This small-batch quick and easy gravy recipe can be made in about 5 minutes with just 4 ingredients.
Last year, I published a post on How To Make Gravy from Drippings that you guys really seemed to love. So this year, as gravy season rolls around, I wanted to give you an alternative gravy recipe for those times you don’t have any meat drippings on hand.
This gravy’s not going to have the meaty, smokey flavor you get from using meat drippings, but it’s a great, creamy gravy that will absolutely satisfy your gravy cravings.
The Quickest Gravy
This gravy recipe’s made with a basic roux of flour and butter and a little milk and chicken broth (or water). It will take you all of 5 minutes to make, so if you realize your mashed potatoes seem a little dry or your rotisserie chicken could use a little richness, this recipe has your back.
As written, this recipe will make a little less than a cup of gravy, enough for 2-3 medium servings, but it doubles or triples with no recipe changes except a slightly longer cooking time for the gravy to thicken.
How to Make Gravy From Scratch
- Start by melting butter in a medium skillet.
- Add flour and whisk until flour starts to turn golden. This step cooks out the raw flour taste from your gravy. If you ever make something with a roux base and the finished product tastes like flour to you, it probably didn’t cook quite long enough at this step.
- Finally, add milk and chicken broth or water, whisking constantly so no lumps form, and cook until mixture begins to thicken, about 3 to 6 minutes. Add optional garlic and generously salt and pepper to taste.
And done, time to spoon over something delicious like Mashed Potatoes , Roasted Chicken , or Biscuits.
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) butter
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 15g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 3/4 cup milk any percentage*
- ▢ 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until flour starts to turn golden.
- Whisk in milk and broth, beating out any lumps as they form. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and thickens to the consistency of thin gravy (mixture will thicken further as it cools), 3 to 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, biscuits, or meat, and enjoy!
Notes
Crispy Roasted Red Potatoes are an essential side-dish recipe to have in your arsenal. Everyone loves them, you don’t have to babysit them while they cook, and they’re pretty much fool-proof.
Need something crispy and carb-y and beautiful to fill out your plate tonight? Let’s make some roasted red potatoes!
A really good roasted potato recipe is one of the essential side-dish recipes to have in your arsenal. Everyone loves them, you don’t have to worry about or babysit them while they cook, and they’re pretty much fool-proof.
Whether you’re making a special dinner for guests or just need an easy side for dinner, these potatoes never disappoint.
How to Make Roasted Red Potatoes
- Start with cleaned and dry red potatoes. The great thing about red potatoes is you don’t need to peel them, BUT sometimes these potatoes get rough handling and have nicks or bad spots that you’ll want to remove before cooking.
A quick way to do this is to examine each potato as you wash it and use a potato peeler to dig out or slice away any imperfections.
Crispy Tip: For the crispiest potatoes, be sure to dry each one well before cutting so excess water does not cause the potatoes to steam while baking.
- Chop your potatoes into two-bite pieces (pieces that would take two bites to eat). Depending on the size of your potatoes, this might mean halving, quartering or splitting into eighths.
- Toss cut potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil per pound of potatoes. I like to use a bowl for this because all of the potatoes get well-coated, but if you don’t want an extra dish to wash, you can mix them up on the baking sheet.
- Spread potatoes out in a single layer on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and any seasonings that sound good to you. I love a little garlic powder. Crushed rosemary, oregano, or an Italian blend also go well with roasted red potatoes.
Crispy Red Potatoes Tip: Don’t crowd the potatoes on the tray so that steam has room to escape, and arrange potatoes so that the largest cut side is facing down as this is the side that will get nice and crispy from the oil and the heat of the tray.
- And then bake for 25-35 minutes, until fork-tender. Serve and enjoy!
What to Do With Leftover Roasted Potatoes
If you have some leftover roasted potatoes, they make a great base for nachos or a scramble. The potatoes won’t be truly crispy again after reheating, but they have a ton of excellent flavor, and are SO good when you add some toppings.
Potato Nachos: Reheat potatoes in the microwave and top with your favorite nacho toppings, like black beans, Carnitas , Chopped Carne Asada , Shredded Chicken and Nacho Cheese or Cheese Sauce , and sour cream. Potato Scramble: Cook bacon or sausage on the stove, transfer meat to a plate and dice or chop. Toss warmed potatoes in the drippings in the pan and then pull potatoes to the side and scramble a couple of eggs. Add meat back to the pan, stir everything together, and top with cheese and sliced green onions. This is also a great way to use up any other cooked veggies you have, just toss them in there with the potatoes before scrambling the eggs!
Recipe Notes
- This roasting method will work with most potato varieties, but the texture will vary slightly.
- For more roasted side dishes, try Italian Roasted Potatoes , Crispy Roasted Broccoli , Roasted Green Beans , Roasted Sweet Potatoes , Roasted Zucchini , and Roasted Asparagus .
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 pounds red potatoes washed, dried, and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a bowl or on a large baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil. Spread potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet, with cut sides down. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and any additional seasonings.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until fork-tender.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
These Chicken Fajita Sandwiches are made with chicken fajita fixings piled on bread, with a slightly spicy chipotle aioli and pepper jack cheese, and then baked until toasty, melty, and perfect.
I posted a quick and easy Chicken Fajita recipe a few weeks ago, and today, I have a little variation on that recipe for you: Chicken Fajita Sandwiches.
If you’re a fajita lover and a hot sandwich fan like I am, you’re going to like this recipe, because you take chicken fajita fixings, pile them on bread, add a slightly spicy chipotle aioli and pepper jack cheese, and then bake it all together until it’s toasty, melty, and perfect.
You Might Also Enjoy: Steak Fajitas
You can make this recipe with fajita leftovers if you don’t want to eat exactly the same meal two nights in a row or make up a fresh batch of fajita veggies and chicken for the sandwiches.
Just try not to eat all the chicken slices off the cutting board before you can get those sandwiches assembled…
This recipe calls for chicken thighs for the fajita chicken because thighs are incredibly forgiving to cook and come out tender and moist without much babysitting, but if you have chicken breasts you want to use up, you can use those as well.
Season the chicken according to the recipe and then cook the breasts following my How to Cook Chicken Breasts for Salads and Sandwiches post.
What to Serve With Chicken Fajita Sandwiches
These are pretty filling sandwiches, so you really don’t need tons of sides to go with these. If you want something quick, Microwave Corn on the Cob is always a good sandwich side, or add a quick side salad with a southwestern dressing. And for dessert, you can’t go wrong with a small batch of brownies .
You Might Also Enjoy
- Shredded Beef Burritos
- Homemade Barbacoa
- Carne Asada Sandwich
- Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Recipe Notes
- Use whatever bread type you’d like here. I’m a fan of telera rolls, but you can slice up a large loaf of French bread or use whatever sort of bakery rolls your store has on hand. Sourdough would also be a good option, though you might have to double the chicken to have enough for four full sandwiches on sourdough.
- Leftover aioli will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. It’s great on just about any savory sandwich and can also be used as a dipping sauce for fries and onion rings.
- Save any leftover veggies and add them (warmed) to omelets and scrambled eggs with cheese.
Ingredients
Chicken
- ▢ 4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ▢ Taco seasoning *
- ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Fajita Vegetables
- ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ▢ 1/2 large onion sliced
- ▢ 2 bell peppers (any color) sliced
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
Chipotle Aioli
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 112g ) mayonnaise
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic pressed
- ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder * plus more to taste
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Sandwiches
- ▢ 4 telera, ciabatta, or french rolls, sliced*
- ▢ 4 slices pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese
Instructions
Chipotle Aioli
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, crushed garlic, lemon or lime juice, and chipotle chili powder. Add salt and pepper to taste and more chipotle chili powder for more spice if desired. Set aside.
Fajita Filling
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken thighs until lightly coated on all sides. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Once hot, add chicken thighs and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reads 165°F. If at any time the outside of the chicken begins to cook too quickly and burn, turn down the heat slightly.
- While your meat cooks, in another large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 8 minutes, until edges are lightly browned and vegetables are tender-crisp. Salt and pepper to taste.
- For softer vegetables, turn heat down to medium once the vegetables are browned so they don’t burn, and continue to cook until vegetables reach your desired level of doneness.
Assemble Sandwiches
- Slice chicken thighs into strips. Spread aioli over both sides of each roll and layer chicken, fajita vegetables, and cheese on the bottom half of each roll. Place rolls in the oven and bake for 5 to 6 minutes until cheese is melted and rolls are toasty.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Quick and Easy Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) butter
- 2 tablespoons ( 15g ) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk any percentage*
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until flour starts to turn golden.
- Whisk in milk and broth, beating out any lumps as they form. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and thickens to the consistency of thin gravy (mixture will thicken further as it cools), 3 to 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, biscuits, or meat, and enjoy!
