Chicken Gravy without Drippings: An Easy Homemade Chicken Gravy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken gravy made of? ›

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter or chicken fat (schmaltz) and whisk in 2 tablespoons of plain flour. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the roux takes on some color (tan or blond) and add a good chicken stock or broth (about a cup), whisking and simmering until it is the desired consistency. Add stock if too thick.

Another way to thicken gravy without flour is to roast vegetables like carrots, onions or shallots, celery, whole garlic and red bell peppers with the meat. Strain the juices and puree the vegetables and add it to the de-fatted meat juices, wine and some stock. Reduce the liquid to a thick gravy then strain and serve.

Originally Answered: How to make gravy without broth? You don't need a meat broth to make gravy. You can use water, milk, or cream to make a gravy. Brown flour in hot drippings or other fat, then slowly add the liquid while stirring.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

Bonus: Seasoning for Tasty Gravy

I only season my homemade gravy with salt and pepper, and it's delicious! If you want to add more spices, avoid anything with large pieces (such as dried rosemary) to keep gravy smooth. Thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and oregano all taste great.

Melt butter in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add flour and whisk constantly until mixture is golden caramel color and smells fragrant (3-5 minutes). Slowly whisk in liquids, while whisking, until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened and bubbly, 5 minutes or longer.

Here's all you need to make a really great gravy from scratch: chicken and beef stock cubes, butter and flour. Chicken AND beef stock cubes (aka bouillon cubes) – for flavour and colour. Chicken is the base flavour, beef gives it oomph and gives it a nice deep brown colour rather than an unappetising pale brown.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

When paired with all-purpose flour, cornstarch helps prevent gluten development, which makes the flour coating crispier, and absorb moisture (from the frying and the chicken), which also means a crispier coating. If you already have a favorite fried chicken recipe, try replacing a quarter of the flour with cornstarch.

Combine equal parts of flour and cold water in a cup. Mix it until it's smooth and stir it into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer for 5 minutes. A general rule is use 2 tsp (3 grams) of flour to thicken 1 L (34 fl oz) of liquid.

Can I use only cornstarch to fry chicken? ›

You can toss chicken in cornstarch and fry it. The coating will be thin and crispy but nowhere near as delightful as a crust made from wheat flour. Corn starch contains no gluten, so a dredge or batter made solely from it won't have the same structure as one made from wheat flour.

At the most basic level, gravy is a simple pan sauce that requires liquid and a thickener. Traditional turkey gravy usually has fat, flour, and stock. You can make excellent turkey gravy with just those ingredients, plus salt and pepper for seasoning.

In most cases, stock and broth are interchangeable. If you're in the soup aisle and can't remember whether the recipe called for stock or broth, either will do for making soup, gravy, or a flavorful pot of rice or grains. Keep in mind that stock is unseasoned, and broth is seasoned.

White Wine, Apple Juice, or Water: When you need just a little bit of chicken broth to deglaze a pan for a gravy or pan sauce, broth substitutes are easy: White wine works (and is also a flavor enhancer).

Fortunately, Shannon has several suggestions for fixing bland gravy, starting by adding a bouillon cube, herbs or a splash of wine or cognac. But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic.

Consider using pan drippings or chicken cracklings.

That's the secret to the flavor of the restaurant's gravy! Pan drippings and/or any browned, fried bits of chicken, turkey, beef, or pork can be tossed into the roux for extra flavor.

Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one cup of cold water, whisking the mixture together until the cornstarch granules dissolve. Stir this mixture into your gravy on low heat. You can use arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, or potato starch as a thickener if you don't have cornstarch.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.