken – These provide the foundation of flavor and richness that makes homemade gravy superior to store-bought versions
- All-purpose flour – Creates the roux that thickens the gravy and provides body
- Chicken broth or stock – Adds depth of flavor while creating the right consistency
- Heavy cream (optional) – Adds richness and a silky texture to the finished gravy
Equipment
- Whisk – Essential for removing lumps and creating a smooth texture
- Measuring cups and spoons – For accurate measurements
- Saucepan or skillet – Preferably with a heavy bottom to prevent burning
- Fine mesh strainer (optional) – Helpful for removing any unwanted bits
Homemade Chicken Gravy Two Ways
Method 1: Using Pan Drippings (The Gold Standard)
- After roasting your chicken, transfer it to a cutting board to rest
- Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat
- Whisk in flour to create a roux (about 1 tablespoon of flour per 1 tablespoon of drippings)
- Cook the roux for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly
- Gradually add one-third of your chicken broth, whisking until smooth
- Once thickened, add the next third of broth, whisking to eliminate any lumps
- Add the final third of broth and continue whisking until smooth
- If desired, stir in heavy cream for added richness
- Season to taste (wait until the end to avoid over-salting)
Method 2: No Drippings? No Problem!
Sometimes, you want gravy without having to roast a chicken first. Here’s how to make delicious chicken gravy from scratch without drippings:
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat
- Add two tablespoons of flour to create a roux
- Cook the roux for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly
- Gradually add chicken broth following the same process as above
- Add optional seasonings to enhance flavor (see flavor boosters below)
What to serve with gravy
This from-scratch gravy goes well with various chicken recipes: fried chicken, skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, roast or baked chicken, chicken pot pie. Here are some other delicious ways to use gravy:
- Hot sandwiches: Slice up some tasty bread, add some hot-cooked meat (e.g., leftover roast chicken…mmm!), and then top with hot gravy. Alternatively, chop up meat (and any leftover stuffing, potatoes, etc.) and mix it in with the gravy. Heat it and spoon it onto the bread.
- Potatoes: Pour some gravy over mashed potatoes or fries.
- Soup: You can add gravy to any soup to give it more body and flavor.
- Stew: Place your meat and veggies into the pot with butter or oil. Sprinkle over some flour, stir, and slowly add broth. Then, add your gravy and bring everything to a simmer.
- Pasta sauce: Gravy is a fantastic pasta sauce, especially over egg noodles. Heat your gravy, and then swirl in some sour cream.
- Gravy-based Sauce: Serve a delicious gravy sauce with sautéed mushrooms over gnocchi.
- Chicken curry: Add curry powder or paste and coconut milk to your gravy. Then add cooked chicken, cauliflower, and maybe some chickpeas. Serve with rice and naan.
Tips for making the perfect gravy
Gravy makes everything taste better—but only if it’s smooth, pretty, glistening, and golden. Here are six pointers to achieve perfect, flavorful, lump-free homemade gravy:
- Begin with a flavorful fat: Drippings from roasted chicken, turkey, or pork make a great base for gravy, but ham and beef are not as good. (Ham fat tends to be overly salty, and beef fat just doesn’t taste that good.)
- Mix fat with flour at about a 50/50 ratio: This is called a roux and is the basic building block for gravy. This mix of fat and flour should look a little like wet sand. The roux must be cooked for a minute before adding the liquid.
- Value the browned bits: Those yummy bits of caramelized meat and vegetables on the bottom of the skillet or roasting pan are culinary gold. Place the pan over heat and deglaze it by adding liquid (stock, broth, wine, or juice) to capture all the browned bits. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits.
- Avoid lumps: Lumps kill good gravy. To make lump-free gravy, add liquid gradually and stir or whisk constantly until the gravy comes to a boil. Once the gravy reaches a boil and thickens, you’re good. Until then, you have to keep it moving. If you do end up with lumpy gravy, don’t despair. All is not lost! Find out how to get lumps out of gravy.
- Use a hot liquid: If you start with an already hot liquid, your gravy will boil more quickly. This means less time spent constantly stirring your gravy.
- Wait to season: Many factors will affect the salt level of your gravy, including how heavily seasoned the meat is and the sodium content of the deglazing liquid and broth. So, it’s prudent to wait to season the gravy until it’s finished.
How to thicken gravy
Using a cornstarch slurry or gluten-free thickeners, you can quickly thicken any gravy. If your prepared gravy is too thin, follow these instructions to thicken it:
With Flour
- Use two tablespoons of flour per 1 cup of gravy. Add a little water to your flour to create a paste (or use a fine mesh sieve to sift the dry flour into the hot liquid).
- Then, incorporate the flour mixture into the gravy with a whisk or wooden spoon, stirring constantly until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
With Cornstarch
- For a gluten-free gravy thickener, use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 cup of gravy. For extra-thick gravy, double the cornstarch. However, a good rule of thumb is to begin with 1 tablespoon; you can always add more.
- Mix the cornstarch with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the hot gravy and use a wooden spoon or whisk to incorporate it, stirring or whisking constantly until the gravy thickens.
Other Thickeners
You can also thicken gravy with arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca, or pureed vegetables (who knew?).
How to fix gravy that’s too salty
- Add dairy: The creaminess of the dairy helps balance the excess salt. Try stirring in heavy cream, half-and-half, milk, or sour cream.
- Add more liquid: To neutralize over-salted gravy, simply add water or, ideally, unsalted chicken or vegetable stock. Keep in mind that this will thin out your gravy. Add a thickener like flour or cornstarch to compensate for the added liquid.
- Use beans: Puree 1 cup of drained, canned low-sodium or no-salt-added white beans or chickpeas with a tablespoon or two of water until smooth. Stir into your gravy a quarter cup at a time, adding more puree as needed. This will neutralize the saltiness and thicken your gravy.
- Use citrus or vinegar: Acid, from a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of vinegar, can nudge the flavor of salty gravy back to deliciousness and add a pleasant tang. However, add acidic ingredients sparingly and a little at a time so the other gravy flavors don’t get overwhelmed.
How do I add more flavor to chicken gravy?
Using homemade stock and pan drippings, you will have wonderfully flavorful gravy. If not, there are a few things you can add to the gravy to dial up the flavor:
- Some chicken base or a little chicken bouillon
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard powder
- A tablespoon or two of white wine before adding the chicken broth
- Some fresh herbs like parsley or chives
- A small pinch of poultry seasoning before serving
How to store chicken gravy
If you have leftover gravy, be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want to make gravy so you always have some on hand, it freezes well for up to three months.
To reuse a large amount of leftover gravy, place it in a pot over low heat. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with some broth or additional heavy cream.
How to reheat chicken gravy
If you have a large amount left over, simply place the gravy in a pot and heat it low. If the sauce is super thick, you can thin it with some chicken broth or additional heavy cream.
Love gravy? Try these recipes!
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Country Sausage Gravy
- Egg Foo Young and Gravy
- Ikea Meatballs and Gravy
- Pork Chops and Gravy
- Restaurant Style Sausage Gravy
- White Gravy for Chicken Fried Steak
Popular Chicken Recipes
Check out my easy beginner recipes and the best chicken recipes here on CopyKat!
15-Minute Perfect Chicken Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons pan drippings from a roast chicken or butter if you don’t have pan drippings
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth a little more for a thinner gravy
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Heat the pan drippings (or butter) in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux for a minute or two to remove the raw taste of the flour. This is a critical step, so make sure you cook this for at least a full minute before adding the liquid.
- Add 1/3 of the broth and whisk it into the roux. The mixture will become very thick after a minute or two.
- Proceed to add the next third of the liquid and whisk to make sure all the lumps are removed. Once this has thickened fully, add the remaining liquid.
- If your gravy is too thick for your liking, you can add some additional liquid or finish with a tablespoon or two of heavy cream.
Use LACTOSE-FREE MILK… There are are TONS OF DIFFERENT NAME BRANDS OUT NOW! So choose ur special kind and go! I’m sure you can even use the NEW LACTOSE FREE & GLUTEN FREE KIND they have out now! It’s NOT REAL THICK THOUGH! But, tastes good & have it in “Almond Flavor!” Which actually gives it a nice flavor!
I made this gravy according to your directions and it was lovely, so much better than gravy powder from a packet and this is my gravy recipe now when I roast a chicken.
That’s what I am aiming for, I want to show you how you can make everything at home. When we cook at home it is almost always better.
I have made chicken gravy since I was probably 10 or 11 and I can tell you unless I am baking a chicken I do not use chicken broth. I love pan gravy, drippings, flour, s&p let it cook a bit to get a good rue then add milk and stir til thick. To me that is real chicken gravy, unless, as I mentiion the chicken is being roasted but no one should use chicken broth with good ol’ pan fried chicken all those great bits of crispies to just add to that great flavor!! Love reading your recipes and make many of them. Thanks, just wanted to add how quite a few of us like our chicken gravy too!! I am a big lover of good ole’ pan gravey with the flour rue and milk.
Some people are across intolerant. Your recipe would not work for them. Besides, it’s always good to teach people different ways to do things, so they can decide what way works best for them.
*lactose (not across)