Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe

Yep, you can have your gravy and eat it too. This simple chicken broth gravy recipe is easy to make from any chicken broth you have on hand, bottled or homemade. Here’s how!

I admit it. Gravy is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. Dressing comes in a close second. But I hate limiting gravy to just the holidays. Gravy is great any time of year!

Chicken Broth Gravy being poured over french fries.

I realize that for many people, gravy on any dinner is avoided like the plague. But I’m here to show you that it doesn’t have to be!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I strongly believe that 80-95% of your favorite recipes can be converted to clean and healthy eating. Here’s one more recipe that proves this belief.

Roux vs. Slurry

While both a slurry and a roux accomplish roughly the same thing, they are quite different.

  • Roux is made by browning butter and then stirring in flour for the purpose of thickening a recipe. It is most often used as a base at the beginning of a recipe. It is cooked, and traditionally uses wheat flour.
  • A slurry is made with a thickener such as starch and is whisked with a cold liquid such as water, broth or milk. It is also used to thicken, but is not cooked and is added at the end of a recipe. It is often the best choice for those who are gluten free. A slurry does not require fat.

This recipe uses a slurry. If you prefer a bit of fat for both texture and flavor, you can certainly add that if you wish.

Many people use a chicken bouillon in a gravy like this. But I haven’t found one yet that even comes close to clean eating standards. Most have added sugar in some form and many have MSG. So I leave that up to you. If you want to add it, you can certainly do that here.

A white pitcher filled with Chicken Broth Gravy.

Chicken Gravy Made With Drippings

If you have drippings left over from a roast chicken, you can definitely add that here. It will definitely add fat, but it will also intensify the chicken flavor.

Adding Umami To Chicken Gravy

The savory sort of flavoring (or umami) that most people are used to in a gravy can very easily be increased by adding soy sauce (or coconut aminos if you don’t eat soy). I don’t include this in the recipe below, but it will both intensify the flavor, and deepen the color. Simply add to taste at the end of the recipe.

Storing Chicken Gravy

Chicken gravy should always be stored in the fridge, as any meat product should. However, even stored properly, you won’t want to keep it longer than 2 days.

If accidentally left out of the fridge for more than 1 hour after fully heating, throw it out to be safe.

A white pitcher sits on a white background, ready to be filled with the finished Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe.

Can You Freeze Chicken Gravy?

Yes, but….

  • A roux based gravy made with flour can be frozen and thawed without any issues for up to 4 months.
  • A starch based gravy made with a slurry can be frozen for up to 3 months, but will thin out when thawed and must be thickened again using a bit more starch.

Either type of gravy freezes well in containers or in ice cube trays.

Either type of gravy can be thickened further after thawing by adding more of its respective thickening agent.

What To Eat With Chicken Gravy

What You’ll Need

4 cups chicken or turkey stock/broth – This can be homemade broth or store-bought.

¼ tsp. ground sage – This is an optional ingredient. If you don’t like sage, you can leave this out.

¼ tsp. dried thyme – Here again, this is optional. But it does add some yummy flavor.

¼ tsp. dried, ground rosemary – This is also optional. My favorite combination of spices is the thyme and rosemary together. I will often leave out the sage, but keep these two spices.

¼ tsp. ground black pepper – The finer the grind, the better unless you like coarse pepper. I find that the finer grind gives more even flavor.

½ tsp. garlic powder – I used garlic granules, but garlic powder is what most folks use and it works just fine here.

2 tsp. onion powder – Here I also used granules, but powder works just as well. Use what you have.

1 tsp. cornstarch – arrowroot powder or tapioca starch work as well.

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour – You may or may not need all of this to get the thickness you like. Add the flour 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking between each addition.

How To Make Chicken Broth Gravy

Ingredients in small bowls, ready to make this Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe.

In a large pot, combine the flour, cornstarch and stock/broth using a whisk.

All the ingredients whisked together in a metal bowl. A whisk sits over the top of the bowl.

Add all other ingredients (spices), and whisk well to combine. Turn on the heat and bring the gravy to a boil, whisking often.

Once the gravy boils, reduce the heat just enough to keep it at a low boil. Not a simmer.

Boil the liquid down until it’s about half gone. (This can take about 20-30 minutes or more). Whisk frequently. Adjust spices to taste.

The finished Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve in a gravy boat or pitcher.

Need Supplies?

More Healthy Holiday Recipes

Chicken Gravy Recipe

Chicken Broth Gravy being poured over french fries.

Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe

Want gravy without all the fat? Give this recipe a try!
3 from 4 votes
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (2 cup yield, approximately)
Calories: 53kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chicken or turkey stock/broth
  • ¼ tsp. ground sage (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. dried thyme (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. dried, ground rosemary (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch (arrowroot powder or tapioca starch work too)
  • 4 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour

Instructions

  • In a large pot, combine the flour, cornstarch and stock/broth using a whisk. Add all other ingredients (spices), and whisk well to combine.
    Ingredients in small bowls, ready to make this Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe.
  • Turn on the heat and bring the gravy to a boil, whisking often. Once the gravy boils, reduce the heat just enough to keep it at a low boil. Not a simmer.
    All the ingredients whisked together in a metal bowl. A whisk sits over the top of the bowl.
  • Boil the liquid down until it's about half gone. (This can take about 20-30 minutes or more). Whisk frequently. Adjust spices to taste. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly and transfer to a serving container.
    The finished Chicken Broth Gravy Recipe

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.8mg

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18 Comments

  1. I didn’t grow up with gravy on the Thanksgiving table, but this is a recipe worth trying! My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is a three-way tie between cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, and all of the desserts :). Oh, and the enormous “gobbler” sandwich that I always make the next day out of leftovers!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lauren – Ya, that next-day sandwich is pretty tough to top! lol

  2. Joy Brasington says:

    Question: Can I use regular Whole Wheat Flour or does it have to be the pastry flour?
    Thanks,
    Joy

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Joy – You can use regular, but it will have more of a “coarse” texture to it. Not as smooth.

  3. Christine says:

    I was just talking to my son about gravy last night – he doesn’t think I can have it but with this recipe I’ll show him a better option! Thanks! 🙂 Can this be made a day ahead and then reheated? As for my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, it used to be dessert but I’m thinking this year it will be the turkey!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Christine – Yes, it can be done a day ahead and rewarmed. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

  4. I consider “clean eating” to be dishes made without wheat flour since we now know that wheat crops are drenched in Roundup.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Carol – That would be a personal choice to make for yourself and your family. Organic wheat is not drenched in Roundup, at least not as far as I know. But any whole grain is considered clean by definition. Taking that a step further by buying organics is, of course, the better choice, but not always an option for people.

  5. Do you use ground versions of all the herbs and such or fresh?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Briana – Unless I mention “fresh”, they are all dried. That applies to all my recipes.

  6. Can i use wholemeal flour ?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jasmine – Yes, but it will be more “gritty”.

  7. What’s the serving size for this?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kelly – It’s a 1/4 cup.

  8. Nu define, please “clean”

  9. Can you use a gluten free flour?

    1. Yvette – You can, but the final texture will be a bit more “grainy”. It might be better to use more starch. Just be sure you don’t overdo it or you’ll end up with jello. If you do try other flour, oat flour is a good choice.