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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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!
Nagi,
Being after Thanksgiving Day, I found myself left with a pile of garlic mashed potatoes ((I LOVE good mashed taters!) with no gravy. It was terrifying!
I had no packaged gravy, so I looked online and found your techie (thank God!). It sounded easy enough, though I didn’t have much hope it would be as good as I needed for my taters, so I decided to make it.
I decided to use 2 cubes each flavor, chicken and beef (4 total) and followed your instructions. I used garlic powder. At the end, I added a couple of shakes of Rosemary and let it sit after storing it in.
This turned out amazingly and absolutely great! Nice and thick and tasting every bit as good as you said it would!
Thanks a bunch!
Clark
PS :With 4 cubes rather than 2, it turned out a bit salty, so next time I’m gonna leave out the added salt.
Nagi, you are an amazing cook….I’m sure you are too in person…I loved your Gravy recipe… so simple, easy, fast and the yummiest….I am keeping this recipe.
Thank you.
So easy and delicious. However, I recommend getting chicken cubes worth lower sodium to cut down the salt.
Have made many times. Excellent!
Great gravy. Added gochugaru for some back end heat. Outstanding.
Delicious gravy! I’m making a double batch now for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It really does taste like KFC gravy but a million times better. Also I like that I can control how much salt to use. Thank you for sharing. Will be making this often. And for Thanksgiving Cornish hens.
What brand of powder do you use? I ask because mine says 1 tsp = 1 cube = 1 cup broth, yet you say to substitute with 2 tsp powder.
I see now that you use “Continental,” which also says that 1 tsp = 1 cup, which is the same as 1 cube, so why do you use 2 tsp?
Good recipe but suggest adding a generous amount of white and black ground pepper to taste more like KFC.
Can I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base and Roasted Chicken Base in place of the beef and chicken stock cubes and powders? 1 teaspoon of the paste = 8 oz liquid
This gravy was DELICIOUS!! It is better than KFC!! I will never use a packet or jar again!!
This taste like utter garbage! If you enjoy a mouth full of onion then this is the dish for you. I immediately thew it out. With the cost of groceries, I was angry that I spent good money on such a horrible recipe! The person who developed this recipe must have the same taste buds as Jeffrey Dahmer.
Hi Dee,
Nagi has been kind and generous to offer us her wonderful talent for free. You could be gracious in your dissent.
Have you considered the possibility that you just might have gotten something wrong on your end?
Even in these high cost-of-living times, a couple bouillon cubes, 4 spoons of flour and a bit of butter isn’t the end of the world.
Here’s a tip … read through the comment section before attempting any recipe. You will pick up tips from others on where they got things wrong. Oh, here’s another … the onus is on you to keep an eye on your cooking. Taste as you go along and make adjustments, if needs be.
Also … Jeffrey Dahmer? Really?
Don’t be a keyboard warrior. Do better, please.
So tasty and easy – tastes exactly like KFC gravy!
Missed the mark for me. Followed the directions and ended up with overcooked chicken and underdone rice. Very bland overall and the amount of paprika overwhelmed the dish.
Made exactly as detailed, perfect gravy in 5 minutes!
Hi
I only have chicken bouillon cubes, not beef. Will that work???
Awesome recipe!! I used 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and bouillon powder (both flavors), with great results. Thank you for a great recipe. 🙂
Awesomeness 👌
Kitchen Bouquet is what I use yo make my brown gravy from scratch brown. I’m ‘old school’.
Hello from the great State of Montana, USA! I am a HUGE follower of Jenn at Carlsbad Cravings for years & while looking up a recipe saw that you had commented on one of her recipes & followers raved back at how awesome your site was. I’ve now discovered your blog & amazing recipes, WOW JUST WOW. Made this gravy to go with some Costco rotisserie chicken. Delicious, simple & easy. Can’t wait to dive into your recipes, Such a broad range of cuisine and so many curries, my favorite (YAY!)
I used to work at a macormicks . I signed secrecy . But it was my job to make flavourings in the blending department.here goes . Gravey . Salt pepper msg rendered chicken fat and corn flour . You end up with a powder you just add water too .