This is a really easy recipe for how to make gravy using just water. The secret is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes for the best flavour and a nice deep brown colour. Takes 4 minutes flat, tastes like KFC gravy – but so much better. No pan drippings required.
Made a turkey and want a gravy? Use my Gravy for Turkey recipe!
Gravy
This gravy recipe tastes like what you get in those tubs of KFC Potato and Gravy. Those of you who abstain from all forms of fast food may not know what it tastes like. But all you need to know is that it’s everything that you’d expect from KFC – reliably tasty, well seasoned, can make anything delicious!
The secret ingredient that makes this gravy better is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes).
What you need for gravy
Here’s all you need to make a really great gravy from scratch: chicken and beef stock cubes, butter and flour.
Chicken AND beef stock cubes (aka bouillon cubes) – for flavour and colour. Chicken is the base flavour, beef gives it oomph and gives it a nice deep brown colour rather than an unappetising pale brown. Using both also makes this gravy suitable to use for any protein – white meats (chicken, pork), red meats (beef, lamb, game), potato and vegetables. Can substitute with powder;
Hot water – to dissolve the cubes;
Flour – to thicken the gravy (gluten free cornflour/cornstarch sub in the recipe notes);
Onion or garlic powder – optional, for hint of extra flavour.
Why stock cubes instead of liquid stock/broth?
Great question! 🙂 Stock cubes and powder have a more intense flavour than liquid stock (broth), so they make a tastier gravy when you make gravy from scratch like in this recipe.
Liquid broth is more appropriate to use when you’re making gravy starting with pan drippings from roasts – because the pan drippings add extra flavour into the gravy.
How to make gravy in 4 minutes flat
Dissolve stock cubes or powder in boiling water;
Melt butter in saucepan and mix in flour;
Pour in stock water while whisking and cook 1.5 minutes until thickened. DONE!
PS The reason this is faster than most gravy recipes is because the water is already HOT and the flavour is already concentrated so there’s no need to cook down for flavour.
Now, douse everything and anything with it.
Oh, and here’s the photo that started it all – Fried Chicken. Upon spying this, there were many (many) (MANY!) requests for the potato and gravy recipe.
All the possibilities….!!!
Here’s some suggestions for dishes to serve with gravy. Some obvious ones, some not so obvious ones, all good!
Potato and gravy – KFC style! Dunk in Fried Chicken, warm bread rolls or bread (try this No Yeast Irish Soda Bread!), hot chips, wedges, serve on the side of sausages, as part of a Southern Dinner with BBQ Pulled Pork, any roast;
Roasts – any and all!
Rotisserie chicken dinner – make a meal out of a store bought roast chicken. Steam some veg, make some mash, douse everything with this gravy!
Steamed vegetables – guaranteed way to make bland, boring steamed veg completely scoff worthy;
Pan seared chops, steaks or anything – chicken, lamb, pork, beef! Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pan fry in butter or oil, douse with gravy;
Meatballs – Make these Beef meatballs or these Chicken Meatballs, skip the sauce and serve with this gravy instead;
Poured over an omelette;
Chicken Rolls – shred chicken, toss with gravy, pile generously onto hot rolls;
As a Sauce for any of these:
Use gravy as a sauce for these dishes
I need to stop. There’s too many possibilities!
But enough about my ideas. Tell me what YOU douse with gravy!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Gravy recipe (tastes like KFC – but a million times better!)
Ingredients
- 1 chicken stock cube / bouillon cube (sub 2 tsp powder) (Note 1)
- 1 beef stock cube / bouillon cube (sub 2 tsp powder) (Note 1)
- 2 1/4 cups (565ml) boiling water
- 60g/ 4 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 4 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (ok to omit or sub garlic powder)
- 1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
- Salt , if needed
Instructions
- Crumble cubes into boiling water, mix to dissolve.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour, onion powder and pepper. Mix into butter with a wooden spoon or whisk.
- While stirring, slowly pour in half the liquid. Once incorporated into the flour butter roux (it will thicken quickly), add remaining liquid and mix.
- Stir for 1.5 – 2 minutes until it thickens to a gravy consistency (it's quick as water is already hot). Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve over chops, steak, sausages, veggies, roast chicken, pork, beef, lamb. Pictured – KFC Potato and Gravy copycat!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Even at the vet, all he can think about is FOOD. Just like his owner 😂
PS Nothing major, just getting an old-man wart removed that had grown quite large and was bothering him. He was, of course, a total sook once he realised he was there for more than just pats and treats. Quivering and pressing up against me for protection!
I cooked this exactly to recipe and it was excellent, but it did come out much lighter in colour than the pictures, Like Gigi, I then added a little soy sauce to darken it and that changed the flavour a bit, but not in a bad way. You can definitely taste the difference the butter makes, I might try some food colouring to darken it next time instead of the soy.
I made this gravy last week and it was pure magic. I added a dash of soy sauce to darken my gravy and that changed the flavor profile. You can’t taste the soy sauce in it but it adds a beautiful layer of flavour to the gravy. This is definitely a keeper!!
Thanks as always Nagi.
This was sooo good! Kids loved it and super easy to make! I added teaspoon of dark soy to deepen the color. Thanks for recipe!
Easy to make and delicious! I added some cayenne for a little heat and my son gobbled it up with ground chicken patties and rice!! Thanks Nagi!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Question- if I am using cornstarch or potato starch to thicken, it is not necessary to add the stock to the butter in a separate pan, correct? I can just bring it to boil after adding the slurry to the broth and let it thicken in same pot, no? Then I can add a few tablespoons of butter there. Please let me know if this would work fine instead of adding the broth and slurry liquid to a separate pan with melted butter. I understand the melted butter in a pan is to make a roux with the flour if I was using flour. Let me know if that is correct. Thank you so much. Peace
Excellent recipe and very good instructions
Super easy and delicious! Was a hit with the family including fussy eaters
What flour do you use making gravy
I followed the recipe as written and it came out tasting bland and the flour flavor was strong. I threw in a second beef bullion packet, and viola, its pretty close to KFC gravy. Its much much better than any jar or packaged gravy that I’ve tried over the years. This will be my go to gravy whenever I don’t have the drippings to make gravy.
Hands down the best AND easiest gravy recipe I’ve ever made. YUMMMM Definitely my new fave!! Thank you!!
You know what? This really does taste like KFC gravy. This is a very simple recipe with rather surprising results. Every year for Thanksgiving I go over the top and make an amazing “from scratch” gravy. But for the rest of the year I’ll probably be using this recipe for dinner gravy.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Don
My go to if I’m feeling chips and gravy *chef’s kiss* 😙🤌🏼
This was my first homemade gravy attempt. Absolutely loved it! It was very easy and fast. My 7-year-old loved it also. Easily customized to suit individual tastes. I added lots of black pepper, my daughter added some salt. We served with mashed potatoes 👍👍
Who knew gravy could be this easy and tasty. Just like KFC’s. I used OXO cubes.
Super easy & lovely recipe. Made it my own w/ a small shake of garlic powder, small bay leaf, 1/4 t. soy sauce, dash of kitchen bouquet & maggi seasoning & more salt and pepper. Bye bye gravy in a jar or packet. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us! xo
Loved this gravy recipe. It was very quick to make and so tasty. You are my favourite chef.
In beef stew I substitute beef base with Heinz oxtail soup.
Quick and easy plus lots of flavour.
How does KFC make there mashed potatoes? Thank you so much for this recipe. I don’t have any teeth so I’m always going too KFC to get there mash potatoes and gravy all the time. I’ve tried too make it at home, but it never turns out the same.
I have made this a few times before, it’s great, I add a hint of spices found in KFC, namely smoked paprika, cumin and celery seed and it definitely becomes closer to the real thing
Perfect gravy!!! and yes better than KFC