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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
387 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
4.97 from 164 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
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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.

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387 Comments

  1. Marbleless says

    March 30, 2022 at 10:35 am

    5 stars
    Damn, this is a game changer! I don’t like beef broth (I’m weird), and it worked great with chicken broth. I added a little more salt because of this. Glad I watched the video to see the gravy before it got mixed! This is in my favorites!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 30, 2022 at 5:17 pm

      I am happy you enjoyed it Marbleless!! N x

      Reply
  2. Aisha says

    March 26, 2022 at 4:37 am

    Any tips for adjusting this for doing this slow roasted/fall of the bone style but still in the oven? I was thinking bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour without the broth/flour mixture, then add it in and cook for another hour. Then remove the gravy and broil chicken for 5 min. What do you think?

    Reply
  3. Sharon Klopf says

    March 22, 2022 at 9:28 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely love this recipe. A friend emailed it to me. She suggested that I mix thighs & drumsticks. Cooked in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour.
    This is a meal I will make frequently
    So easy to make, gravy is yummy, but not enough. 😋

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 23, 2022 at 5:44 pm

      I am happy you liked it Sharon! N x

      Reply
    • Sharon Klopf says

      March 23, 2022 at 10:04 pm

      I think I will try adding more beef broth to make more of the yummy gravy. 😋

      Reply
  4. Kara says

    March 10, 2022 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    My mom and I are eating this right now and it’s absolutely delicious! I used chicken stock since I keep it and it was fine! Cooked mine on 400 for 45 minutes and it was perfect! Will definitely be making again!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 10, 2022 at 1:42 pm

      I am happy that you liked it Kara! N x

      Reply
  5. Jo N says

    March 4, 2022 at 6:45 am

    4 stars
    Super easy and yummy! My gravy came out salty which was good with mash and the chicken, next time I would probably reduce the salt a bit.

    Reply
  6. Christina says

    February 8, 2022 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was a hit! My whole family enjoyed it! It was so easy to make. It cooked in 45 minutes at 400°f and came out delicious and moist. I’ll definitely be making this again without a doubt. Thank you so much for this awesome oven baked chicken recipe!!

    Reply
  7. Neil Vande Pol says

    February 6, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    Made this one tonight. Dinner table was quiet. Plates were cleaned. Simple and Savoury. Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  8. kazy says

    February 6, 2022 at 10:02 am

    Great recipe. Definitely a keeper. I increased the chicken quantities for a serving of 6. I used just thighs, not drumsticks. I did reduce the amount of thyme seasoning because it’s such a powerful and distinct flavor it can drown out the rest of the other seasonings. I watched the video and when you cut into the thigh, it looked a bit dry. I thought 50 minutes was way too long, even for thighs so I baked it the way I always bake bone-skin skin-on thighs, for 35 minutes and it came out perfectly moist and tender and succulent. I also made your buttery rice to go with it and it was a perfect pairing. Amazing. I was in heaven chowing down on this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  9. amrhat says

    February 3, 2022 at 4:48 am

    Need some help with proportions! Want to serve this for 4 adults and 5 young kids, drumsticks only. How many lbs should I make? Should I adjust temp or cook time at all? In the US, if that makes a difference

    Reply
  10. Angel Rabon says

    January 31, 2022 at 5:21 pm

    5 stars
    My family and I really enjoyed this recipe!! I did a few tweaks such as using unsalted veggie stock fortified with “Better than Bouillon” low sodium beef paste, decreased the amount of salt in the rub by half due to dietary restricts some in the household have and placed parchment paper on the bottom of the roaster….. I should also add that for this first run, I cooked 10+ pounds of thighs and drumsticks (it’s a big family with big appetites!). Thank you for the fabulous recipe!!! ❤️

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 1, 2022 at 10:16 am

      Hi Angel – it’s a great recipe for big groups! We did a version of this for my mum’s holiday party this year! It’s a winner! N x

      Reply
  11. Carly Perez says

    January 31, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    5 stars
    This is a keeper!! This was so easy and yummy. Good thing I doubled it. So fun to have the gravy made with it.

    Reply
  12. Barb says

    January 31, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    My husband is a gravy fanatic so this recipe is my life saver! Quick, easy and so delicious. I’ve used thighs, legs and even a whole chicken cut up – works every time perfectly.

    Reply
  13. Lisa says

    January 28, 2022 at 5:38 am

    I’ve made this recipe a few times and love it but just one quick question! What temperature should the chicken be?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 28, 2022 at 4:22 pm

      Hi Lisa – I do it to an internal temperature of at least 75C same as my roast chicken but it could be a bit higher in this one as the pieces are smaller. It doesn’t dry out here as it cooks in the gravy! N x

      Reply
  14. Linda says

    January 15, 2022 at 3:42 am

    Can I freeze this dish?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 18, 2022 at 11:42 pm

      HI Linda – yes it will freeze ok. N x

      Reply
  15. Vashti J Dorsey says

    January 12, 2022 at 9:06 am

    5 stars
    This was so easy to follow and the chicken thighs were delicious!

    Reply
  16. Bridget G says

    January 8, 2022 at 1:22 pm

    5 stars
    Use this recipe frequently and is always a hit! I pair with the seasoned rice and it’s perfect for dinners

    Reply
  17. Diane says

    January 4, 2022 at 11:01 am

    This recipe is delicious just as it’s written!!!

    Reply
  18. Dave says

    January 2, 2022 at 9:48 am

    Hey Kim, a lot of your recipes as like this one, just list “paprika” as an ingredient. Readily commercially available are several types of paprika; smoked, hot, sweet etc. which all have unique flavours. Which one do you mean and could you please specify in future recipes please? Love your site. Butter, mushrooms, onion and garlic. The 4 basic food groups 🙂 Dave

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 4, 2022 at 6:21 pm

      Hi Dave..if I list paprika as an ingredient then it is the sweet one. If the recipe needs smoked, hot or sweet smoked paprika then I will specify that. Love those 4 food groups! N x

      Reply
  19. Janet G Gudgel says

    December 29, 2021 at 8:38 am

    My mother made a smothered chicken with rosemary she found on a match book cover. I think it must have been late sixties or seventies. This looks like this work for the smothered chicken recipe I remember but keep the thighs crispy.

    Reply
  20. Kim says

    December 4, 2021 at 8:35 am

    Hi! I just wondered why you chose to use beef broth instead of chicken broth?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 5, 2021 at 1:33 pm

      Hi Kim – for colour and flavour. N x

      Reply
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