Cheat on chicken gravy

One of my favorite parts of an elaborate holiday meal (usually centered around roast beef or turkey) has always been gravy. Unfortunately, not everyone who serves gravy creates a sauce worth craving. We’ve all had the range of gravy experiences: too salty, too thin, too bland, too thick. And we can also likely recall those memorable meals where the gravy was perfect.

The definition of gravy is as simple as it is to make: thickened, seasoned pan drippings. Another definition of gravy refers to a profit or benefit easily gained - which lines up nicely with the recipe. All you need is what’s left in the roasting pan, and you have the beginnings of great gravy.

There are only a few ingredients in gravy: pan drippings, a thickening agent, liquid and seasonings. The first is a combination of the browned bits (called fond), juices and rendered fat. To collect these, the pan is placed on the stove and deglazed with wine or water. Once the pan has released all the bits and the liquid has incorporated the fat, pour this through a strainer into a measuring cup or fat separator.

The latter resembles a measuring cup with an elongated spout attached at the bottom of the cup. As the contents rest, the fat will rise to the surface, and when you’re ready, the flavorful liquid can be poured from the bottom. If you only have a measuring cup, you can place it in the freezer to solidify the fat. While you’re waiting for this to happen, you can make the roux.

A roux is a cooked thickening base of equal parts butter and flour. You can use the same roasting pan, but I prefer a saucepan - its smaller size allows the heat to be more evenly distributed. Melt the butter, sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly until you have a lovely golden color. This process will prevent the flour from clumping or lumping as you proceed.

Some cooks substitute some or all of the fat from the pan drippings to replace the butter in the roux. I’ve done it both ways and find it depends on the type of fat in question. Chicken is milder than beef, and pork is too strong for my tastes. You may also have less control over the consistency; sometimes solids suspended in the fat can give the gravy a gritty texture.

No matter how you make the roux, the next step is to add the liquids, a combination of the pan drippings and broth (or stock) to thin the mixture to a silky thickness. Finally, taste the gravy to see if it needs any salt, pepper or other seasonings. My father always added Worcestershire sauce to beef gravy and sage to turkey gravy, but your personal taste will dictate these choices.

As you can see, gravy isn’t difficult if you follow these steps, but you can get into trouble if you try shortcuts. For example, if you don’t remove most of the fat after you deglaze the pan, the gravy can have a greasy mouthfeel. If you sprinkle the raw flour directly into the pan without deglazing, your gravy will likely be lumpy.

If your beef or pork tenderloin is quite lean, you’ll not have much in the way of pan drippings to collect. Try pouring about a cup of broth in the bottom of the pan, so the meager drippings don’t burn in the oven. And, the most important tip of all: make enough gravy. A typical rule of thumb is to have at least one-half cup of gravy per person.

What if you want gravy and you don’t have a roast beef or whole chicken on hand? Cheat. I always keep some chicken wings or skin from a chicken breast in my freezer. Throw them into a heavy pan with a splash of water; cover the pan and place it on low heat. Cook for about a half hour to render the fat, and you have the beginnings of delicious gravy - just like you see in the photo.

Gravy

1/2 C pan drippings
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 1/2 C broth
salt & pepper, to taste

To collect the pan drippings, deglaze the roasting pan with 1/2 C water or wine over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Pour the mixture into a measuring cup through a strainer; allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes so the fat will collect at the top.

Alternatively, pour the mixture through a strainer into a fat separator. Discard fat and solids, reserving 1/2 C liquid; set aside. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until the paste is a deep golden color. Pour in pan drippings and broth, whisking to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 3 C.

Cheating Gravy

3 chicken wings*
1/2 C diced onion
1/4 C water
1/2 C white wine
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 1/2 C broth
pinch ground sage
salt & pepper, to taste

Combine chicken wings, onion and water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and place over medium heat. Cook until fat has rendered, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken pieces to a plate; discard or feed the meat to your cats. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 C wine, scraping up any browned bits. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a measuring cup or fat separator; set aside.

In the same pan, melt butter over medium low. Sprinkle in flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until the paste is a deep golden color. Pour in reserved, defatted pan drippings, broth and sage, whisking to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 3 C. *Note: substitute 2/3 C chicken skin.