Making Chicken Gravy from scratch is easy following our chicken gravy recipe! It takes a total time of just 20 minutes to make using simple ingredients, with or without chicken drippings.
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Homemade Chicken Gravy
This year, we made our Thanksgiving dinner in the air fryer using our air fryer roasted chicken, dressing, air fryer mashed potatoes, and acorn squash. But, no holiday meal is complete without gravy! Naturally, we set out to develop the perfect chicken gravy recipe to pair with our meal, and after testing and refining, it's ready to share.
This homemade chicken gravy recipe is truly delicious. It's straightforward and uses simple ingredients, but the depth of flavor is exactly what you want in a good gravy recipe. Once you try making gravy from scratch, you will never want to go back to packet gravy!
Of course, our recipe for chicken gravy is not just for the holidays. We're inclined to believe everything is better with gravy! You can simply enjoy it as part of a regular weekday dinner with mashed potatoes and air fryer green beans or rice, and pork chops, steak, or chicken thighs. Let's get started!
Ingredients in Chicken Gravy
- Chicken Drippings: We're using chicken drippings from our air fryer whole chicken. However, you can also use any pan drippings you have, or use butter as a substitute when you don't have drippings on hand. Use one Tablespoon of butter per Tablespoon of flour if using butter. Note that if you use butter, you will also need to use additional chicken stock to equal 2 cups.
- All-purpose Flour: Flour is used as a thickener for the roux that makes up the base of this chicken gravy recipe. If you need to keep your gravy gluten-free, you can use gluten-free flour at a 1:1 ratio.
- Salt and Pepper: We always recommend using kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper for best results.
- Chicken Stock: This thins out the gravy slightly to help it achieve the right texture, while also adding additional chicken flavor. We're using chicken stock, not chicken broth, but if you only have broth, you can use it.
Want to make turkey gravy instead? Use turkey drippings!
How to Make Chicken Gravy from Scratch
Step 1
Pour the accumulated drippings/chicken juices from air fryer whole chicken into a 2 cup measuring cup. Let it sit for a few minutes so the fat separates to sit on top of the juices. If you don't have chicken drippings or aren't planning on cooking chicken for drippings, you can use butter as a substitute.
Step 2
Using a spoon, carefully skim the separated fat off the top of the juices. Reserve 3 Tablespoons of fat in a saucepan. Discard any remaining fat. Leave the juices in the measuring cup. You can also use a fat separator.
Step 3
Heat the reserved 3 Tablespoons of fat in the saucepan over medium heat.
Step 4
Add flour and whisk until golden, about 4 minutes. It’s important to cook the flour and allow the color to caramelize slightly.
Step 5
Add enough chicken stock to the reserved juices in the measuring cup to make 2 cups of liquid.
Step 6
Slowly whisk in the 2 cups of liquid to the saucepan with the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy reduces to the desired thickness, about 5-8 minutes. Taste, season if needed, and serve!
Recipe Tips
- The gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but still pour smoothly. It should not be as thin as a broth or as thick as a pudding.
- Appearance: When you stir the gravy, it should have a smooth, velvety appearance without being too runny or clumpy.
- Test on Plate: If you drizzle some gravy on a plate, it should spread slightly but still hold its shape without immediately running all over the plate.
- You can add fresh herbs to customize your gravy if you'd like. Thyme or rosemary are great additions.
What to Serve with Chicken Gravy
Storage Instructions
- Store leftover chicken gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove. You can freeze leftover chicken gravy for up to 6 months in an airtight freezer-safe container (such as freezer bags) with a half-inch of space reserved at the top to account for liquid expansion.
FAQ
To make the best gravy, we recommend using pan drippings. Pan drippings will always add better and more authentic flavor than using butter. You must also be sure to allow the roux to cook until it's golden and not rush it.
Flour-based gravy holds up better than cornstarch-based gravy does when reheating and serving again. We recommend using flour. If you have gluten-free guests, feel free to use gluten-free flour at a 1:1 ratio. Cornstarch may also be used, but we do recommend flour.
No, you can use butter and additional chicken stock in place of pan drippings if you have no pan drippings. However, we do recommend using pan drippings if possible. It's so flavorful!
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Chicken Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- drippings from air fryer chicken
- 2 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ - 1 ¾ cups chicken stock chilled
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pour the accumulated drippings from air fryer chicken into a 2 cup measuring cup. Let it sit for a few minutes so the fat separates to sit on top of the juices. If you don't have chicken drippings or aren't planning on cooking chicken for drippings, you can use butter and additional stock as a substitute.
- Using a spoon, carefully skim the separated fat off the top of the juices. Reserve 3 Tablespoons of fat in a saucepan. Discard any remaining fat. Leave the juices in the measuring cup. You can also use a fat separator.
- Heat the reserved 3 Tablespoons of fat in the saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour and whisk until golden, about 4 minutes. It’s important to cook the flour and allow the color to caramelize slightly.
- Add enough chicken stock to the reserved juices in the measuring cup to make 2 cups of liquid.
- Slowly whisk in the 2 cups of liquid to the saucepan with the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy reduces to the desired thickness, about 5-8 minutes. Taste, season if needed, and serve!
Notes
- The gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but still pour smoothly. It should not be as thin as a broth or as thick as a pudding.
- Appearance: When you stir the gravy, it should have a smooth, velvety appearance without being too runny or clumpy.
- Test on Plate: If you drizzle some gravy on a plate, it should spread slightly but still hold its shape without immediately running all over the plate.
- You can add fresh herbs to customize your gravy if you'd like. Thyme or rosemary are great additions.
- Important nutrition note: Calculated nutrition does not include the drippings as this can vary. We ask that if you need to track nutrition, you calculate it as necessary for your recipe.
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