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
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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!
This gravy is super easy to make and is absolutely delicious! I’ll have Thanksgiving turkey with this gravy from now on! 😋
What!? Gravy intimidates me – for some reason it never works and always turns into a lumpy mess – but THIS recipe was so easy and worked perfectly just as written! Plus it was so delicious my husband was eating it by itself. I can’t believe it but I think this gravy may have been my favorite part of Thanksgiving this year! Your recipe altered my self esteem for the better and may have changed my husband’s opinion of my cooking ability LOL
This was soooo quick and really awesome! I was so surprised!
This gravy turned out very well. Many thanks for all your work.
I did this recipe and i have a few corrections for my taste. I use Knorr cubes and with half of each it’s more than enough to have a super intense flavor,
The other thing is something this recipe don’t explain well: When putting the butter and the flour in the saucepan, you need to stir permanently for a very long time if you want your gravy with that rich dark brown colour. The “roux” has different stages and it takes a long time to brown. I stirred it for about 15 minutes to have a nice colour but according other recipes for the roux, it takes about 30 minutes to reach a nice dark brown without being way to dark.
So, half the bullion cubes, more patience and time with the roux and it’s perfect!
We had a rolled Turkey roast last night and I made this gravy which was fantastic.
The best gravy I ever made. I used 2 tsp of beef bouillon and 2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon Chicken flavor to the boiling water. Turned out fantastic! Thank you. Will be making the recipe for thanksgiving dinner.
Love this recipe! So simple with excellent flavor! Make it all the time
I made this gravy tonight and there was too much butter in it (as per recipe quantity). Not much of a beefy flavour either. Dont think I’d make this again.
Great and simple gravy.
This is delicious! I just made it for the second time and I’m completely sold. I added a heap of cracked pepper to this one to have with our steak tonight and it’s so good. I found that adding 3/4 tsp salt was perfect for the right flavour. Thanks Nagi!!!
Where am I going wrong 😩 2 attempts and it’s no where near as dark and lumpy both times!
Would using UK stick cubes make a difference?
Just wondering what would happen if you did not add in the butter please?
Made this with the Better than Bullion concentrates and it came out amazing!
Please clarify the amount of water added to the stock cubes
I made this and it was so good and hearty. I used it for a diy KFC famous bowl. The recipe makes a big quantity so I just froze the rest in ice block tray to have on hand. Can confirm they freeze and defrost very well.
Yep, KFC gravy! Thank you so much, this instantly turns a hot supermarket cooked chicken into a delicious meal!
I have no idea why someone would want to make “KFC” gravy, but yes – using flour will thicken your gravy, and using bullion cubes (not the ones recommended here) will add richness. Reduce your stock, blah blah blah….
i know this reciept work very ccan use the skin off of the chicken crispy vey good instead of usiing the cubs of chicken gives it very good favor
I made this for the first time yesterday. Reading the recipe, I felt that Sixty grams of butter seemed way too much., but I dutifully weighed it out and followed the rest of the recipe.
Unfortunately it was not a huge success – way (WAY) too much butter. I.ve now just weighed a tablespoon of butter and it weighs 10g, not 15g as the recipe suggests.
From all the good reviews, I can only assume that most people measure the 4 tbs of butter instead of weighing it.
I would ask the author to correct the ingredient list to show 40 grams of butter, and who knows – maybe I’ll try it again someday.