With Thanksgiving right around the corner a lot of people are starting to realize they need to track down some recipes! One of which is something a lot of cooks cringe at; making gravy.
In our own household I make two styles of chicken or turkey based gravy.
The first one is with any chicken meal during the year that I want to serve potatoes and gravy with - usually oven fried chicken, southern style breaded chicken breasts, etc. I start with a roux of shortening or butter and add a spicy flour mixture to thicken.
The second style is my 'Thanksgiving' gravy (posted on my website back in 2006) which starts with a broth I've made from vegetables, incorporated into a roux and chicken broth base, both of which I make ahead of time and warm at the end of the cooking/baking process to finish off by adding the drippings from the oven roasted turkey. It's unbelievably delicious and I love that I can make it ahead of time without any gelling issues. It also keeps and reheats well.
The spicier gravy tastes similar to KFC style gravy and it might be what you want to serve this year on your Thanksgiving table.
Gravy
2 T shortening, melted
3 T seasoned flour (like flour you bread your fried chicken with*)
2 T all purpose flour
1 can Campbell's Condensed Chicken Stock
1 can water
Make a roux with the melted shortening and 1 1/2 tablespoon of wheat flour. Cook this over low heat for a few minutes or until the roux browns in color. Remove from heat and add the remaining all purpose flour and slowly add the stock/broth and water while whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes reduce the heat and simmer 3-5 minutes until thick.
*When I bread fried chicken I often open my cupboard and put in whatever I feel like it that day. Salt and fresh cracked pepper are a must, I also add a mixture of; white pepper, MSG, onion powder, sage, thyme, paprika, and a dash of garlic salt.