How to Make Packet Gravy Better

4.67 from 3 votes

How to Make Packet Gravy Better

Isn't THICK RICH FLAVORFUL TASTY GRAVY simply the BEST? You MUST know how to make packet gravy better so that it will ooze down the sides of your mashed potatoes, meat and everything else on your plate is superior fashion.

Prep Time2

Cook Time13

Total Time15

Course: main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to make packet gravy better

Servings: servings

Calories: 33kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Cost: $4

Equipment

1 saucepan
measuring cups and spoons
knife
cutting board
whisk (or fork)
kitchen spider (or slotted spoon)

Ingredients

2 cups broth recommend chicken broth, more if needed.
3 Tbs meat whatever you are not using in your dish, wing tip, giblets, etc.
1 small carrot washed, cut into three pieces
1 small onion wash, can leave skin on, cut into fourths
1 celery stick wash, cut into three chunks
1 garlic clove no need to peel
1 bay leaf optional
1 gravy packet recommend McCormicks Chicken Gravy
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

In a small sauce pan on the stove top, place the broth, meat, carrot, onion, celery stick, garlic clove and bay leaf. Set to simmer.
Allow to simmer while preparing the remainder of your dinner. 5 minutes before dinner is ready, use a slotted spoon or kitchen spider to remove the veggies from the broth (leave the meat if it is in small pieces, remove any bones or whole pieces - like a wing tip). Discard those.
Measure out the amount of liquid required for your packet of gravy. If using McCormicks, you'll need one cup per gravy packet. If your liquid has simmered off too much and you need more liquid, simply add more broth to bring to the amount you need. Pour the remaining liquid out (if you have more than you need) into a bowl and save for another recipe.
Pour the measured liquid into your sauce pan, add the McCormicks packet and whisk vigorously until all of the lumps are broken and the packet is completely incorporated. Break any lumps against the side of the sauce pan. Allow to simmer again until thickened. Add pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Video

Notes

The thing to remember when doctoring packet gravy is to always add salt last. Packet gravy tends to be very salty and it would be easy to over salt your dish.
Adding flavor to your packet gravy starts with having a flavorful broth. Broth is flavored by adding vegetables and a bit of meat.
Use the pieces of meat that won't work in your cooked dish, for example, the chicken wing tips or the giblets that are in the bag inside the turkey or chicken.
In this recipe, I add the onion with the skin on. The yellow onion skins gives a lovely color to your broth which ultimately shows up in the gravy. If that offends you, feel free to remove the skin.
No need to peel the carrot or string the celery, just wash them. We will be removing them from the final dish.
All of these veggies are optional, if you don't want one adding flavor to your dish, just leave it off.
You'll want to just simmer the broth while you make the rest of your meal. If you do more than a simmer, the broth will become cloudy and while it isn't so important for gravy, its a good habit to be in.
you can remove the veggies with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider.
If you are using giblets for your meat, be sure to cut them up very small. They are very strong tasting and a large piece of one of them would be startling in your gravy.
If the gravy is thinner than you like, either allow to simmer until it is as thick as you prefer OR use cornstarch to thicken.
If the gravy is thicker than you prefer, whisk in more broth until it is as thin as you prefer.

***PRO TIP - For a southern classic, cut up 2 boiled eggs into your finished gravy. YUM!

SUBSTITUTIONS

As I said before, none of this is required, simply add the flavors you enjoy. However here are some substitution suggestions.

MEAT - if you do not want to add meat to your broth and are making a vegetarian type gravy, you can add tiny bits of firm tofu, small bits of cooked cauliflower or chopped up and sautéed mushrooms.

MEAT BASED BROTH - feel free to use a vegetable broth instead.

McCORMICKS PACKET - Use any brand of gravy packet you choose. Simply replace the water in the recipe on the back of the packet with this broth that you make.

VEGETABLES - The vegetables I use here are simply suggestions, feel free to use the ones you prefer to flavor your broth.

BROTH - Use any kind of broth you prefer, chicken, beef or vegetable. If you do not have broth, you can use water with a tiny bit of "Better than Bouillon" or a bouillon cube, however, these tend to be quite salty and you will have to be careful. You may have to add quite a bit more water and then thicken with cornstarch.

Nutrition