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5-minute rich and flavorful velouté sauce is a French “mother sauce” made from roux (butter cooked with flour) and chicken stock. It’s basically gravy without drippings, and it’s a great recipe to have up your sleeve for serving with things like roast chicken, roast turkey, or even pot roast!
I’ve been making chicken gravy without pan drippings for years.
This is for two reasons.
Firstly, I never liked having to wait for a chicken or turkey to be done roasting just so I could make the gravy.
And secondly, adding the pan drippings from a roast just always seemed like way too much grease.
Now, I know the burning question in your head. How on earth could a pan gravy made without drippings be as flavorful as regular gravy?!
The real answer to that is if you use an amazing chicken stock, the result will be an incredible gravy. Greasy drippings or not.
And then the other day I was reading an article on the 5 French “mother sauces” (essentially, sauces that are used to make other sauces). (Yes, nerd alert, lol! This is what I do for fun.) It dawned on me that velouté sauce is nothing more than pan gravy without drippings!
Cue the cartoon with the lightbulb popping on over the person’s head.
Velouté sauce is a rich, velvety sauce made from blond roux and a light colored stock, such as chicken stock, fish stock, or veal stock.
A roux is simply butter cooked with flour that acts as a thickener for stock. This is why it’s important to use a very flavorful stock!
Try this recipe next time you need a quick gravy. It’s been my go-to Thanksgiving gravy for years!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- There’s no need to wait for the chicken or the turkey to finish roasting so you can make the gravy!
- You only need 5 minutes to whip up this gravy. It’s probably the quickest and easiest recipe you’ll make on Thanksgiving.
- No one who tastes it will guess this was made without drippings! Especially if you use a really good, flavorful chicken stock.
- You aren’t limited to using this sauce on chicken or turkey. You can use veal stock (or beef stock) instead of chicken stock and serve this on pot roast, roast beef, beef sandwiches, etc.
The Best 5-Minute Velouté Sauce Recipe
Ingredients in Gravy without Drippings
- Unsalted butter – for richness; cooked with flour, this makes a roux
- All-purpose flour – acts as a thickener
- Chicken stock – use a really flavorful stock for the best gravy
- Onion powder – adds savory flavor
- Garlic powder – adds depth of flavor
- Salt and black pepper – to season the gravy
- Poultry seasoning – this blend typically contains sage and thyme as the strongest flavors, but also frequently has marjoram, rosemary, onion, celery seed, nutmeg, and/or black pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make Roux:
- Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Once melted, add the flour.
- Whisk to combine.
- Cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
How to Make Velouté:
- Add the chicken stock.
- Whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and poultry seasoning.
- Bring up to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat.
Storage
Store this sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Velouté with Beef Stock
Traditionally, this French mother sauce is made with a lighter colored stock, such as chicken, fish, or veal.
However, if you want to make a quick and easy gravy for beef, you can use beef stock instead of chicken stock. If you do, omit the poultry seasoning and add 1 sprig of fresh rosemary instead (remove it before serving).
What to Serve with Velouté Sauce (Gravy without Drippings)
- Roast chicken – the classic main course that pairs perfectly with velouté sauce
- Pot roast – you can use veal or beef stock instead of chicken stock to make an easy gravy for pot roast
- Roast turkey – like this Thanksgiving sheet pan dinner
- Mashed potatoes – because some people like butter, but other people like gravy on their mashed potatoes
- Cornbread stuffing (aka dressing) – if you enjoy gravy on your stuffing
- Fluffy drop biscuits – for the biscuits and gravy fans
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5-Minute Velouté Sauce Recipe (How to Make Gravy without Drippings)
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
- Whisk in the chicken stock, and then whisk in the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and poultry seasoning.
- Bring up to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat.
- Serve.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes just over 1 cup of gravy. It serves 4 people generously, with a little over 1/4 cup per serving.
- Serving and Reheating Tip: Keep the gravy in the saucepan so you can easily reheat it right before serving if necessary. To reheat the gravy, warm it over low heat, whisking occasionally. Add a splash of chicken stock to thin it out if necessary.
- Storage: Store this sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Velouté with Beef Stock: Traditionally, this French msauce is made with a lighter colored stock, such as chicken, fish, or veal. However, if you want to make a quick and easy gravy for beef, you can use beef stock instead of chicken stock. Also, omit the poultry seasoning and add 1 sprig of fresh rosemary instead (remove it before serving).
- Gluten Free Gravy Option: For gluten free gravy, omit the all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of cold water along with the chicken stock.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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