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Homemade Chicken Gravy

This chicken gravy made with high-quality chicken stock and heavy cream starts with a basic blonde roux. Skip the powdered packets of gravy mix and make homemade chicken gravy from scratch. Serve over fried chicken and mashed potatoes.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine French
Servings 8 people
Calories 753.7 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Saucepan Medium-sized for roux and gravy preparation
  • 1 Whisk Essential for smooth roux and lump-free gravy
  • 1 Measuring Cups/Spoons For accurate ingredient portions
  • 1 Wooden Spoon or Spatula For stirring and scraping
  • 1 Ladle For serving the finished gravy

Ingredients
  

Main

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 quart cold chicken stock or more if needed
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • salt and ground white pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Gradually whisk in flour, reduce heat to low, and stir until the roux has turned golden and smells like a cooked pie crust, 10 to 12 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Whisk in about 2 cups of cold stock, a little at a time, stirring to remove any lumps. Add remaining 2 cups stock. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Stir in heavy cream, and season with salt, white pepper, and cayenne. Taste and if the gravy still tastes starchy, let it simmer a little longer, adding more cold stock if necessary.
  • Serve hot and enjoy! Allrecipes/Ramona Cruz-Peters

Notes

Achieving a perfect blonde roux is critical; maintain low heat and stir constantly for 10-12 minutes until it smells nutty, like pie crust, without browning too much. When incorporating the stock, always add cold stock gradually to the hot roux while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. If you have pan drippings from roasted chicken, deglaze the roasting pan and add those flavorful bits before introducing the chicken stock for an even richer, deeper flavor. Taste and adjust seasoning frequently; white pepper is preferred for color, and cayenne adds a subtle warmth. If the gravy becomes too thick, thin it with a little more warm chicken stock.