I know it may seem a little weird to make a post about gravy… but seriously… this gravy is good! It’s also versatile… it’s great on biscuits, mashed potatoes, chicken tenders, chicken fried steak… whatever your heart desires 🙂 No need to use any of those gravy packets from the store, no no no… this tastes way better, and takes hardly any time at all to whip up!
Just 3 ingredients (I don’t count salt and pepper) is all it takes to make the thickest, creamiest, smoothest, most delicious white gravy. 3 ingredients. And they’re staple ingredients… butter, flour, and milk. I’d be willing to bet that you have those in your kitchen right now 🙂
What’s your favorite thing to have gravy on? For me, it’s a toss up between mashed potatoes and chicken… specifically fried chicken. I know… certainly not the healthiest of foods lol (this is why I am the “chunky” chef). But there is something about that crispy breading, tender juicy chicken, and the creamy, peppery gravy just coating the chicken…… ohhhhh emmmm geeeee I’m hungry now!
So it should be no surprise to you that in this post I’ll also be sharing my go-to recipe for fried chicken tenders, however don’t let that stop you from serving this gravy over anything you’d like 🙂 My apologies for the lack of cooking pictures for this recipe… I was frying multiple things and got carried away and forgot to photograph what I was doing lol. Although, this gravy is pretty self explanatory.
Here’s how to make this amazing gravy…. Melt your butter in a pan, once it’s fully melted, add your flour. Whisk the flour into the melted butter… it will clump and look like wet sand. That’s what it’s supposed to look like, and it’s what will thicken your gravy. Let it cook for about 30 seconds to a minute, then slowly pour in your milk, whisking while you pour. Continue to whisk until all the clumps have disappeared into the milk. Let it cook another minute or so, stirring frequently and watch as milk is transformed into a thick gravy 🙂 At this point you can add your salt and pepper, to taste. Go as peppery as you like. I knew the kiddos would be eating this too, so I went a little light and added about 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of pepper, and then my husband and I added our own pepper at the table.
Just look at how thick and creamy that gravy looks 🙂 I served it up with my crispy fried chicken fingers, which I’ll share here with you… although please don’t judge the pictures… I was more concerned with eating and didn’t get to take good pictures of the food lol.
I get a little excited about food 🙂
Soaking the chicken tenders in buttermilk before breading them is what really makes these juicy and tender, not dried out at all. All I had on hand was chicken breasts, instead of chicken tenders, so I just sliced the breasts into strips… voila! Chicken tenders 🙂
Toss the chicken into a bowl with the buttermilk and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes or so. While they’re soaking, go ahead and heat up your oil in a large, deep skillet. I went with vegetable oil, although peanut oil would have been my preferred choice. Add flour and your seasonings to to a dish and stir to combine them well. Stir in some buttermilk as well, just a few drops at a time, stirring to mix it in well. It will look like little clumps in the flour. That’s a good thing 🙂 Roll and press the chicken into the flour, coating it well, then fry them in the oil for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and deliciously crunchy!
To keep the chicken crunchy and not soggy, drain the chicken on a paper towel, then place them onto a wire cooling rack while you cook the remaining chicken. This allows for air to circulate the chicken, so you don’t end up with soggy chicken breading… no one likes that! Now just enjoy some comfort food 😀
Clearly not the best photographs, but hopefully you can still see how crunchy they look 🙂
If you’d rather have a healthier version of chicken, try my Parmesan Chicken Nuggets, or Heroin Chicken Tenders 🙂
Gravy recipe adapted from Cooking with Honey Coconuts
This recipe will be linking up at the parties on my Link Parties page… be sure to check them out!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk plus 1-2 optional tablespoons (depending on your preference of thicker or thinner gravy)
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- In small saucepan, melt butter.
- Once butter is melted, add the flour and whisk. It will look like the consistency of wet sand.
- Slowly add the milk, and whisk to incorporate. Whisk until smooth.
- Gravy will thicken, add in the additional milk if you want a thinner gravy.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into strips
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper
- Oil for frying (vegetable peanut, etc)
Instructions
- Heat frying oil in a large deep skillet to about 350 degrees.
- Place sliced chicken in a large bowl, pour buttermilk over, toss and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- Combine flour and seasonings in a shallow bowl or dish. Drizzle some additional buttermilk into the flour mixture, tossing together with a fork. Crumbles will form, the more crumbles the better.
- Roll and press the chicken into the flour mixture, coating thoroughly.
- Add a couple chicken tenders to the hot oil, being sure not to overcrowd the skillet.
- Fry about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Use a strainer to remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Then place chicken on a wire cooling rack to allow for air circulation and ensure a crispy outside crust.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Irene says
I knew how to make gravy you helped me make sure it came out right
Angela says
So delicious and easy!! We even threw in small pieces of sausage! Definitely making again!!
Dorothy Brown says
I am going to try the white gravy today having chicken fry steak ,peas,mash potatoes.
Jacy says
Ashamed to admit I’ve never made gravy from scratch, so as a newbie I’m very happy to have found this post! Gravy was delicious. Thanks Amanda!
BRIAN says
3 ingredients, eh? Let’s see …… butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper. hmmm……
Amanda says
Generally, in the culinary world, salt and pepper aren’t considered in the ingredient count, since you’d already have that on hand.
Stephany says
This was the best gravy I have ever had no matter if it’s a HAND-ME-DOWN or not the thought of it is what counts! These mean people that say mean things on the comments must not have kids. I do appreciate your time Amanda for sharing your recipes! I will continue to use yours have a blessed day 🤠😇
Stephany says
Love this gravy!
Tony says
what a jerk. find your own recipes. why do people have to be a**holes
Jon L. says
Gravy was perfect! So easy! first time ever making white gravy from scratch. Put it on country fried steaks.
Petra Tijerina says
I tried it on chicken fried steak it was delicious. Had some lumps but I was still happy with the results. Thanks for a great & easy recipe!
Karen says
Yum! So easy. Thank you for sharing.
Gaby says
So good!
Old Guy can cook says
I like simplicity. Can manipulate the ingredients to suit taste. But then I always do.
Fug Off says
holy sh*t what a garbage site. JUST LIST THE INGREDIENTS! NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR FAMILY or YOUR RAMBLINGS
Amanda says
Well, those ramblings are what caused Google to index the site so you could find your way here. I guess you missed the “jump to recipe” button that’s right there when you open the page, or maybe your poor fingers are too sore from having to scroll for 2 seconds to get to the 100% FREE recipe I spent plenty of time and money to provide you with. Entitlement and ungratefulness aren’t a good look.
C. Arbon says
As rude as that comment was it was kinda funny….admit it, at one time or other you’ve probably thought the same thing a time or two when you were looking for a recipe!!!
Amanda says
I haven’t actually, as I completely respect the time and effort it took to get me that free recipe 🙂
Old Guy can cook says
So sad, If you can’t say something good, say nothing at all. Life’s to short to have a bad outlook, which is obvious.
Jerri says
This gravy was very excellent. It would be great on anything that calls for cream gravy, But, my MIL taught me to make the gravy for chicken stips out of the fat skimmed out of the frying pan and then it tastes like nothing else belongs on the strips. The skimmed fat imparts a bit of toasty breading and chicken flavor that is devine. She also says that if the gravy get too thick, add a bit of cold water, not more milk.
April Carbone says
Great gravy recipe it’s going to be one of my go to recipe.
Nick H. says
Super easy and tasty! Thank you.
Chi says
Thank you, Chunky Chef, for this easy-to-make and yet super satisfying white gravy recipe!
To make it vegan, I swap out regular milk for oat milk, and butter for vegan butter. I also add a pinch of sugar. It’s so good. (The winning combination is Oatly oat milk and Miyoko’s vegan butter.)
zach says
If you use bread flour in your chicken tenders it will make them extra fluffy and crispy like at a fried chicken restaurant thanks for the gravy recipe 🙂
Stacy says
soo easy to make this gravy, NEVER buying packets again!!!