Cookie, you really need drippings from a roast chicken/turkey/pork/beef etc. to make a flavourful gravy. You can make a decent "sauce" with a roux and chicken broth seasoned with garlic and herbs. But that isn't the same as a meat gravy.

I roast a chicken at least a couple of times a month and end up with between 3 and 4 cups of gravy. I freeze the leftover gravy.

Here is a link that might be useful: How To Make Gravy

I agree, Ann, you really need meat drippings to make good gravy.

I went the "low fat" route and tried thickening canned chicken stock with cornstarch, very icky. Added some "soup base" or bouillion, then it was just icky and salty. (sigh)

Now I save all the scraps from chickens, all the carcasses from rotisserie chickens, all the wing tips and backs, and make chicken stock. I can it but it can be frozen.

Then, if I want chicken gravy, I can make a roux from butter and flour, stir in my homemade stock a bit at a time until it's the right thickness and just like that, I have REAL gravy.

Annie

For gravy fries? A jar of Boston Market or Heinz gravy. $2. Or half that if you buy it on sale after a holiday.

But... Here's CI's recipe for gravy from canned stock. I only made it once, years ago, which tells me I probably didn't love it but then again I find most of their recipes good so I'd give it another shot to be sure.

Makes 2 cups. Published November 1, 2003.

This gravy can be served with almost any type of meat or poultry or with mashed potatoes. If you would like to double the recipe, use a Dutch oven to give the vegetables ample space for browning and increase the cooking times by roughly 50 percent. The finished gravy can be frozen. To thaw either a single or double recipe, place the gravy and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over low heat and bring slowly to a simmer. The gravy may appear broken or curdled as it thaws, but a vigorous whisking will recombine it.

Ingredients

1 small carrot , peeled and chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 small rib celery , chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 small onion , chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
5 whole black peppercorns

Instructions

1. In food processor, pulse carrot until broken into rough 1/4-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Add celery and onion; pulse until all vegetables are broken into 1/8-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.

2. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and well browned, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add broths; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

I'm from the South so we dip our fries in good ol' white gravy...
Melt a half a stick of butter in a skillet. Put a few Tbsp of flour in pan after butter is melted, stirring until bubbling. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of milk in. Stir until all flour chunks are gone. continue to stir until it comes to a boil. Let boil for a minute or two, then remove from heat. Will thicken as it cools. Add salt and black pepper to taste!

okie-girl, Grandma used to make that white gravy but she used bacon grease instead of butter!

Annie

I like my fries with white gravy too. You can use a little chicken stock instead of all milk if you like. I know a few people who really brown their flour when making a milk gravy. It's not white then, of course, but it has a different flavor if you think you don't like the white gravy. I prefer white, myself.

Cookie - FOAS :
There is good Chicken gravy in a bag; also, for fast food.
It has a good flavor and only takes 5 minutes to make it.

I use Trio Chicken and Beef Gravy, made by Nestle.
Mc Cormicks has a good one too.
Lou

I think the powder stuff is better than the jarred.

You might do the roux with stock thing and add a little of the chicken gravy powder from McCormicks (instead of boullion which is just more stock). Maybe a tbls of half and half or whole milk right at the end for richness and mouth feel without being a white gravy (I do this with risotto)

Mary: That's just about what I do.
Lou

I forgot about this post and I forgot about packaged gravy - problem solved! Thanks. Off to try my search again for haberno gold - finally bought gloves to cut my peppers.