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Home Quick and Easy

Gravy Baked Chicken (thighs & drumsticks) – 5 min prep!

By:Nagi
Published:13 Jul '20Updated:13 Nov '20
267 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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!

Spoon drizzling gravy over Crispy Baked Chicken in gravy

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. 🙂

Pan of freshly baked chicken with gravy

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!

Ingredients in Gravy Baked Chicken

How to make this baked chicken dinner

And here’s how it’s made:

How to make Gravy Baked Chicken

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:

  1. The chicken flesh under the liquid stays moist and absorbs the stock flavour = tasty chicken flesh even without marinating;

  2. The chicken leeches juices into the stock, adding even more flavour into what will end up as gravy; and

  3. 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….

Close up of crispy baked chicken thighs and drumsticks with gravy

…. AND a gravy to douse everything on your plate!

Pouring gravy over crispy baked chicken

Gravy Baked Chicken served with seasoned rice and steamed vegetables

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!

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Mains
Western
5 from 106 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Crispy baked chicken thighs and drumsticks that magically makes its own gravy - all in one pan! Terrific last minute chicken dinner that takes minutes to prepare and is zero maintenance to cook. The flavour in the gravy is phenomenal because it's flavoured with the chicken juices!

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:

1. Chicken - drumsticks and bone in thighs are ideal for this recipe, use all of one or a mix together. I used 4 thighs + 3 legs in the video and some photos, and 6 thighs in the batch for one of the photos.
Needs to be skin on, bone in chicken so they can sustain the cook time required for the gravy to form. To reduce fat, the skin on thighs can be removed (see this baked chicken & rice, that's how the skinless chicken will come out. Same cooked time).
Butterflied whole chicken will also work great for this recipe as the cook time is similar.
Chicken breast - because of the shorter cook time, you need to put the pan with just the gravy in the oven first for 20 minutes, then add the breast for 20 minutes. I'll share that as a separate recipe one of these days!
2. Gravy - to make this gluten free, leave out the flour, bake chicken. Once cooked, remove chicken, cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Mix 1.5 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch with 2 tbsp water, whisk into pan juices. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
3. Broth/stock - beef stock gives the gravy a nice brown colour and also has a deeper flavour than chicken stock. Chicken stock fine to use but gravy will be pale.
4. Gravy thickness - There will be some variable here because the juiciness of chicken varies drastically (quality of chicken, frozen thawed leeches more water than fresh, some economical chicken is injected with brine, accuracy of oven, size and material of pan).
But it's super easy to adjust - If it's a bit thin, pop it back in the oven for a few minutes - without chicken, it will thicken in mere minutes. If too thick, add splash of hot tap water.
Likely there will be a few small lumps in the gravy, rather than being 1000% smooth. We're doing quick 'n easy, one pan here! If the lumps really bother you, strain when pouring into jug. It does not bother me. 🙂
5. Sides pictured in post:
  • 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)
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming all gravy is consumed. You can slash at least 100 calories by trimming the flappy skin/fat off the chicken thighs - I can't accurately calculate that which is why I've erred on the side of caution. 1 tablespoon chicken fat = 115 calories.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 505cal (25%)Carbohydrates: 5g (2%)Protein: 36g (72%)Fat: 37g (57%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Cholesterol: 208mg (69%)Sodium: 761mg (33%)Potassium: 580mg (17%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 166IU (3%)Calcium: 21mg (2%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Keywords: Baked chicken, Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Baked chicken thighs, chicken and gravy, Chicken dinner, chicken gravy
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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…😖

Dozer sticking his head through dog door winter

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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267 Comments

  1. Marianne says

    April 18, 2021 at 1:38 pm

    5 stars
    I was looking for an easy and tasty chicken recipe to make for family tonight. I’m so glad I made this. It was perfect – incredibly easy and everyone loved it. I’m still amazed by how you make the gravy in the pan.

    Reply
  2. Christina W says

    April 18, 2021 at 9:27 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious and so easy to make!

    Reply
  3. Abi says

    April 18, 2021 at 2:59 am

    I hadn’t made this for a while and I forgotten how good it is. Crispy skin, tender chicken and delicious gravy. Clean plates all round.

    Reply
  4. Sue Gavin says

    April 13, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    5 stars
    I’m a hopeless cook (who would have thought I wanted to be a Cooking Demonstrator when I first left school 40+ years ago) but everyone raved about this gravy baked chicken. The chicken was so nice, the gravy sensational and the mashed potato accompaniment went down a treat too! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  5. Christie says

    April 9, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    Do you think I could omit the flour and add risotto instead to soak up the broth and chicken juices or would that completely change the cooking time and concept of the recipe too much? Really keen to try this!!

    Reply
  6. Jennifer Mark says

    April 8, 2021 at 11:21 am

    5 stars
    This was amazing, will make it again soon. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
  7. Lauren says

    April 4, 2021 at 10:19 pm

    5 stars
    I cooked this tonight with boneless chicken thighs (because my fussy kids don’t like bones) and it turned out amazing. Another great recipe thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth says

    April 2, 2021 at 10:56 am

    Delicious! What I did in the beginning was brown the thighs and drumsticks in a combo of olive oil and Irish butter. It gave them a wonderful color. Then I added the chicken to the gravy. I scraped my pan that had the remaining juices from the browning into the gravy mixture. I serviced with Dutch broad egg noodles and homemade biscuits on the side. I would have added some nice asparagus or French green beans but my family turns there noses up at veggies, They are missing out but totally enjoyed this dish

    Reply
    • Jennifer Mark says

      April 8, 2021 at 11:20 am

      I sneak cauliflower into mashed potatoes. I feigned that I forgot to plug the veggie steamer in tonight so there was no side of veg. Little did the boys know the cauli was in with mashed potatoes, roughly 50/50 proportion.

      Reply
  9. Roberta Merito says

    April 1, 2021 at 4:56 pm

    5 stars
    So easy to make and so very delicious to eat. Another go to dish from #recipetineats.

    Reply
  10. Rachel says

    March 27, 2021 at 12:47 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious and super easy to make!

    Reply
  11. April says

    March 26, 2021 at 8:01 am

    5 stars
    Was looking for a new way to do chicken, and had some chicken thighs and saw this recipe… DELICIOUS!! This will now be on regular rotation in my house!!

    Reply
  12. Lisa says

    March 24, 2021 at 4:15 am

    5 stars
    So excited to tell you how much I loved this that I forgot to give the stars!

    Nagi – wondering, do you think cornstarch or arrowroot could be substituted for the flour as the thickening agent here?

    Reply
  13. Lisa says

    March 24, 2021 at 12:06 am

    OMG – this was the best! My boyfriend said when he walked in the door last night that he could tell from the aroma coming from the kitchen that it was going to be a wonderful meal, and it was. Kept it simple – steamed broccoli and a couple boiled new (small red) potatoes. Will make this one again and again.

    Reply
  14. J says

    March 23, 2021 at 1:29 pm

    5 stars
    Seriously the best recipe. It’s so easy and delicious. I’m a new mom and it’s a total lifesaver for me and my husband LOVES it to! Everyone must try this!

    Reply
  15. Victoria says

    March 18, 2021 at 3:13 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! The 5 minute prep is not an exaggeration. Serve it with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans. My husband, who loves crispy skin and loves gravy kept saying “Oh, this is SO good”. I don’t know that it’s a company dish, but it’s certainly added to our rotation. Thank you!

    Reply
  16. Emily says

    March 15, 2021 at 9:14 am

    5 stars
    AMAZING CHICKEN, I served it with cauliflower rice and roasted cabbage steaks. Next time going to make cauliflower mashed potatoes. Now my husband wants it as my go to dish.

    Reply
  17. Merlin says

    March 13, 2021 at 1:46 am

    5 stars
    Made this dish and it was absolutely delicious! Really hit the spot. I season more heavily than you and it workde just fine.

    Reply
  18. Sheila Gill says

    March 11, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is truly a winner! I only had boneless thighs, so it cooked perfectly in about 35min. I didn’t even have to whisk it and the gang just grabbed for the “gravy”. Served on mashed potatoes and yams with steamed veggies on the side. Great winter weeknight solution. Your recipes are consistently EXCELLENT. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 12, 2021 at 10:24 am

      Perfect Shaila!!! N x

      Reply
  19. Gary says

    March 7, 2021 at 10:53 pm

    Hi Nagi can I make more gravy for this dish thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 8, 2021 at 9:47 am

      Hi Gary, you sure can – double the gravy ingredients if you like! N X

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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