Easy Chicken Broth Gravy

A ladle dips into a gravy boat filled with thick, brown gravy. Surrounding it are bowls of mashed potatoes and stuffing, garnished with parsley.

5 from 7 votes

Easy Chicken Broth Gravy

🧡🙌🎉 If you don’t have pan drippings to make gravy, try this QUICK and EASY gravy recipe instead! It uses store bought chicken broth (or turkey broth) and turns out wonderfully smooth, rich, buttery, and FLAVORFUL every time! Perfect for holiday meals like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or make it for family dinners throughout the year to serve over chicken, turkey, and of course mashed potatoes!

Prep Time5

Cook Time13

Course: Sauces, Side Dish, Sides

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken broth gravy, gravy with store bought broth

Servings:

Calories: 102cal

Equipment

1 whisk

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth or turkey broth I use reduced sodium, if using regular you may want to add less kosher salt
1 ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning or as desired (start with 1 teaspoon and increase from there)
½ teaspoon ground thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt or as desired
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or as desired

Instructions

To a large sauce pan, add the butter, and heat over medium-high heat to melt.
Sprinkle the flour the pan, whisk it into the butter, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and is lightly golden browned in color. Whisk nearly continuously. Tip - This is called making a roux and is necessary later on so that your gravy thickens properly. Do not shortchange this step or move on until you've properly made your roux but also be careful not to overcook it and burn the flour.
Slowly add the broth, whisking the entire time, and continue to whisk to remove any lumps. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until gravy begins to thicken. Whisk nearly continuously.
Add the remaining seasonings, salt, pepper, and continue to whisk over medium heat until the gravy is thickened to your liking, about 6-9 minutes, but it will vary based on your pan size, heat output level of your stove, how thick you like your gravy, and so forth. Whisk/simmer until it's where you like your gravy to be.
Taste, adjust the seasoning balance as needed (if you used reduced sodium broth, you may want to add additional salt), and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Gravy Too Thin/Runny? If your gravy seems too thin after simmering, you can create a cornstarch slurry to thicken it further. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water or broth until smooth. Slowly whisk the slurry into the simmering gravy until it reaches your desired consistency. In general, I don’t find this to be necessary but it’s a trick to use if you’ve followed the recipe and for some reason your gravy came out thinner than you’d like.

Too Thick? If it’s too thick, that’s an easy fix – just add more chicken broth, as necessary, to thin it out.

Fridge Storage: Let cool completely and then store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freezer Storage: Store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight when ready to eat. You might need to whisk a little extra broth into the gravy when reheating to loosen it up.

Reheating: Heat gently in a saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally, until warmed through. Or do it in a microwave-safe glass measuring cup with plastic wrap over the top for about 1 minute, or as needed for the quantity you’re reheating.

Nutrition