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…😖
Mitali S. says
Just made this for dinner tonight with a side of mashed cauli and it was DELICIOUS. I strayed from the recipe a bit and used seasoning that you’d use for fried chicken and it came out sooo good. I also used chicken broth (not beef) and the gravy came out perfectly. The only thing I’d do differently next time is maybe cut back on the salt because it was more salty than I would’ve liked. But overall, it was super easy to throw together and tasted amazing. Thank you for another great recipe, Nagi!!
Nagi says
That’s great Mitali! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it! N x
Jacinta Bayliss says
Hi Nagi,
This is one of my favourites of yours. Not due to my choice, I am gluten free and have fructose malabsorption. (No onion and garlic for me now!) I used my gluten free plain flour (I like White wings the best) and my low fodmap onion substitute powder. (I get this posted to me from Melbourne) Absolutely next level. You are my only go to for recipes.
Nagi says
I am happy that you are able to enjoy this one Jacinta! It must be difficult to find recipes that suit you so I am glad I could help! N x
Maria Guballa says
Hello Nagi,
This is insanely delightful! My family loves it…
Nagi says
Woo hoo!! I am happy that they like it Maria! N x
Maria Guballa says
Hello Nagi,
This is insanely delightful! My family loves it… I just added garlic powder in the seasoning and it’s heaven!
Melissa says
Love love love this recipe. Just added some garlic powder and added the same seasonings to my broth but this was a great easy recipe!!
Nagi says
That’s great Melissa!! I am happy you liked it! N x
Ets says
I mixed my gravy with warm water so it turned out thick. Will it still turn out okay?
Anya says
We already know you are a genius Nagi but the amount of flavour in this is insane for the minimum effort. Loved it
Nagi says
I am so glad you enjoyed them Anya!! N x
Doniesha Conley-Smith says
I’m cooking this recipe right now and it smells so good I can’t wait for my family to enjoy it!!!
Nagi says
It does smell great Doniesha! I hope you enjoy it!! N x
Angela says
I don’t like following recipes usually but this one is perfected. Of course spicing is up to each individual but most can figure that out. It really makes cooking more relaxing as you can depend on it turning out each time! Thanks for sharing & simplifying it too.
Nagi says
I am happy that you liked it Angela!! N x
Marbleless says
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!
Nagi says
I am happy you enjoyed it Marbleless!! N x
Aisha says
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?
Sharon Klopf says
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. 😋
Sharon Klopf says
I think I will try adding more beef broth to make more of the yummy gravy. 😋
Nagi says
I am happy you liked it Sharon! N x
Kara says
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!!
Nagi says
I am happy that you liked it Kara! N x
Jo N says
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.
Christina says
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!!
Neil Vande Pol says
Made this one tonight. Dinner table was quiet. Plates were cleaned. Simple and Savoury. Thanks Nagi!
kazy says
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.
amrhat says
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
Angel Rabon says
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!!! ❤️
Nagi says
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
Carly Perez says
This is a keeper!! This was so easy and yummy. Good thing I doubled it. So fun to have the gravy made with it.