My perfect gravy without the bird is an amazing hack for making gravy without any drippings, so no need for a turkey or a roast in the oven. With this easy technique you’ll never be left high and dry with not enough gravy for dinner or leftovers. Better make lots, you’re gonna need it!
*This post is in association with Swanson.
no drippings gravy solves an age old problem
What’s your favorite part about Thanksgiving — the gorgeous bird? The ruby red cranberry sauce? The pies? Family time? Wrong. The absolute best part about Thanksgiving is the leftovers. You know what I’m talking about. After all the warm and fuzzy festivities are done, there’s that moment, the next day, in the the peace and quiet of your own kitchen, when it’s just you and your plate of leftovers. Nirvana.
Only problem is, there’s usually something missing…the gravy. There’s never enough leftover gravy to go around and so you get left high and dry. It’s a bummer. But I’ve set out to solve that problem with my friends at Swanson. I’m excited to be partnering with them because Swanson broths and stocks are the only ones I ever buy. They always have my back when I cook and I count on their quality. I think we make a pretty good team, and today we’re tackling that frustrating dilemma of dry leftovers with an easy recipe for Perfect Gravy Without the Bird!
easy gravy recipe can be made on-demand, with pantry staples
We all know that everything is better with gravy, it raises the enjoyment factor of so many dishes, but I hardly ever think to make it because I assume I need a big old piece of meat or poultry roasting away in the oven to get the whole thing started. With Swanson chicken broth and this incredibly simple method you can have gravy on demand — instant gravy gratification — whenever you need some thick, warm gravy love. Imagine the possibilities — gravy on a Tuesday night, gravy on a rotisserie chicken — let me put it this way, you’ll never have to suffer through inadequate gravy syndrome again. You can thank me later, right now, get to your kitchen, Thanksgiving’s just around the corner!
a simple 3-ingredient, all natural recipe turns out fantastic gravy
One of the best things about this method is that there are no artificial ingredients or flavor ‘enhancers’ like you find in bottled gravies and powdered mixes. The secret is Swanson premium broth, a little bit of butter, and an ingredient you may not have heard about before, but it’s sitting right there in your cupboard. Read on…
the ingredient that turns broth or stock, and a bit of butter in to a rich thick gravy is browned flour
I know, I’d never heard of it either, but it’s amazing stuff. To make it you put plain white flour in a heavy skillet and cook in a hot oven for somewhere between 40-50 minutes. You stir every so often and eventually the snowy white flour starts to turn a nutty brown. You can actually store this stuff, after it’s cooled, in a jar and use it to make everyday gravy all year round.
browned flour = deep rich flavor
You use it just like any regular flour when you are making a roux to create and thicken sauces or gravies. But because the flour has been toasted it becomes an instant deep rich brown when you add it to the melted butter. Slowly pour in your Swanson chicken broth or stock and voila — gravy — good gravy! (I wonder if that’s where the phrase comes from?) The browned flour colors, flavors, and thickens the broth and you get a quick wholesome, gravy without any of the scary ingredients that go into the bottles or envelopes. I didn’t even add salt or pepper to this, I didn’t think it needed it.
With this little jar of magical browned flour and my stash of Swanson I’m going to be upping the comfort factor of my meals all winter long. In fact I’ll use this super flour to thicken all my gravies going forward, whether they’re made with drippings, or not.
other ways to make no drippings gravy
There are all kinds of things you can add to your Swanson broths and stocks to make a fabulous gravy, I asked Jane Freiman, Director of Campbell’s Consumer Test Kitchen about ideas for adding color and flavor to gravy without the drippings, and she suggests caramelizing shallots, or shallots and mushrooms, for color and a rich flavor. This means simply cooking them long and slow so their natural sugars ‘caramelize’, and they turn a rich flavorful brown. If you do that you can either puree the gravy, strain out the solids, or serve it as is, depending on what texture you prefer.
I even polled my facebook friends (I hope you’re following along!) about their ideas for making great gravy without the bird and they came up with all kinds of creative ideas. Here are a few of my favorite add-ins:
- wine, red or white
- fresh herbs, especially thyme and sage
- dried mushrooms ground to a powder and dissolved in the gravy
- some like to enrich the broth with roasted veggies like onion, celery, fennel and carrot
- other readers like to add a touch of heavy cream or even sour cream to give the gravy a rich finish
- more heavy flavor hitters include soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, dry vermouth or sherry
- And of course there’s always the good old fashioned bouillon cube
When it comes time to dole out my leftovers I like to layer them in large mason jars so everybody can have their own personal mini feast the next day. Stuffing and mashed potatoes can be re-moistened with broth to bring them back to life before packaging. And don’t forget the gravy!
more holiday meal inspo
- How to Make an Epic Winter Cheese Board
- How to Roast a Turkey Breast (and make gravy)
- Butter Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Favorite Green Bean Casserole
- Crock Pot Cranberry Butter
- Cranberry Gingersnap Pie
- Review of Libby’s ‘New Fashioned’ Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Cider and Sage Gravy
Be sure to leave me YOUR gravy making secrets in the comments — I’d love to collect as many ideas as we can here. I’m getting hungry, how about you?
Perfect Gravy Without the Bird
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp browned flour, instructions below
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups chicken stock, or broth
- salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to 400°F.
To make the browned flour
- Put the flour in a shallow pan or skillet, I used my 10" cast iron skillet. Put the skillet in the oven and toast the flour for about 40-50 minutes, stirring every 5-7 minutes or so, until the flour turns a nutty brown. You can put it in a jar after it's cooled and it will keep for a couple of months in the cupboard.
To make the gravy
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy skillet or pan, and add the browned flour to it, stirring until combined. Continue stirring for a minute and then slowly add the broth to the pan, stirring or whisking as you go.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer, stirring constantly. Taste and add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
- If you would like your gravy even thicker, you can whisk in some Wondra flour.
Notes
- This perfect gravy without the bird can be adapted for vegetarians, just use vegetable stock or broth.
- Use plain flour for a paler gravy.
- Confused about stock versus broth? Stocks are a little bit richer than broths, but with limited seasonings, so the flavor profile is pure and the cook has complete control over flavor. When I want a stronger flavor, I use stock. I use broth when I am making soups, and it’s a perfect choice as a water replacement when cooking rice, couscous, and other grains. The flavor will infuse into the grains without overpowering.
I toasted mine per your recipe for 30 minutes. It is the same color as your pictures, but I think it has an almost burnt flavor. I’m afraid to use it and waste more ingredients if it ends up tasting burnt. It doesn’t look burnt. Looks like yours.
The brown color indicates the building of that toasty flavor Doris, it won’t taste burnt, just toasted.
Sue, my grandmother always browned her flour in the oven on a sheet pan and also seasoned it with salt and pepper while browning. It was heart warming to see this method on your blog. You are a great cook! Thanks for sharing this recipe, it works.
Hello,
How much flour is used to make the toasted flour?
Best Regards,
Roger K. Klein
Roger – I don’t think it matters… You use about 4 TBS per the recipe, but I just toasted about 2 cups and stored the rest for future use.
Thanks so much! I wondered the same thing.
Stock is made from bones. ( preferably oven browned to a glossy, brown, yummy , fragrant finish). Then added to water and vegetables, brought to a boil, then simmered for hours. Restaurants simmer this glorious fragrant liquid gold overnight. I used to love coming in at 6am to that wonderful aroma. ( I was the pastry chef)
Broth is made with meat, water and vegetables. Brought to a boil, and simmered for hours. It’s yummy, but not as rich as real stock.
I was first introduced to browned flour as a young mother when my husband was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma in the early sixties.( A long time ago!) It works great to clear up diaper rash. Yep…diaper rash. Seems the Pioneer women in the 1800s knew a thing or two.
haha, another commenter mentioned the diaper rash! Thanks for the info Etta!
I have gluten intolerant guests. Will this work using GF flour substitute? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, Dani, so I don’t know if a gf flour or baking mix would work, sorry!