Homemade Chicken Gravy Mix (Pantry Staple, No Store Packets)

We had chickens for most of my childhood, tucked in with the horses and goats and whatever else my dad decided we needed on those 80 acres. I was outside more than I was in, most days, but there were a handful of things my mom pulled me into the kitchen to teach me, and gravy was one of them.

Her method was simple. Butter first, then flour, then whatever seasoning seemed like it would taste good, then the liquid. That was it, that was the whole lesson. Everything else I’ve made since has been my own trial and error, throwing things together that seemed like they’d taste good, tasting it, and writing it down if it worked.

I loved the idea of always having a roux ready to go, but a wet roux doesn’t store, not without canning it, which wasn’t something I had the setup for. So I spent a while figuring out how to get that same base into a dry mix I could just keep in the pantry and throw together whenever I actually needed gravy. This recipe is what I landed on.

These days I make my own chicken gravy mix from a jar in my pantry. No bouillon cubes with an ingredient list a mile long, no scrambling for a packet mid-recipe. It started with what my mom taught me, but it’s mine now, built to travel and to store, ready whenever I need it, wherever I am.

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Chicken gravy mix in a nutshell: Combine flour, cornstarch, chicken bouillon powder, and a few herbs and spices once, store it in an airtight jar, and you have a shelf-stable base for chicken gravy anytime. Melt butter, whisk in the dry mix to form a paste, then slowly add broth or water and cook until thickened. About 5 minutes start to finish, and the dry mix keeps for up to 6 months.

What Makes Chicken Gravy Different From Other Gravies?

Chicken gravy gets its flavor from chicken bouillon and a specific set of herbs, usually thyme, parsley, and a little poultry seasoning, the same ones that make a roast chicken smell like Sunday dinner. That’s what separates it from a plain white country gravy or a brown beef gravy. Cornstarch alongside the flour also gives it a slightly lighter color and silkier texture, which suits chicken dishes better than a heavy, browned roux would.

Why Make It From Scratch?

A few real reasons this is worth doing once, and none of them are really about gravy.

You control what’s actually in it. Most store bouillon and gravy packets are built around MSG, maltodextrin, and a sodium count that does most of the flavor work for you. This mix uses real bouillon powder and herbs you can actually name.

It’s genuinely cheaper. One store-bought gravy packet runs about a dollar and makes roughly a cup of gravy. This batch makes about 18 cups for around $5, pennies per serving once you break it down.

It travels and stores better than individual packets. One jar replaces a whole box of single-use packets, takes up a fraction of the space, and works anywhere you have hot water and a spoon, camping, an RV, seasonal housing with a kitchen the size of a closet, anywhere.

No store run required. If the pantry has flour, bouillon, and a few spices, you have gravy. That part matters to me more than the gravy does, it’s the same reason I think about how much of everything else to actually keep on hand instead of restocking one item at a time.

The Dry Mix Ingredients

(These go in a jar and store for up to 6 months)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 cup chicken bouillon powder
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well incorporated. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

How to Make the Gravy

(Per 1 cup of finished gravy)

• 2 tablespoons butter, chicken fat, or bacon fat
• 3 tablespoons chicken gravy mix
• 1 cup water or chicken broth

1. Melt the butter or fat in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the dry mix and stir constantly until it forms a paste and smells lightly toasted, about 1 minute. This is your roux.
3. Slowly pour in the water or broth, whisking constantly as you add it. Adding it slowly is what keeps the gravy smooth instead of lumpy.
4. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, whisking occasionally, until thickened.
5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Bouillon powder is already salty, so taste before adding more.

Packet conversion: 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mix equals one standard store-bought gravy packet. Worth writing on the jar label so you’re not guessing mid-recipe.

Troubleshooting Common Gravy Problems

Lumpy gravy: almost always from adding liquid too fast. Pour it through a fine mesh strainer, or hit it with an immersion blender for about 30 seconds to smooth it back out. Next time, add the liquid in a slow, steady stream while whisking the whole time.

Gravy too thin: keep simmering and whisking, it thickens as it cooks. If it’s still thin after a few minutes, mix an extra tablespoon of dry mix with a splash of cold water to make a slurry, then whisk that in.

Gravy too thick: add more water or broth a tablespoon at a time until it loosens back up.

Tastes flat or too salty: most bouillon powders carry a lot of sodium on their own, which is why the mix itself has no added salt. If it tastes flat, add black pepper first before reaching for salt. If it’s too salty, a splash of water thins both the flavor and the salt content at once.

Variations Using the Same Base Mix

Turkey gravy: works exactly the same way, just use turkey bouillon or drippings in place of chicken.

Beef gravy: swap the chicken bouillon powder for beef bouillon powder and skip the thyme and parsley, they read as chicken-specific flavors. Everything else stays the same.

Slow cooker chicken: sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of dry mix directly over chicken pieces along with half a cup of broth at the start of cooking. It thickens into a gravy right in the pot as it cooks.

Biscuits and gravy consistency: reduce the liquid to 3/4 cup instead of a full cup for a thicker, spoonable gravy that holds up over a biscuit.

How to Store the Dry Mix

For everyday pantry storage: transfer to a clean, dry glass jar and seal tightly. Store in a cool, dark place away from heat. Stored this way, the mix stays fresh for up to 6 months.

For travel and on-the-road storage: portion into smaller zip-top bags or containers so you’re only carrying what you need. Label each with the packet conversion so you’re never guessing in the field.

For longer-term storage: seal in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for storage up to 2 to 3 years, worth doing if you make a large batch from bulk ingredients.

Label everything with the date made. The mix won’t spoil quickly, but it loses potency over time.

What to Serve With Chicken Gravy

• Poured over mashed potatoes
• Spooned over homemade biscuits
• Over roasted or rotisserie chicken
• Mixed into rice or egg noodles for a quick one-pan dinner
• Stirred into a pot pie filling in place of canned soup, or paired with a jar of cream of anything soup mix if the recipe wants both

If cooking from scratch still feels chaotic more often than not, it’s usually a pantry system problem, not a skill problem. I put together a free guide that walks through exactly how I set mine up so the ingredients are always there when I need them. It’s called the From-Scratch Pantry Starter Guide, grab it below.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does chicken gravy mix last? Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, up to 6 months at full quality. Sealed in mylar with oxygen absorbers, 2 to 3 years.

Can I make this without bouillon powder? Yes, use bouillon cubes crushed fine, or a liquid concentrate like Better Than Bouillon in equal measure, or use chicken broth in place of water when cooking and reduce the bouillon powder in the dry mix accordingly.

Is this the same as country gravy? No. Country gravy is a white, milk-based gravy with no meat flavor at all, built on powdered milk. This is a savory, broth-based gravy built on chicken bouillon and herbs. Different base, different use.

Can I make this gluten-free? Yes, substitute a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend and confirm your cornstarch is certified gluten-free (most already are).

Can I double or triple the batch? Yes, it scales cleanly. The cooking ratio, 3 tablespoons mix to 1 cup liquid, stays the same no matter how big the batch.

Does it reheat well? Yes, reheat over low heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen it back up, gravy thickens as it sits.

Final Thoughts

Gravy shouldn’t come from a packet with a paragraph of ingredients on the back you can’t pronounce.

It should come from a jar you made yourself, from things you already had, that travels with you wherever you land next. It’s a small, boring way of taking a little more control back, one pantry item at a time.

What do you serve chicken gravy over most? Drop a comment below, I’m always curious what people are cooking.