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Chicken and Gravy is a comforting dinner that will take you back to your grandma’s kitchen. Moist chicken tenders in an easy gravy made from the pan drippings is perfect served over buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.
For more easy comfort food classics, try my easy Homemade Meatballs and Chicken Pot Pie next!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Creamy Gravy – The rich and creamy gravy made from the pan drippings is the star of the show.
- Versatile – You can serve it with pasta, mashed potatoes, or other sides of your choice.
- One Pan Recipe – I love that you’ll cook the chicken in the same skillet that you’ll then make the gravy.
Ingredients For Chicken and Gravy
- For the Chicken – Chicken tenders, salt and pepper, olive oil, and butter. This recipe uses chicken tenders but you can swap in chicken breasts or thighs (see recipe tips for more info).
- Chicken Broth – Opt for a low-sodium variety.
- Chicken Flavored Better than Bouillon
- Soy Sauce
- Half and Half
- Spices – Garlic powder, ground mustard powder, black pepper, and dried thyme.
- Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
How To Make This Chicken and Gravy Recipe
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Chicken and gravy is made all in one pan and is easy to make.
Mix Broth – Whisk together the broth, bouillon, soy sauce, half and half, and spices, then set aside for later.
Cook Chicken – Heat up a large skillet over medium and add olive oil and butter. Season the chicken and cook in batches, about 3 minutes per side until fully cooked (165℉ internal temp.) Set chicken on a plate to rest.
Make Gravy – Pour about ½ cup of the broth mixture into the skillet and scrape up the bits on the bottom. Simmer until the broth has mostly evaporated. Melt in the butter, then add the flour and whisk to cook to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the rest of the broth and simmer to thicken.
Add Chicken – Add the cooked chicken back to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes to warm.
Serve – Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken gravy is made from the pan drippings (the brown bits on the bottom of the pan after cooking chicken), a roux (butter and flour), and broth.
The gravy gets thick from first making a roux (cooking butter and flour) and then letting the gravy simmer to thicken. If it still isn’t as thick as you’d like it, you can mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl and whisk into the gravy. Let the gravy simmer and it will thicken up more.
A gravy is a pan sauce that uses both liquid (like broth) and a thickener (like butter and flour). You can make a gravy from pan drippings after cooking a protein like chicken or turkey.
Serving Suggestions
Try serving this with simple buttered noodles (or lemon butter pasta) or cream cheese mashed potatoes. For some comforting sides, try roasted carrots, garlic green beans, or oven roasted vegetables.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently in a covered saute pan over medium low, stirring frequently. Add a splash of broth if needed to loosen up the gravy.
Expert Tips
- Chicken Tenders – You can substitute chicken breast for the tenders. Slice them into thick strips or cube into 1 inch pieces. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used, but you’ll want to add 2-3 minutes cook time per side.
- Lighter Variation – To make a lighter gravy, you can leave out the half and half, but know it won’t be as creamy and rich.
- How to Prep Chicken Tenders – Find the white tendon in the thick end of the tender, grasp with your fingers and snip underneath it with kitchen shears, removing the top 1.5” of the white tendon. Flip the tender over and pull off the thin membrane, if present.
More Chicken Recipes
- Crockpot Whole Chicken
- French Onion Chicken Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
- Cheesy Baked Buffalo Chicken
- Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken and Gravy
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken tenders trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Gravy:
- 3 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 teaspoon chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- In a large glass measuring cup whisk together 2 ½ cups broth, boullon, soy sauce, half and half, and seasonings. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and working in batches, cook about 3 min per side, or until internal temperature reaches 165℉ degrees. Add another drizzle of olive oil between batches if needed. Transfer to a plate to rest.
- Pour ½ cup of the broth in the skillet and scrape up browned bits over medium heat. Simmer until reduced and nearly evaporated, about 3-4 min. Add the butter, melt, and add the flour, whisking constantly for 2 min to cook.
- Pour in the seasoned broth mixture a little at a time, continuously whisking to incorporate until completely combined. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5-7 min to thicken.
- Add the chicken back into the gravy and simmer for 3-5 minutes to warm through. Garnish with fresh minced parsley and serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
