Got 5 minutes for dinner? Make this incredible baked chicken recipe! Crispy oven roasted chicken thighs and drumsticks that makes its own gravy in the same baking pan.
It’s the chicken version of this Sausage Bake with Gravy, a long time reader favourite. Minutes to prep, zero maintenance to cook. 100% delish!
Gravy Baked chicken recipe – make its own gravy!
This is another one* of those super speedy recipes that came about at the end of a long cook day when I had to use up ingredients before the expiry date but had zero energy to expend. It’s a dump-and-bake recipe, but entirely made from scratch – no canned soup shortcuts around here!
Chicken is coated in a simple spice mix for flavour (plus it makes the chicken crispy!) then it’s baked IN a flour/beef stock liquid that magically thickens into a gravy by the time the chicken is cooked.
Just LOOK at the gravy perfection!! ↑↓↑↓
* Sausage Bake, and the Ultra Lazy Series (Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake, Chicken Rice Bake and speedy Corn Chowder) being to more such examples! Handy for busy midweek cooking. 🙂
What you need
Here’s what you need for this baked chicken. Very few ingredients, right?? Hard to believe it’s going to make something so delicious… but I promise it does! It’s all in the cooking logic. Read on!
How to make this baked chicken dinner
And here’s how it’s made:
The key to this recipe is how the “self saucing gravy” is made. You simply whisk together flour with beef stock/broth, then pour it around the chicken. As it bakes in the oven, 3 things happen:
The chicken flesh under the liquid stays moist and absorbs the stock flavour = tasty chicken flesh even without marinating;
The chicken leeches juices into the stock, adding even more flavour into what will end up as gravy; and
The flour in the broth makes it thicken into a gravy.
WARNING: When it comes out of the oven, you’ll be looking at a congealed mess in the pan instead of the silky gravy you see. Have faith! Just give it a good whisk and it comes together beautifully!
And here’s what you end up with – crispy chicken….
…. AND a gravy to douse everything on your plate!
And what did that take you to prepare? All of 5 minutes? If that!
Serve with anything your heart desires. Pictured at the top of the post with creamy mashed potato (possibly cauliflower – can’t remember if I was attempting low carb on that day) and a side of Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing.
And in the photo above, this crispy baked chicken is served with buttery Seasoned Rice (think Rice-a-roni, except homemade, excellent freezer standby) and steamed greens drizzled with the herb & garlic dressing from this Cucumber Salad.
But honestly? Chicken and gravy. It goes with anything (non Asian). You could even pull the meat off the bones, toss in the gravy then stuff it in bread rolls to make Chicken and Gravy Rolls. YES! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Gravy Baked Chicken (thighs & drumsticks) – 5 min prep!
Ingredients
- 1.25 kg/ 3 lb bone in, skin on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks (all of one, or mix, Note 1)
- 2 tsp olive oil (or other oil)
Chicken seasoning:
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp onion powder (or garlic powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Gravy:
- 4 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose (Note 2 for GF)
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock/broth (yes, beef, not chicken! Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Seasoning – mix in a small bowl.
- Season chicken – Place chicken in a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13" baking pan. Drizzle with oil then rub all over Sprinkle & rub in the Seasoning, using most on the skin side.
- Arrange chicken skin side up in the pan.
- Gravy mixture – Whisk flour with about 1/2 cup of stock until lump free, then whisk in remaining stock and pepper (forgot in video!). Pour into the pan around the chicken.
- Bake uncovered for 50 minutes, or until chicken is crispy and golden.
- Whisk gravy – Remove chicken onto a plate, then give the gravy a good whisk to make it smooth. Adjust Gravy thickness if required – Note 4. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve – Pour gravy into a jug. Serve alongside chicken!
Recipe Notes:
- Seasoned Rice (excellent freezer standby to serve with everything)
- steamed veg tossed with the Herb & Garlic dressing from this Cucumber Salad
- creamy mashed potato (or cauliflower for low carb)
- Rocket/Arugula salad with balsamic dressing (super speedy, no chop salad)
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
It would be kind of cute that he stands there for ages with his head pushed through the dog door….except it’s winter here, and ice cold air is blasting into the house through that considerably large hole…😖
This is insanely good. I did the gluten free option cause I was out of flour and had 1 and a 1/2 table spoons of cornstarch left. I had to strain the bits out, but the thighs I was using had a high amount of skin and fat on them. The gravy is amazing, the chicken is flavorful, it pairs nicely with a roasted cauliflower and stuffing. Thanks for the great recipes.
I’m eating this as I type, made it with green beans and rice. the gravy is so rich and flavourful, 100% making this again
This was so easy and so good! I only had chicken stock but it still came out great. Thanks.
Made the gravy baked chicken tonight & it was absolutely a hit!! My cocker spaniels, Mousse & Dear loved it as well. Had it with green beans & dressing, yummy! Thanks Nagi
Karen Dingley
This was beyond delish! Thank you!
Wow Nagi, this was delicious, and so easy! The gravy was sensational. Thank you yet again for another fantastic recipe!!
I made this for dinner tonight and the whole family loved it! My fussy 6yo and 2yo licked their plate clean. Hubby was surprised that it tasted so good. I served it with the seasoned rice. So easy to make but so delicious.
Nagi, hi. I’m making this dish again (at least fourth time). Everyone loves it, especially me because it is so easy and quick. I’ve passed it on to my sister who loves it as well. Thanks❤️
This is one my favorite chicken recipes and my family loves it to!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! So easy to cook everything in the same pan. And who would have thought that you could make gravy at the same time as you cooked the chicken?!
So delicious! I see your recipes on Facebook all the time an this is the first one I’ve made. I will definitely be trying more because this was a a HUGE win!! Super easy and packed with flavor!!
This was so deliciously easy it’s hard to believe. My 3 year old ate an entire drumstick and while that may not sound like much, she is fussy and it is a huge deal. She even requested it again a week later! So delicious, love it!
What a great recipe. It was easy and really tasty. Thank you so much Nagi.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Kathy, thanks so much!! N x
Fives words to describe this recipe: Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum!
Fab recipe! Gravy was amazing!
Just made this. I’m in love with this gravy. Had to check a second time to make sure that the broth was supposed to be beef. Sooo flavorful! Chicken also wonderful, juicy, tender, great seasonings. Thanks so much for all you do. Seems if I want to try something, you’ve done it, and your recipes, instructions and videos make it so much easier. And the notes and substitutions are priceless. During this terrible pandemic we all have to make do sometimes with what we have. Luv to Dozer!
I tried this today (eating it right now)! I added some pan fried onion and potato slices in the same pot too, and it’s soooo good! And one of the simplest recipes I now know. Thank you for this 😀
OMG I made this today and it was simple to make and delicious too. My family loved it and my 7 year old had a 2 nd helping. That never happens unless its pizza. Thank you so much. Your recipes are just awesome.
Just made this for dinner tonight ! Was fantastic. So much flavour for something that requires not much effort. A perfect dish for a busy mum Served with garlic mash and veg
So you can use chicken breast as that is all my husband will eat other than the wings.
Hi Betty, I talk about this in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Can this be baked using boneless skinless chicken breast? Also how long would you bake it. My family isn’t a fan of dark meat especially on the bone. Thanks!!
Hi Theresa, I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x