This is an easy way of how to make gravy from chicken drippings on the stove or as pressure cooker gravy is here! NO waste, use the liquid left to thicken and pour over your meat and biscuits for dinner.
All you need is a saucepan, the liquid from your pot, butter, thickener and seasonings of your choice. Whether you’re new to cooking and learning the basics, or just hate wasting food this will come in handy.
I mean I bet you have made this at Thanksgiving, but using turkey drippings. This is similar but you’d likely make this a lot more often than once a year. How you cook your bird is up to you, there are tons of methods but I’d say air fryer whole chicken is our fave.
Not only does the poultry get cooked to perfection but the drippings get captured in the lower basket to pour out easily. You could almost make this if you bought a rotisserie at the store too. I would say you might get 1/2-3/4 cup in the bag and need to supplement from a container but no worries.
Chicken Gravy Recipe with Flour
The base is simple, then you go ahead and add whatever seasonings are perfect for y’all. You’ll need butter and all purpose flour, or cornstarch works too as a thickener. Together with some softened diced onions you’ll make a roux of sorts. If you aren’t familiar with what this is, it is a great way to thicken sauces with tons of flavor.
How to Make Gravy without Drippings
If you didn’t have homemade chicken broth you could certainly use canned or use chicken bouillon with water to make the stock you need. Of course the best is to use your pan drippings from your chicken or turkey from the roasting pan or in the bottom of your pressure cooker.
For turkey neck gravy you would do the same thing as with a roasted chicken, for beef you could make a version of this for meatloaf. Same idea, just different flavors but the same idea.
Tips for Success
You’ll want a saucepan for this, or a pan with a large lip so it can boil and bubble away with the milk and broth without flowing over. Alternatively you could make this in an Instant Pot too. In order to make it creamy we are going with milk. Use whole for best results, fat free won’t get it right as it’s quite thin as you know.
The most important thing to remember when making this is to not let the flour clump up. The best way to do this is whisk, whisk, whisk without stopping. Once it is nice and smooth, pour in your liquids to thin that out. Keep scraping and whisking from the bottom of the pan to get all that is stuck on browned bits off and into the mix.
And then whisk again. Alternatively you can add into the milk, whisk until smooth and then stir in.
Variations
You could dice up meat and add 1/4 cup of that into the mix too for a heartier sauce. We have done this with our meatloaf gravy and it is great with some protein in it.
This is How to Cook Chicken Gizzards if you have those too. Diced up fine they add a ton of extra flavor into the mix. Especially if you don’t like wasting every piece of the bird this might be up your alley. Not into that “body part”?Just use leftover chicken breasts or thighs chopped up.
I think it is about the texture really, and whether you want to add protein into the mix. Either way this should give you an idea of how to make chicken gravy at home so when you’re craving comfort food it’s only 15 minutes or so away. 😉
Gravy From Chicken Drippings Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth, drippings or canned
- 1 cup milk, whole or 2% is best
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour, or cornstarch
- 8 leaves basil, fresh, or 1 tsp
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
Instructions
- In a saucepan on the stovetop add diced onions with 1 tbsp butter. Saute until translucent and golden. Add minced garlic in sauce pan.
- Add 2 tbsp butter, allow to melt. Sprinkle in your flour or cornstarch and quickly whisk together until creamy, not allowing it to clump.
- Whisk in milk and chicken drippings or broth until smooth. Then add diced fresh basil + a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to boil so it thickens, taste, adjust seasonings as needed and then remove from stovetop.
- Serve immediately. As it cools it will continue to thicken, add more broth to thin out.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Typically you make this during the holidays to pour over your meat to add flavor and moisture. Year round this is great especially over fluffy Bisquick biscuits in the morning or for brunch.
How to save leftovers
If you don’t use this all up at once you can certainly save it. Allow it to cool completely first. Then pour it into a container stored in the fridge. As it sits some of the fat may rise to the top. You can stir it together or skim it off with a spoon and then reheat the next day to use up again.
