Clean Eating Gravy Recipe (2024)

Yep, you can have your gravy and eat it too. This simple chicken broth gravy recipe is easy to make from any chicken broth you have on hand, bottled or homemade. Here’s how!

I admit it. Gravy is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. Dressing comes in a close second. But I hate limiting gravy to just the holidays. Gravy is great any time of year!

I realize that for many people, gravy on any dinner is avoided like the plague. But I’m here to show you that it doesn’t have to be!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I strongly believe that 80-95% of your favorite recipes can be converted to clean and healthy eating. Here’s one more recipe that proves this belief.

Roux vs. Slurry

While both a slurry and a roux accomplish roughly the same thing, they are quite different.

• Roux is made by browning butter and then stirring in flour for the purpose of thickening a recipe. It is most often used as a base at the beginning of a recipe. It is cooked, and traditionally uses wheat flour.
• A slurry is made with a thickener such as starch and is whisked with a cold liquid such as water, broth or milk. It is also used to thicken, but is not cooked and is added at the end of a recipe. It is often the best choice for those who are gluten free. A slurry does not require fat.

This recipe uses a slurry. If you prefer a bit of fat for both texture and flavor, you can certainly add that if you wish.

Many people use a chicken bouillon in a gravy like this. But I haven’t found one yet that even comes close to clean eating standards. Most have added sugar in some form and many have MSG. So I leave that up to you. If you want to add it, you can certainly do that here.

Chicken Gravy Made With Drippings

If you have drippings left over from a roast chicken, you can definitely add that here. It will definitely add fat, but it will also intensify the chicken flavor.

Adding Umami To Chicken Gravy

The savory sort of flavoring (or umami) that most people are used to in a gravy can very easily be increased by adding soy sauce (or coconut aminos if you don’t eat soy). I don’t include this in the recipe below, but it will both intensify the flavor, and deepen the color. Simply add to taste at the end of the recipe.

Storing Chicken Gravy

Chicken gravy should always be stored in the fridge, as any meat product should. However, even stored properly, you won’t want to keep it longer than 2 days.

If accidentally left out of the fridge for more than 1 hour after fully heating, throw it out to be safe.

Can You Freeze Chicken Gravy?

Yes, but….

• A roux based gravy made with flour can be frozen and thawed without any issues for up to 4 months.
• A starch based gravy made with a slurry can be frozen for up to 3 months, but will thin out when thawed and must be thickened again using a bit more starch.

Either type of gravy freezes well in containers or in ice cube trays.

Either type of gravy can be thickened further after thawing by adding more of its respective thickening agent.

What To Eat With Chicken Gravy

• Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Biscuits
• Roast Chicken

What You’ll Need

4cupschicken or turkey stock/broth – This can be homemade broth or store-bought.

¼tsp.ground sage – This is an optional ingredient. If you don’t like sage, you can leave this out.

¼tsp.dried thyme – Here again, this is optional. But it does add some yummy flavor.

¼tsp.dried, ground rosemary – This is also optional. My favorite combination of spices is the thyme and rosemary together. I will often leave out the sage, but keep these two spices.

¼tsp.ground black pepper – The finer the grind, the better unless you like coarse pepper. I find that the finer grind gives more even flavor.

½tsp.garlic powder – I used garlic granules, but garlic powder is what most folks use and it works just fine here.

2tsp.onion powder – Here I also used granules, but powder works just as well. Use what you have.

1tsp.cornstarch– arrowroot powder or tapioca starch work as well.

1/4 cupwhole wheat pastry flour – You may or may not need all of this to get the thickness you like. Add the flour 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking between each addition.

How To Make Chicken Broth Gravy

In a large pot, combine the flour, cornstarch and stock/broth using a whisk.

Add all other ingredients (spices), and whisk well to combine. Turn on the heat and bring the gravy to a boil, whisking often.

Once the gravy boils, reduce the heat just enough to keep it at a low boil. Not a simmer.

Boil the liquid down until it’s about half gone. (This can take about 20-30 minutes or more). Whisk frequently. Adjust spices to taste.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve in a gravy boat or pitcher.

Need Supplies?

More Healthy Holiday Recipes

• Cranberry Sauce
• Cranberry Butternut Bake
• Corn Bread
• Green Bean Casserole

Chicken Gravy Recipe