Classic Roast Chicken Gravy Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour fat from drippings into a bowl and reserve. Whisk flour into remaining drippings left in pan; mixture will seem dry. Add 2 tablespoons reserved fat, or as needed, to the drippings mixture to combine with flour.
• Place pan of drippings mixture over low heat and toast flour until light brown and mixture gives off a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle about 1/3 cup cold chicken stock at a time into pan drippings, whisking each addition of stock into mixture until thoroughly combined. Continue whisking, scraping any browned pan drippings from the bottom of the pan into gravy; bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until gravy is thick and flour has combined with the liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Adjust thickness of gravy; if too thick, whisk in a little more stock. If gravy is too thin, continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until reduced and thickened, about 10 more minutes. For the smoothest texture, strain gravy before serving.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels, and let sit at room temperature to take the chill off, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees F. Put a rack in a small roasting pan.
• Season the cavity of the chicken generously with salt and pepper, and stuff it with the thyme and garlic. Tie the legs together with butcher's twine. Season the outside with salt (generously) and a few grinds of pepper, and place the chicken breast-side up on the rack. (Seasoning the chicken when on the rack could result in gravy that's too salty.)
• Roast the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy and a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh registers 165 to 170 degrees F, depending on how you like your dark meat, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let the chicken rest on the rack for a few minutes, then carefully tip it forward to drain all the collected juices into the roasting pan. Discard the thyme and garlic. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board while you make the gravy. (To transfer the chicken easily, hold a wooden spoon handle in the cavity with one hand and use the other hand to lift the chicken with tongs.)
• Remove the rack from the pan, and pour the pan drippings into a small bowl. Skim off 2 tablespoons of the fat, and stir them into the flour and 2 tablespoons water in another small bowl. Heat the roasting pan over medium-high heat, add the wine, scrape up any browned bits and simmer until the wine reduces by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and any remaining pan drippings, bring to a simmer, add the flour mixture and whisk constantly until the liquid thickens into a gravy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper.
• Remove the butcher's twine from the chicken. Snip off the wingtips using kitchen shears; reserve to make stock. Remove the leg quarters by slicing between the thigh and the body, then finding the hip joints near the backbone and slicing through them. Separate the drumsticks and thighs, and transfer to a platter. Sit the carcass upright; snip out the backbone and reserve it to make stock. Lay the breast skin-side up and slice in half through the breastbone. Separate the wings and breast, and transfer to the platter. Serve the chicken with the warm gravy. Reserve the carcass to make stock.

GINA'S PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Lay onion slices down the center of a large cast iron skillet to create 2 rows that are touching.
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add lemon slices, thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic cloves.
• Using your hands, gently separate the skin from the meat of the breast. Evenly spread the Herb Butter on the meat underneath the skin. Take the remaining butter and gently rub the skin. Wash hands and season the skin with salt and pepper. Tie drumsticks together using twine. Place the chicken on the onion slices.
• Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the thighs have reached 165 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the oven. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest.
• Spoon off as much fat from the pan as possible. Place the pan over high heat and add white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and let reduce to about half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Strain out the onions. Add the gravy back to the pan and keep warm.
• Cut the twine from the drumsticks and carve. Pour the gravy into a serving bowl and serve with the chicken.
• In a small bowl, add the butter, chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage. Season with salt and pepper and mix together with a wooden spoon. Reserve.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.
• Remove all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.
• Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

CLASSIC ROAST CHICKEN AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck, if present, from chicken; rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels.
• Place onion and garlic in cavity; squeeze juice from lemon and set aside; add lemon to cavity.
• Tie legs together with kitchen string; tuck wings under back; brush all over with oil; sprinkle with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; place, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan; roast, uncovered; in 325F (160C) oven for 1 ½ hours.
• Roast, basting occasionally with pan juices, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced and meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 185F (85C), about 1 ½ hours; transfer chicken to platter and tent with foil; let stand for 10 minutes before carving.
• Skim fat from pan juices; sprinkle flour over juices; cook over medium-high heat, whisking, for 1 minute; gradually pour in chicken stock and reserved lemon juice, whisking until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes; pour into warmed gravy boat.
• Cut string holding legs together; discard onion, lemon and garlic; using kitchen scissors, cut chicken into 2 breast and 2 leg portions; cut each breast in half diagonally; cut through each leg at joint to separate into drumsticks and thighs; serve with gravy.