The best cooks know a trick…
When Thanksgiving is just around the corner, roast a chicken!
The drippings are perfect for gravy… You know, the otherwise stressful, hurried, last-minute gravy you make on the day itself? Yet if you make your chicken ahead of time, you can make your gravy ahead of time too!
Don’t worry if you would rather not eat the chicken for Thanksgiving dinner. Extra meat is always welcome, right?! Shred it for tacos. Make a chicken salad. Make a casserole. Leftover, already-prepared meat means an easy, quick dinner any night of the week!
The Instant Pot makes this Thanksgiving trick so fast and so delicious.
While other home cooks across the country are scrambling to keep their bird warm, scraping the drippings pan, boiling giblets, thickening, tasting, tweaking, and straining… You’ll be calm.
Furthermore, you’ll already be serving!
Notes About This Recipe
This recipe uses traditional fats and (ideally) a pasture-raised bird — in addition to bone broth. Since no flour is needed, it’s also gluten-free and grain-free! And yet, taste and see how smooth, flavorful, and delicious this gravy is.
Maybe you’re surprised by 2 of the ingredients, bacon and chicken skin. These essential ingredients help create the rich flavor and texture. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who models this cooking technique and espouses it for its health benefits, inspired me.
I learned through years of making soups that chicken skin is also a secret ingredient for gourmet bases! My teenage daughter may think it’s gross, but even she can’t resist the outcome. 😉
Finally, this recipe makes a large quantity of gravy. As a result, you may want to invest in a large gravy boat! For us, this is a necessity, since my husband and kids ladle into the gravy boat over and over again during the course of our Thanksgiving meal!
Ready To Make 10-Minute Instant Pot Gravy?
10-Minute Make Ahead Gravy (grain-free and gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken raw
- 1 cup bone broth
- 2 pieces pastured or organic bacon uncooked
- 2 onions large, peeled and cut in half
- 5 ounces mushrooms fresh
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms
- 1/4 cup animal fat bacon fat, lard, duck fat OR butter
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground white OR black pepper, divided
Instructions
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Add following ingredients in order to inner pot of Instant Pot: 1 cup bone broth, dried mushrooms, onions, fresh mushrooms, bacon, animal fat, sage, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
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Then place chicken on top.
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Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and pepper.
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Put on the lid of your cooker and seal, checking that the seals and all components are in good shape.
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Then, if using an Instant Pot, select "Poultry" setting and ensure that time is set to 15 minutes (for any other electric cooker, this is the equivalent of pressure cooking on high pressure for 15 minutes).
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If using a stove-top cooker, bring to high pressure and maintain pressure for a cook time of 15 minutes.
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When cycle is complete, if using an electric cooker, allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.
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If using a stovetop cooker, remove from heat and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
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Then quick release pressure by opening the steam valve.
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Remove lid.
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Allow to cool until chicken is handle-able.
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Then transfer chicken to cutting board or plate.
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Remove most of its skin and set aside.
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Set aside bird for tacos, a casserole, a chicken salad, soup...
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Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer all solids from Instant Pot to high powered blender.
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Measure out 3 cups of the remaining liquid from Instant Pot. (You'll have some left over.)
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Add the 3 cups liquid to blender.
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Add onion powder, chicken skin, and additional sea salt and black pepper.
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Then, puree on medium-high speed until completely smooth (about 50 to 60 seconds).
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Store overnight, if desired.
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Finally, heat gently in saucepan when ready to serve. (To thin gravy after reheating, stir in turkey drippings or leftover liquid from Instant Pot.)
Recipe Notes
- This recipe uses traditional fats and (ideally) a pasture-raised bird — in addition to bone broth. Since no flour is needed, it's also gluten-free and grain-free! And yet, taste and see how smooth, flavorful, and delicious this gravy is.
Will you make Instant Pot gravy this year? How else will you use your Instant Pot to help prepare Thanksgiving dinner? Happy Thanksgiving!
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I don’t have an Instant Pot. Would it be adaptable to doing in a pan placed inside my pressure canner? If so, would it be 1-time 10 min to exhaust steam 2-keep at 10# pressure for 15 min as when canning? Or is it completely unadaptable? Would love to try this.
Hi Anne, I’m sorry; I’m not familiar enough with traditional pressure canners to advise you on this. I do think the recipe is quite adaptable! So if you have experience and a feel for it, then I do recommend it. This recipe works well even with a roasted chicken, onions, mushrooms etc.; so it’s versatile. I hope that helps.
Hi Megan, I had asked below about using a roasted chicken and you said it was not advisable, but this comment was the reason I had asked. You said above it worked well even with a roasted chicken – did I misunderstand? I plan to use a good bit of bacon and also bacon lard I have saved for cooking, and I will be using garlic (which we DO like a lot as opposed to onions) and probably some celery and more mushrooms to make up for the lack of onion volume. Your thoughts?
Would it be possible to make this recipe without the onions?
Hi Beth. I love making substitutions. This one is a little hard, because the base is largely onions. So you couldn’t eliminate them without replacing them. You might try other produce items in their place: one turnip + one apple, cored -or- part celery + part cauliflower -or- more mushrooms + turnip or celery etc. I can’t guarantee you’ll get great results; but you very well might, and it would be fun to try.
Hi,
I have just ordered a 6qt Instant Pot and I was wondering if I could cook a bone-in turkey breast that weighs 4 lbs. in the instant Pot. Would I follow the same recipe that is used for a whole chicken?? I have never used a oressure cooker before so this is completely new to me. Thanks.
Trish
Hi Trish, yes, that’s sounds like a reasonable exchange of ingredients! I’m assuming the turkey breasts have their skin on? If so, sounds good!
I’m really excited, because I am grain free and I’ve never found a grain free recipe without weird or special ingredients. And this one looks so tasty!! I can’t wait to try it!!
Yay Jan!! I’m excited for you, too; and I can relate! Enjoy and blessings!
This sounds great! Thanks Megan. what my family doesn’t know about the skin and such won’t hurt ’em, right? ???? Does it freeze well?
Yes, agreed! 😉 I haven’t frozen it, actually. My family loves such copious amounts of the gravy that we always eat it up quickly. But the high fat content and sea salt will probably allow it to freeze well. I would plan on blending it again in the blender once it’s defrosted to ensure the perfect texture. 🙂
I was going to ask the same question. Keep us posted on this please.
This looks delicious! How far ahead can I make it?
Thank you! 5 days ahead, no problem.
Wondering if it would work to use the trivet/steamer insert to hold the chicken. That would make it easier to get out of the pot! Perhaps put the insert in first, then the broth/bacon/veggies (making sure those go through to the bottom of the pot), then add the whole chicken. What do you think?
Yes, I think that sounds great!
I can’t wait to try this! I’m wondering if it tastes strongly of onion or if that just adds richness but blends in with the other flavors? I don’t want to end up with onion gravy (we don’t like onions and I usually only cook with dried onion or onion powder). Would it work to use only one onion and maybe an apple or celery or something?
Hi Sandra, good questions. No, it doesn’t taste of onions. Like you said, it adds richness and an overall good flavor foundation. But if you are extra sensitive you could surely try one of the substitutions you mention. I believe the apple might be too sweet. I’d love to hear how it goes and what you decide.
One more question – could I use a pre-roasted chicken instead, and if so would the cooking time change at all? I’m sending hubs on a grocery run a little later today so I wanted to find out before he goes. Thanks!
Sorry if I’m responding after he has already gone and come home again! No, I don’t recommend an already roasted chicken, because then you won’t get all the drippings from the bird.
Aw, I see! I’m sorry if I confused you. Okay, yes…so, not using the IP, I have roasted a chicken in the oven and then used the pan drippings and skin afterwards in the same way that I used them after they came out of the IP in this recipe. SO, with this is mind, you could indeed use an already cooked chicken from the store, if you use the pan drippings from the container and the skin! I hope that helps! 🙂
Regarding the question about cooking time changing, yes, so you wouldn’t need to cook the bird. You’d just be putting the broth, veggies, fat, herbs and bacon in the IP. In that case, 10 minutes is enough to make the onions quite soft.
Okay, so I wouldn’t put the actual skin and dripping in my IP? Just the other items? Do you think more mushrooms and some celery would make up for no chopped onions?
You could put the skin in if it is really crispy, so it will puree well with the other ingredients. But if it’s relatively soft you don’t need to put it in. I wouldn’t pull out the onions altogether. But you could use one, and replace one with more mushrooms and celery.
i make giblet gravy from the neck and organs. simmer all an hr in seasoned water (1- 1 1/2qts) and pick neck meat off, finely chop organs. thicken and stir back in meat. no one will know its packed full of nutrients and you can make pan gravy the next day wen ur not rushed.
i love the idea of putting some bacon in with it!
Thanks for sharing! I have put organ meats, small chicken giblets, in my IP for this recipe, too, and then pureed them in! Yay for the bacon! 🙂
i think i will vary this by leaving out the dry shrms, onion powder and 1 onion. i will add 3 stalks celery and use 8oz fresh shrms. im going to get a chicken and try it soon! what size will fit in the 6qt IP? 5lb? 6 lb?
Sounds great! You’ll be safe with a 5-1/2 pound bird. I don’t think mine have been 6 pounders. 🙂 But that may work as well.
Okay, I made this today with one onion, a bit of extra bacon and about twice the amount of white fresh mushrooms – all other ingredients sans chicken were the same. I used the skin and drippings from two roasted chickens and a little roasted turkey skin. I made up the extra liquid with the IP liquid plus 2 cups of bone broth. Let me tell you, it turned out wonderfully well. It does taste a bit more mushroomy than a regular gravy but it’s very yummy. Thanks for all the tips and advice!
Yay Sandra!!! I’m so glad and love hearing about your results! Your substitutions are good to hear about, too! I hope you all had a lovely holiday!! It’s been fun brainstorming and helping you find what worked best for your palates! Blessings!!
Megan, thanks for this easy delicious recipe!! I always host Thanksgiving and dislike the scramble at the end to make the gravy–the past two years I have made this instant pot gravy the day before and we have smoked a turkey on the Traeger. So much easier and everybody loved the gravy.
Megan, I can’t have mushrooms. What changes to I need to make if I take out all mushrooms, fresh and dry? Thank you for your wisdom!