Gravy used to be such a mystery for me….sometimes it would turn out, sometimes it wouldn’t (yes – LUMPS). There is one simple trick that I learned – equal parts fat to flour. That’s IT. Why did it take me years to figure that out ?
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Our Christmas Dinner was as simple as it gets. I prepped the veggies and chicken in advance (recipe here: https://locarbjabberwockey.wordpress.com/?s=christmas ) and just put the entire roasting pan in the fridge. After all, we REALLY needed to see “The Desolation of Smaug” and wouldn’t be getting back home until about 5:30 pm. The instant I walked in the door, I turned on the oven and popped the chicken/veggies in for about an hour and 15 minutes.
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I removed the veggies and chicken and put the pan directly on the stove (medium heat). Leave all those burnt bits in there – they help create a super rich, dark gravy! There was about 1 tablespoon of chicken fat in the pan, so I added 1 tablespoon of butter.
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Since I had 2 tablespoons of fat, I added 2 tablespoons of flour, stirred it in, and let it cook for about two minutes.
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Now it’s just a matter of adding in some chicken broth (today it was from a can). Moderation is what’s important here… I first poured in half a can and stirred until combined. It immediately thickened, and I gradually added another can of broth. But remember ! Don’t pour with too heavy a hand – it’s always easier to add more than to re-thicken it ! Each time you add more liquid, allow it to cook for a minute or two to see if it will thicken any more.
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Once the gravy is thickened, give it a taste. I did not need to add ANY seasonings. There was enough residual salt from the canned broth,butter and drippings and it was PERFECT.
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“Perfect Every Time” Chicken Gravy
1 Tbsp Chicen drippings
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Flour
22 ounces (one and a half cans) chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
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Melt butter with chicken drippings over medium heat. Add flour, and stir for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the broth until gravy thickens. You may need less (or more!) broth depending on how thick you like the gravy.
Season to taste.