Recreate the rich, savory taste of KFC Gravy at home with this easy recipe – perfect for topping mashed potatoes, chicken, and more!
CREAMY GRAVY IN UNDER 30 MINUTES
Who doesn’t love that golden brown KFC Gravy?! I know I do and that’s when I decided it was time to recreate this classic recipe at home. Years ago, I had a friend, Billie, whose first job was at KFC and her main job was to make the gravy. Back then, the gravy was made by hand and wasn’t just a gravy mix like it is now. When they made it by hand, they’d take leftover chicken scraps from the bottom of the chicken fryer and mix it with a little bit of the frying oil. They’d take that mixture and and make the rest of the gravy from scratch. I know, I know, it’s definitely not healthy at all- but anything this good usually isn’t, right?! Anyway, I used that tid bit of info to create this recipe that really reminds me of the original KFC Gravy. Since I can’t make the gravy the exact same way obviously, I improvised a bit and it has turned into this lovely (pretty dang close!) recipe I’m sharing here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I know, I know. Before you come at me, I know the KFC original version doesn’t have chunks of diced onions in it. But, it does have a very distinct onion flavor, so that’s why I added them. I really think the fresh onion makes this a spot on recipe. If you don’t want to see the little onion chunks, you can use a teaspoon of onion powder or put the gravy into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend the onions to smooth the texture out a bit.
So, with this recipe, I’m going to say you NEED both the chicken and beef better than bouillon. If you made this gravy without it, it would not taste the same. I tested this recipe quite a bit and you really NEED the combination for the right flavor. I do not have substitutions – I am sorry. It just did not taste the same with all the other options I tried.
I know I will hear this a million times so might as well address the elephant in the room (and someone will still ask because they don’t read any of this LOL) Yes, I know this isn’t the way KFC used to make it but unless you have a pressure cooker chicken fryer like they have at KFC and can gather some of those chicken bits at the bottom, then there is no way to recreate it like the old days. I mention that in the above intro paragraph.
But I’m not just copying and pasting some other recipe on the internet here. I actually test these recipes out and experiment. All I can do is tell you that I tried this with so many different ingredients, you have no idea! I even tried those copycat recipes you see out there. No one thought those came close. Adding the beef broth and beef bouillon made the difference. I tested this with several people and this version is the one that came out on top. Is it 100 percent like the one we all remember from 30-40 years ago? Nope. But it is pretty darn close!
You can purchase it just about anywhere these days. It will be where the other bouillon cubes and chicken broth and stock are in your local grocery store. I try to keep some extra on hand because if I forgot to buy chicken broth at the store, I can just mix some of this up with a little water and boom – instant chicken broth – ha! You can check out the ingredient photo lower down in the post to see what the jars look like.
Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, you may need to add a splash more beef or chicken broth to loosen it up.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- unsalted butter – because we have salt from the other ingredients in the recipe, I think using unsalted butter is the way to go but if all you have is salted, then use that. There is actually very little salt in salted butter so it shouldn’t move the needle that much really.
- small sweet onion– finely chopped. YES, I am fully aware that the original KFC Gravy doesn’t have small, diced up pieces of onion. But while testing this recipe, I found to get that flavor, we really needed it. See my Frequently Asked Question Section above for other options.
- all-purpose flour
- unsalted beef broth– I know it seems so weird to add beef flavored anything to a chicken gravy but I need you to trust me on this. I literally tried this recipe a million different ways. This is the flavor that worked best with everyone I tested it on. Also, since we have salt added from other ingredients, there’s no need to used salted beef broth or it could get too salty too quick. If you really prefer it saltier, you can add some to taste at the end.
- beef Better Than Bouillon – yep, we’re using both. Y’all, I have not found a substitute for this. I tried this recipe so many different ways and you just do not get the same flavor without these two very specific ingredients used together.
- chicken Better Than Bouillon – I go into more detail above about why I used these particular ingredients.
- black pepper – some people are super sensitive to pepper so this is one of those ingredients that you should measure with your heart. I like a good bit of pepper but just add a little at a time and taste as you go until you get it how you like it.
HOW TO MAKE KFC GRAVY
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Slowly stream in the beef broth while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add the beef better than bouillon, chicken better than bouillon, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 8 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Serve immediately.
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- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- YES, I am fully aware that the original KFC Gravy doesn’t have small, diced up pieces of onion. But while testing this recipe, I found to get that flavor, we really needed it. You can put it in the blender or use an immersion blender to smooth it out or see my Frequently Asked Question Section above for other options.
- NOTE: I am using both beef and chicken Better than Bouillon. See my ingredient photo in the above post for what the jars look like. I have not found a substitute for these, I am sorry. I tried this recipe SO many different ways and you just do not get the exact same flavor without these two very specific ingredients used together so I will not be offering substitutions as nothing else turned out the same.
Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 1080mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
