Homestyle Chicken and Gravy

When you need a big ol’ dose of comfort food, look no further!!!!! This Homestyle Chicken and Gravy will feel like a big hug from your loved ones. It is definitely a carbs-on-carbs recipe, but when you need some food lovin’ there is nothing better! Tender shredded chicken is simmered in a flavorful chicken gravy. Serve it up over mashed potatoes and you will be licking the bottom of your bowl!

Another chicken comfort food dish we turn to in the Mom’s Dinner test kitchens is this Creamy Chicken and Noodles. Whoa mama, it’s good!!!

Ingredient Details

This recipe is full of super simple ingredients, nothing complicated here, just straight forward flavors:

Olive Oil – perfect to cook the chicken, or you can use any flavorless oil you like to use in the kitchen. Canola oil is another option.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – You need 2 large or 4 medium/small breasts. If you have really large breasts I recommend splitting them in half lengthwise, giving you 4 thinner breasts. They will cook and shred better.

Salted Butter – This will be the fat that will create your gravy. When it mixes with the all purpose flour it creates a roux that will thicken the gravy perfectly.

Chicken Base – This is used as a secondary fat for the gravy… and a HUGE flavor boost! It is also a salty component of the gravy, which is why you won’t add salt until the end when you taste the Chicken and Gravy.

All Purpose Flour – This will be the thickener for the gravy. It mixes with the fat of the butter and chicken base and makes a roux.

Onion Powder and Garlic Powder – These are the flavors added to the gravy.

Chicken Stock or Broth – Choose a good quality stock or broth, or use homemade chicken stock, to make your gravy super flavorful.

Mashed Potatoes for Serving

You will no doubt want to serve this Chicken and Gravy over mashed potatoes. However some will also serve this over white or brown rice. Totally up to you, we just prefer mashed potatoes here at Mom’s Dinner.

Mashed Potato Short Cut: When you don’t have time to make homemade mashed potatoes use frozen mashed potatoes (Trader Joe’s has great ones that I keep in the freezer for a quick side dish). Or your local grocery store deli should have mashed potatoes.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes: We don’t take our mashed potatoes lightly here! They are so good they don’t even need gravy. But in this case they go perfectly with this Homestyle Chicken and Gravy. Choose one of these recipes:

Tip for Shredding Chicken

After the chicken is cooked in the skillet, you can optionally shred it for serving (like the pictures show). You will want it to be in larger shreds. Pulling the chicken using two forks will work just fine.

But we love to use the stand mixer for shredding chicken! Place the warm chicken breasts in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Run the mixer for about 20 seconds and you will have large pieces of shredded chicken.

Be careful not to run it too long, or the chicken will over shred.

How To Make Chicken and Gravy

1. Season and Cook The Chicken

Lightly season the chicken on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Add oil to a skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken, about 5 minutes per side, until it reaches 165° internal temp.

Remove from the pan and set aside.



2. Make A Roux

Add the butter and chicken base to the now empty skillet. Stir it around the pan to melt. Sprinkle in the flour, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir around the pan for 30 seconds to 1 minute.



3. Whisk Liquid into Gravy

Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the water and whisk the gravy so there are no lumps. Let it simmer and thicken.



4. Add Chicken

Optionally shred the chicken, or keep the breasts whole. Then add the chicken and any collected juices back to the gravy and let it simmer for a couple minutes. Optionally add some heavy cream for a silky and rich gravy.

Taste the gravy at this point and see if it needs more seasoning.



5. Serve Over Mashed Potatoes

Spoon mashed potatoes into a bowl and then ladle the chicken and gravy over top of the mashed potatoes. Garnish with extra black pepper.

It is excellent serve with peas and garlic bread on the side.

Flavor & Consistency Troubleshooting

When you are making gravy you want to make sure you know the different ways to adjust the flavor to your family’s preference! Here are some tips on adjusting:

Too thick? Add a little more liquid; more chicken broth or water will do the trick!

Too thin? Let it simmer a little longer. If it is still too thin, bring the gravy to a simmer, mix 2 teaspoon corn starch with 3 teaspoon water, whisk the mixture into the gravy and that should thicken things up. Repeat as necessary.

Too salty? Add ½ cup water and let it simmer for a minute or two. If you need to thicken it again, see the too thin section.

Needs more flavor? Sprinkle in a little more onion powder and garlic powder. Ground sage and poultry seasoning should wake things up too!

Storing

The Chicken and Gravy will keep in the fridge really well, for up to 4 days. It will definitely congeal in the fridge. But it will return to liquid as soon as it is heated.

You may need to add some liquid when reheating- chicken broth, milk or water will work perfectly.

More Comfort Food Recipes

---