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;
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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…😖
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!
I am happy you enjoyed it Marbleless!! N x
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?
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. 😋
I am happy you liked it Sharon! N x
I think I will try adding more beef broth to make more of the yummy gravy. 😋
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!!
I am happy that you liked it Kara! N x
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.
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!!
Made this one tonight. Dinner table was quiet. Plates were cleaned. Simple and Savoury. Thanks Nagi!
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.
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
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!!! ❤️
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
This is a keeper!! This was so easy and yummy. Good thing I doubled it. So fun to have the gravy made with it.
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.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and love it but just one quick question! What temperature should the chicken be?
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
Can I freeze this dish?
HI Linda – yes it will freeze ok. N x
This was so easy to follow and the chicken thighs were delicious!
Use this recipe frequently and is always a hit! I pair with the seasoned rice and it’s perfect for dinners
This recipe is delicious just as it’s written!!!
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
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
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.
Hi! I just wondered why you chose to use beef broth instead of chicken broth?
Hi Kim – for colour and flavour. N x