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Homemade Sausage Gravy

Homemade Sausage Gravy

Seasoned ground chicken cooked with sage, garlic, and heavy black pepper, then built into a thick, creamy milk-based gravy using a pan roux. Ready in 25 minutes and served over biscuits, toast, or eggs. Make-ahead and freezer friendly.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 0 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American Southern
Calories: 285
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Seasoned Meat
  • 500 g (1 lb) ground chicken, thigh or thigh-breast blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
Gravy
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 480 ml (2 cups) whole milk, room temperature
  • 240 ml (1 cup) additional whole milk, room temperature, held in reserve
  • Salt and extra black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter optional, for finishing

Equipment

  • Large cast iron skillet or heavy stainless steel skillet, 12-inch
  • Wooden spoon or heat-resistant silicone spatula
  • whisk
  • Instant read thermometer

Method
 

  1. Mix all seasoning spices into the ground chicken until evenly coated throughout.
  2. Heat a 12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the seasoned chicken and break immediately into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds, until the meat is fully cooked with no pink remaining and lightly browned. Confirm 74°C (165°F) internal temperature.
  3. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle flour evenly over the cooked meat. Stir continuously for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until the flour is absorbed into the fat and the raw flour smell cooks off. The mixture should look moist and coated, not dry.
  4. Pour 480ml of room-temperature milk in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously. The mixture will thicken quickly; keep whisking until smooth. Stir over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy thickens and bubbles gently.
  5. Add remaining milk gradually, stirring as it goes in. Cook on medium-low for 4 to 5 more minutes until the gravy coats the back of a spoon and holds a clear finger-drawn line for 3 to 4 seconds.
  6. Remove from heat. Taste and season with extra salt and black pepper. Stir in the optional butter until melted. Serve immediately over split biscuits with an extra crack of black pepper over each serving.

Notes

  • Season the ground chicken before cooking, not after; the spices need to bloom in the rendered fat to produce a fully flavored gravy.
  • Use ground chicken with at least 10% fat; extra-lean ground chicken requires 1 tablespoon of supplemental butter added before the flour.
  • Always use room-temperature milk; cold milk added to a hot roux causes lumps.
  • Gravy thickens significantly as it cools and during refrigerator storage; reheat on stovetop with a splash of milk to restore consistency.