Chicken Skin Gravy
Chicken Skin Gravy. No flavour left behind! The most economical way to make gravy ever, using otherwise discarded chicken bones & crisped chicken skins to extract every bit of flavour possible!
I have a bit of a core principle and mantra in my kitchen : NO FLAVOUR LEFT BEHIND!
Whether that means deglazing a pan for a delicious sauce, or making stock from a roast chicken or turkey carcass, nobody gets more bang for their grocery buck than me! And nobody extracts more flavour from that frugal approach than me as well!
And well, isn't that efficient strategy more important than ever in these pressing economic times. Everyone needs a little more help in that direction nowadays.
Saving money is standard practice around here!
I've written about this many times on Rock Recipes. We buy almost every bit of meat when on sale or in bulk and portion it ourselves with the help of a vacuum sealer.
We grind our own ground beef from chuck/blade roasts when on sale, and package it in one pound portions. for the freezer. Some is also formed into our "Square Burgers" for the freezer.
This particular recipe is not new in our household. It's something which has been mentioned before in our Chicken Drumstick Stew recipe.
Kind of a natural bouillon cube for Chicken Skin Gravy!
I take the skins and lay them our flat onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake them in a 350 F degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and very crispy, like crisp cooked bacon.
All of the fat renders out of the skins (which I alsokeep) and I then blot them with paper towels to remove any surface fat. I them chop them into fine crumbs of crispy chicken skin.
The result is like adding a natural bouillon cube without the added salt. It really amps up the flavour in any gravy that you are making.
I mean what's more flavourful than crispy chicken skin. It's a total no brainer not to let it go to waste! Remember: No flavour left behind!!
Keep the fat for Chicken Skin Gravy and more.
Yes, I even keep the fat that renders from the chicken skin!
This recipe starts with a roux as the base, which is basically a fat and flour cooked together to act as a thickener for the gravy. Why rely in butter or oil when you already have flavourful, natural chicken fat io hand to use instead.
More savings! No flavour left behind...again!
Here's another fat confession!
Yes, we chill our homemade chicken and beef stock in the fridge overnight and the fat does rise to the top and solidify. This makes it easy to skim off for a fat free stock for healthier soups we often make.
But is that fat discarded? Not a chance!
We freeze it in smaller half cup containers and use the natural fats for the BEST ROAST POTATOES EVER! Our guests always say we make the best and that's one if the inside secrets! And again, no flavour left behind!
Why is Chicken Skin Gravy the most economical ever?
The answer is easy. Everything is used. Nothing is wasted.
For the last few years we have been moving away from boneless skinless chicken breast in favour of boneless skinless chicken thighs. In truth, I've always preferred dark meat to white anyway.
They are also more economical and far more forgiving in cooking. We've all suffered from being served dry chicken breast, I'm sure.
The one thing we do not do is buy them deboned or deskiinned. We do that ourselves, and with practice it takes far less time than you may think.
This gravy came about from our last round of deboning chicken thighs. The meat itself went into packs of 4-6 thighs, vacuum sealed and into the freezer. That's usually enough for a a stir fry for two or a small batch soup or stew, among other things.
The bones got roasted tomake the stock for this gravy, the rendered fat was used to make the roux, and the crispy chicken skins chopped extra fine and added to the gravy for even more flavour.
In effect the ½ cup of flour and the seasoning was all that this gravy cost! It was practically free.
It may be my ultimate example of NO FLAVOUR LEFT BEHIND! ...and one of the most flavourful too.
Looking for more tasty chicken dinner ideas?
Be sure to check out this newly updated collection of Our Top Ten Chicken Dinners from more than a decade online. These have been made literally millions of times and get the best reviews from our followers.
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Chicken Skin Gravy
Ingredients
- Skins from about 8 chicken thighs
- Fat from those chicken skins (+ butter, if needed) to make ½ cup
- ½ cup flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 3 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Salt to season (only added at the end)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lay the chicken skins flat on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
- Roast for about for about 15 minutes then turn the skins over.
- Roast for another 10 minutes or until the skins are evenly golden and crispy. They should be able to be snapped in half when they are done.
- Transfer the crispy skins to a cutting board. Reserve the fat from the skins.
- With a sharp chef's knife, chop the chicken skins to a fine consistency.
- Heat your chicken stock in the microwave until scalded but not boiling.
- Mix together the black pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. (Do not add any salt yet)
- Over medium heat, add the chicken fat (and butter if you are using it) to a saucepan or dutch oven.
- Add the flour and whisk in vigorously.
- Continue whisking until the mixture begins to get quite foamy.
- At this point, turn the heat to medium high and add two cups of the scalded chicken stock whisking continuously as you add it.
- This mixture will thicken quickly, so as soon as it does, add another two cups of stock whisking constantly.
- Add the combined seasonings along with the finely chopped chicken skins.
- Whisk together well, then add the final two cups of scalded chicken stock.
- When the gravy begins to boil, turn the heat down to a slow simmer, for about 15 minutes or until a pourable gravy consistency is reached.
- This is not meant to be a thick gravy, nor is it meant to be soupy. When the gravy coats the back if a metal spoon is a good indication of a proper consistency.
- At this point you can season with salt, a little at a time, tasting as you go, so as not to over salt the gravy. I sometimes add more pepper as well because I like a peppery gravy.
- This is a great gravy for a perennial Newfoundland favourite, Chips Dressing & Gravy.
Notes
Check the post above for photos of the procedure and stages of preparing this recipe. Other economical ideas are also included in the post.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 167Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 15mgSodium 189mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 8g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
