Gravy is often made with the drippings of a roast turkey, chicken or beef, but sometimes you need a gravy and don’t have any drippings to work with. This simple pan gravy is for these very occasions. It can be made with chicken, turkey, beef or vegetable stock and can be flavored with bouillon cubes and fresh or dried herbs.
This pan gravy comes together in just a few minutes with basic pantry ingredients and can be easily made as thick or thin as you need. So, the next time you are roasting a turkey breast or pork tenderloin, but want to have a little gravy with your mashed potatoes, you can!
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 8 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 4 cups of stock. This is all you need for the base recipe. This recipe makes a fairly large amount, but it can easily be cut in half for smaller gravy requirements.
In addition to the base ingredients, you can add a teaspoon of dried herbs, 2 bouillon cubes in the same flavor of the stock you are using, 1/4 cup of heavy cream if you want a rich, creamy gravy and some salt and black pepper.
In regards to the stock, if you do end up having some drippings on hand, you can absolutely add them in place of some of the stock. I use the stock I have on hand. Personally, I do not notice a huge amount of difference between chicken, turkey and beef stock in the overall flavor of this pan gravy.
Begin by melting 8 tablespoons of butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Sprinkle a half cup of all purpose flour over the melted butter and begin whisking to incorporate the flour into the butter. Continue whisking the flour and butter paste or “roux” as it cooks.
After about a minute of whisking the flour and butter over medium heat, it should be lightly golden and have a nutty aroma. Keep whisking to prevent the mixture from burning.
Add a cup of stock and whisk to combine…
As soon as the stock has been incorporated, add a little more as you continue to whisk…
Adding the stock gradually will both make it easier to incorporate and will allow the gravy to begin thickening right away. When all of the stock is added at once, it lowers the temperature of the gravy, which can create a lumpy texture and you will also have to wait until the mixtures comes back up to a simmer before it begins to thicken.
Once all of the stock has been incorporated, allow the gravy to simmer until it has thickened to your desired consistency.
This pan gravy is ready in just a few minutes and it is surprisingly flavorful, but there are a few ways you can make it even better!
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- Add a quarter cup of heavy cream to make the gravy extra rich and creamy.
- Add some dried herbs, salt and/or black pepper to increase and customize the flavor.
- Add some chicken, beef or pork bouillon cubes to bring out the flavors in the stock.
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This pan gravy is perfect to make along side a cut of meat that doesn’t offer a lot of drippings or when you are serving mashed potatoes… mashed potatoes and gravy are a perfect partnership. This recipe creates a big family sized amount of thick, rich gravy, but it can very easily be cut in half or even a quarter for those times when you just need a little something delicious.
A Simple Pan Gravy
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 4 cups of stock (chicken, beef, pork, turkey or vegetable)
- 1 teaspoon of dried herbs (optional)
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream (optional)
- 1-2 bouillon cubes (optional)
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Place 8 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat
- As soon as the butter has melted, whisk in 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and cook for about a minute while whisking
- Carefully whisk in 4 cups of stock or drippings and bring the mixture to a simmer
- Simmer until thickened
- Add a teaspoon of dried herbs, bouillon cubes and/or 1/4 cup of heavy cream, if using
- Taste and add salt and black pepper, if necessary
