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’m surprised. Not gonna lie. I usually get the overladen sodium gravy in a jar, bcuz let’s be real, who has time to make gravy from scratch? This is the easiest, tastiest gravy I’ve ever made. Hands down! My mother-in-law is SUPER critical of my cooking (which mother-in-law isn’t? Lol) and even she loved it! Def a keeper! Thank u for sharing!
Super easy, quick, and great!
O~M~G !!! This is Best of Gravy sauce ever !
Never think about Chicken and Beef bouillon ! Thank you so much !
I add fried sliced mushrooms, so good.
Spot on KFC imitation. Love it.
just made this and wow! taste amazing. I didnt have a beef cube so i used a chicken buillion cube and 1 panda express soy sauce packet per your recipe notes and it worked perfectly.
Tried this recipe and it was delicious. Exactly as quoted in the title! It was quick and easy and went well with my cubesteak and rice! Thanks for sharing!
I used the microwave as my stove top isn’t good. Melted the butter in a Jug, added flour, mixed, poured in the boiling water with the bouillon, stirred. Microwaved a couple of minutes until it thickened nicely. Stirred, bit more in the microwave… Lovely. A really nice recipe.
Tried this recipe for the first time and it was heavenly!! It suited perfectly well with the pork chops we had with mashed potatoes. It is packed with flavor and is super easy to make.
This was quite easy to pull off on the first go, including getting the roux going with corn starch for a gluten free version. Awesome outcome despite using el cheapo bullion cubes (thanks Knorr) that I had lying around. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
The recipe (I haven’t made yet) looks good – it’s really just a simple gravy recipe. All flavour comes from the ‘flavour’ ingredients (oxo, any herbs or spices, butter, etc). Looking at it, I can just tell it will work!
All I really wanted to say is that Light Brown gravy is just as delicious as dark brown gravy, and looks just as good to me! Make the recipe & if it’s not flavourful enough for you, add more flavour! Or a touch of salt & tsp or 3 of lemon juice (or back off on your smoking habits that kill taste buds!) I also use worcestershire sauce (go light) and several drops of fish sauce for body (again, go light!) Good job, Nagi! Going to make the gravy now……..
Can you please tell me if I can use olive oil instead of butter. Making for lactose free friends.
Thanks heaps
This gravy is so easy to make and delicious. Since I didn’t have beef broth, I doubled the chicken. Also I used Maggi chicken bouillon.
Made this twice and threw it out. Was lacking in any real flavour hence why I made it a second time but was the same. Disappointing
benefits by substituting a goodly slurp of red wine as part of the liquid, and an extra beef stock cube and a couple of generous dashes or worcestershire sauce
Try adding a splash of (good quality) fish sauce.
I found that the kick of umami was the game changer.
Red wine isn’t going to make any difference to the flavour at that stage, if anything it will make it worse.
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This gravy is lush and delicious . I am not a fan of Dirty Bird (what our family calls KFC 🤣) but this gravy was the yummiest I’ve had. Nagi you are the best!
This gravy is lush and delicious. I am not a fan of Dirty Bird (what our family calls KFC 🤣) but this gravy was the yummiest I’ve had. Nagi you are the best!
OMG the easiest and best tasting gravy ever. I will be making gravy more often now and for everyrhing I cook.
Thank you
This gravy was delicious! But if your gravy is tasting too buttery add some Worcestershire sauce
Am I like a crazy person I followed this recipe to a T and it’s like almost pure water?? I even added a little extra flour to see if maybe that was off but it’s still pretty much like a soup?? I tasted it and tastes nice but I mean it’s not thickening at all?
Made this because I didn’t want to go to the shops. Nagi, you’ll put gravox out of business because I won’t be buying it again. Delicious!
Made this today for poutine for my twin granddaughters birthday request and our family of 14 absolutely LOVED it!! And it couldn’t be easier! Thank you so much for this recipe!