Homemade GF/DF Chicken Gravy

I don’t know about you, but I love sauces and condiments. They add so much to even the most mundane of meals.

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My mother is French-Canadian, so like all French people, I adore sauces of all kinds. And gravy is kind of the ultimate sauce.

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Gravy can be made from a variety of different things. But they all have a few things in common:

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• They contain a fat – this can be butter, lard or margarine. Even pan drippings usually contain a high level of fat.

• They contain a starch – this can be flour for an opaque sauce or cornstarch for clearer sauces.

• They contain a broth – depending on what kind of gravy you want, you can use chicken, turkey, beef, mushroom or other broths to make gravy.

• And they contain seasonings – the possibilities are practically endless (which, incidentally, can be a catalyst for a whole lot of fun experiments).

 

Here's my version of fool-proof, GF/DF chicken gravy:

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Ingredients:

• 2 heaping Tbsp Vegan margarine (Regular margarine still contains some dairy milk solids, so to be completely DF, you’ll need the “vegan” variety which is completely plant-based. But lard also works great, except that it will give the gravy a slight pork flavor.)

• ¼ cup gluten-free flour (I use 1-to-1 GF flour blend)

• 2 cups chicken broth (either homemade or store-bought)

• 2-3 tsp gluten-free tamari soy sauce (Tamari is a naturally-brewed sauce that is far superior to the artificial soy sauce most people use.)

• ½ - 1 tsp dried thyme

• ¼ tsp salt

 

Directions:

 

Melt the margarine in a medium saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the flour to make a paste. (Lift the pan off the heat at this point so that the mixture doesn’t burn.)

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Add about a ¼ of the broth and beat well with the whisk. Place back on the heat and keep adding the broth about a ¼ at a time, whisking until it’s well blended together.

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Stir often, using the whisk and you’ll start to notice that it’s thickening slightly. Turn the heat down to medium-low.

 

Add the tamari soy sauce and whisk in well. This will add depth of flavor and make the color of the gravy deeper.

 

Add thyme and salt, mixing them in well.

 

Once the consistency of the gravy is where you want it, turn the heat down to low. If it gets too thick, add a little more broth or water to thin.

 

Taste the gravy and adjust the seasonings as desired.

 

This recipe makes 2 cups of gravy.