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Home Quick and Easy

Gravy Baked Chicken (thighs & drumsticks) – 5 min prep!

By:Nagi
Published:13 Jul '20Updated:10 May '23
446 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 minutes mins
Cook: 50 minutes mins
Mains
Western
4.98 from 210 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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 @recipe_tin.

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…😖

Dozer sticking his head through dog door winter

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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446 Comments

  1. Eva says

    December 8, 2023 at 2:59 pm

    5 stars
    Simply another stunner of an easy weeknight meal. Better than a takeaway, any night of the week! Just served up with some leftover easy potato bake (Nagi’s recipe too!) and fresh coleslaw. Thank you Nagi 🙂

    Reply
  2. Romona says

    December 1, 2023 at 1:27 pm

    5 stars
    This is always a winner in our house. The children like taking it to school for lunch (when there are any leftovers). So little prep for such a great result

    Reply
  3. Shalini Nestor says

    December 1, 2023 at 11:51 am

    5 stars
    Forever in my top 10 RecipeTin recipes! It’s so easy, so much flavour. Sometimes I use smoked paprika to change it up. So good.

    Reply
  4. Julie says

    November 29, 2023 at 9:04 pm

    5 stars
    Massive hit at our house! This is super easy but huge amount of flavour. Love it.

    Reply
  5. Ellen Tannenbaum says

    November 28, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    Made this tonight, with the seasoned rice recipe. Both are super easy and delicious!

    Reply
    • Eva says

      December 8, 2023 at 4:07 pm

      Been wanting to make the seasoned rice with this dish for a while! Must try it…

      Reply
  6. YJ says

    November 27, 2023 at 7:05 am

    5 stars
    My family is super picky when it comes to gravy and they said it tasted great! thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  7. Stephanie Seifert says

    November 24, 2023 at 3:49 am

    5 stars
    Made this as our little thanksgiving dish as we dont like turkey.. it was a big hit. I must say i was pretty skeptical when I put it in the oven but it came out so so very good! Definitely a recipe I’ll be using over and over!

    Reply
  8. Stephanie says

    November 13, 2023 at 2:15 am

    5 stars
    This was sooooo good! Everyone loved it, and I even made it gluten free without anyone even noticing… 🤫🤭 thank you so much for this delicious recipe!

    Reply
  9. Smita says

    November 9, 2023 at 11:15 pm

    Made this just last night. I had a lot of stuff to do and needed something that I did not have to spend time prepping for, actually cooking or cleaning up after. So I came to Nagi and this dish checked every box including satisfying the hunger of a ravenous teenage soccer player. Being convinced of the awesomeness of this recipe, I sent it to my older child who is in college and is always on the lookout for things that are filling, can be made in large quantities, use everyday ingredients and don’t consume a lot of time to make. I also sent him a picture of my completed dish so he could see it could be done… and he is very excited.

    Reply
    • Wendy says

      November 29, 2023 at 3:54 am

      I love this comment Smita. I too send Nagi’s cheap (it’s a compliment for sure, she’s looking our for us), simple and can feed a crowd recipes to my son at college. Just sent him the Thai Turmeric Chicken because I know he has all those ingredients as well (because I sent them with him when he moved into his apt. lol.)

      Reply
  10. Vicky Alford says

    November 3, 2023 at 12:53 am

    Made this twice now in 2 weeks after finally giving this a go! My kids LOVE it and I have also added red wine to the gravy mixture this 2nd time which is lovely. I do find the flour is very lumpy in the mixture before putting it with the chicken so I sieve it first then put it with the chicken to be cooked. We had lazy sides of chips and peas but nothing was left each time. Five stars!!!

    Reply
  11. Rosa says

    September 27, 2023 at 9:44 am

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe! I added a layer of carrots, potatoes and onions under the chicken thigh. My husband was very impressed. Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  12. HB says

    September 20, 2023 at 12:52 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely incredible. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  13. Katie says

    August 16, 2023 at 5:09 pm

    5 stars
    I made a double batch so I would have enough for tomorrow’s dinner. Unfortunately it is so good that my sons scoffed the entire lot. LOL.

    I made it with the seasoned rice which btw if anyone wants to try using their rice cooker it came out perfect in mine! Just threw all the ingredients in with the raw rice and water.

    Best zero effort recipe ever, thank you Nagi! xx

    Reply
  14. Rebecca Preston says

    August 9, 2023 at 8:40 am

    Huge hit with my partner. Gravely was a bit thin so I thickened it in a sauce pan. Chicken perfect, nice and crisp. Served with seasoned wedges that baked in the same oven temp and time. Easy, hearty family meal.

    Reply
  15. Janine says

    July 30, 2023 at 3:18 am

    5 stars
    This has been on my radar for a while and I finally made it. It was delicious – and so easy! Easy enough to tackle on a Friday evening after a long week and workday. Gravy (which I doubled so that we could have enough for rice also) was flavorful and smooth with no effort! Chicken was cooked perfectly at 50 min. I would have liked the skin to have been crispier but it was good. I would have finished under broiler if I had used a broiler-safe pan. Accompaniments I made were the buttery herbed rice from this website and fresh garden zucchini. This recipe is a winner!

    Reply
  16. Tracy says

    July 28, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe – easy to make and absolutely delicious! The gravy is amazing. Thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Mick says

      August 29, 2023 at 1:55 pm

      5 stars
      I couldn’t agree more. This was the best gravy I ever made and so easy. Will definitely make again.

      Reply
  17. Debby says

    July 21, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and added carrot and potatoes to make a one dish meal. Had to cover with foil the last 30 minutes bc the potatoes weren’t done. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the gravy was excellent. I will be making this again.

    Reply
  18. Ed Wallace says

    June 19, 2023 at 5:08 am

    5 stars
    I`ve made this multiple times now. VERY, VERY GOOD.

    I`ve been skipping the dry rub and just use some salt and pepper.

    Some peeled and sliced potatoes go on one side of the baking dish. I just mash them some with a fork and drown them in the gravy.

    Give Dozer a scratch behind the ear for me.

    Reply
  19. Kaye says

    June 13, 2023 at 9:27 am

    5 stars
    Nagi this is amazing I am not a roast chicken fan but this won me over big time did exactly to the recipe did it with your roasted Mediterranean veggies next time I might sit chicken on a bed of sliced onion love love love your recipes always a success

    Reply
  20. Cheryl says

    May 18, 2023 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    This was sensational. So easy and so much flavour.

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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