In the mood for chicken with gravy? This delicious, one-pan, chicken with garlic gravy fits the bill perfectly and is a garlic lover’s dream. You’ll want to bust out the mashed potatoes to soak up every bit of this fabulous gravy!
Why I love this chicken with garlic!
This one-pan, chicken with gravy dinner is so delicious, it’s in regular rotation in my household! It’s my go-to chicken dinner when I’m craving gravy!
I also love this dish because the chicken is wonderfully moist and browned and the gravy is rich and chock full of garlic. Twenty cloves worth! But you’d never know it, because the garlic gets browned and softened and changes into sweet bits of flavour, much like the beautiful mellow flavour of roasted garlic.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Garlic – If you’re like me, the thought of separating and peeling the 20 cloves of garlic for this recipe isn’t super appealing. I picked up a bag of the pre-peeled cloves at the grocery store for about $1. Money well spent, if you ask me :) And again, don’t worry that you won’t be able to leave the house for days after eating this. Like roasted garlic, this garlic becomes very mellow. You’ll know it’s there, but it won’t knock you (or anyone else) over.
Chicken – As for the chicken, any cut will do. I used skin-on/bone-in thighs here and I leave the skin-on for a more moist chicken. Boneless/skinless chicken thighs will also work here, as will chicken breasts, though the breasts will need longer in the oven to cook through.
White Wine – the recipe specifies some wine to de-glaze the pan after it comes out of the oven. Any wine will do. If you don’t have wine on hand or you prefer not to use it, simply skip it and use 3/4 cup more chicken broth instead. If you skip the wine, you may like to add a little acidity to the gravy that the wine usually brings, maybe add a splash of fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar to the gravy. Just a tsp or so. It makes all the difference!
Other ingredients you will need – chicken broth, thyme (fresh or dried), flour, cooking oil, salt, pepper and butter.
Cook’s Notes
- You’ll want serve this with something on the side to make the most of the delicious garlic gravy. My choice is usually a creamy mashed potato, but pasta or rice would also be nice. At the risk of carb overload, I’d even throw a great crusty bread in to the mix, to dip in the gravy. Add a salad or veg for a complete meal. I also love green beans or broccoli with this dish.
- I like to always brown up my skin-on chicken in a non-stick skillet. I’ve found it to be a foolproof method of keeping the skin on and getting it beautifully golden! Simply heat a bit of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the skin-on chicken, skin side down and allow to cook until deep golden, before flipping. Don’t rush it, this may take as much as 8-10 minutes depending on the size. Move the chicken around in the pan once in a while, to ensure even browning. Just make sure your non-stick pan is oven-proof (most are these days), but if not, simply transfer to an oven-safe pan or dish.
- Don’t forget to taste your gravy at the end of cooking and add additional salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed, to really bring all the great flavours together.

Get the Recipe: Rustic Chicken with Garlic Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil, vegetable, canola etc, for the pan
- 6 pieces skin-on/bone-in chicken thighs, or any skin-on chicken, such as breasts or drumsticks, about 2 lbs.
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 20 cloves garlic, separated and peeled (2 full heads)
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, any kind, or alternately replace by using more chicken broth instead
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or about 3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. (not fan assisted)
- Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Dry the chicken pieces well by patting them with a paper towel. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and the pepper. Add the chicken thighs to the hot skillet, skin side down and cook until well browned underneath. Flip chicken over and cook on the other side for a couple of minutes. Remove chicken to a plate. *Chicken thighs can be fatty! If you have a lot of fat in the pan, you can remove and discard some of it, but do leave a bit in the pan to cook the garlic in the next step.
- Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring regularly, until the garlic is starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir until combined. Return the chicken to the pan, COVER, and bake for about 15 minutes in the pre-heated 400° oven (*If you pan or skillet doesn't have a lid, you can tightly cover the top with tin-foil instead.) Be sure to cook until the chicken is cooked to 165F internal temperature. *Chicken breasts will take longer.
- Remove the pan from the oven and put it on a burner. *Be careful not to touch the hot pan handle! Remove the chicken pieces from the pan to a clean plate. Over medium-high heat, whisk in the wine and simmer for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol. Whisk in the broth, thyme and a bit more salt and pepper, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until the gravy thickens. Turn the heat off and stir in the butter. Taste sauce and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Add the chicken back to the pot to re-warm with the sauce. Serve spooned over mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
Notes
More Bone-in Chicken Thigh Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
My chicken left quite a bit of rendered fat. I drained a lot of it off before adding the garlic, but I’m not sure if that is a good idea. Any thoughts?
Mine did too, but I didn’t drain any off. That said, as long as you left some, I think you’ll be ok.
made this tonight with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and it was delicious. I used a jar of chopped garlic (forgive me!) because it’s all I had and it was still wonderful. next time I will make it with whole cloves! thanks for a fabulous recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Liz. I thought maybe chopped garlic would burn, but doesn’t sound like that was a problem. Good to know!
This looks like comfort food at its finest :-) Beautiful post and pictures… I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth :)
These pictures are making my mouth water! And a one pot meal! Yum. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Carrie. I love one pot meals, too!
Definitely going to make this tonight for my other half. However, my local supermarket only has boneless / skinless thighs, will this still work? And silly Scottish question, is chicken broth the same as chicken stock? Thank you!
Hi Sarah, Yes, it will still work. When thighs are skinless though, the meat can end up more dry, but less of an issue with thighs, which are a dark meat. And yes, I use chicken broth/stock interchangeably (even though they are a little different :) Either one will work.
Delicious! Glad I found this recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it, Dan :)
This looks great can’t wait to try it. Any recommendations on what type of wine to use?
Hi Britney, any dry white wine (that you would drink) would be fine.
Was wondering if there is a substitute for the wine?
Hi Shauna, You could substitute more chicken stock, maybe with a bit of of white wine vinegar for acidity. A diluted apple juice might work, as well. Or a combination of both :)
Made this last night and it was so gourmet tasting but so so easy. We had it with cornbread stuffing and it was delicious warmed up today for lunch!
Cornbread stuffing sounds like it would be delicious with this dish. So glad you enjoyed it!
I am in the Army. I have 24 hr. Duty in the barracks. I like to make a home cooked meal for the soldiers when I have duty. They are all very apreciatve of you sharing your recipe and you have made me look like a master chef! Just delicious! Thank
you!
That is so great, Colette! I am so honoured to have played a small part in bringing comfort food to those serving. Wonderful and so glad you all enjoyed it!
Are you using bone in chicken or bonleless chicken?
Thanks!
Hi Dawn, I used bone in/skin on chicken thighs here. I like to use skin on in dishes like this (for the flavour and to keep the chicken moist), but my grocery doesn’t sell anything with skin on and bone out. I have bought bone in/skin on chicken breasts before and taken the bone out which is pretty easy, but thighs are tougher to debone.
This is such a beautiful blog page! I found this recipe on pinterest and look forward to trying it tomorrow night :)
Thanks so much, Jenna and enjoy!
Well, I just finished it, and its DELISH! A total keeper recipe I am showing it to my sister and mother. Thank you :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Jenna!
I adore this in so many ways – chicken thighs (with skin), garlic, gravy and all in one pot is a recipe for the perfect meal, any time of year. Just beautiful, Jennifer!
Thanks so much, Liren :)
One pot meals are my fave! And this garlicy goodness looks sooo amazing, definitely going to add it to my meal rotation!
Thanks Phi :)
Thank you for this! My family really enjoyed it! The gravy was especially awesome over mashed potatoes like you suggested.
So glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth!
This sounds so yummy!! I have a question: Do the whole garlic cloves break down when making the gravy? I don’t want a whole clove of garlic in my gravy. I would most likely use chopped garlic. I can’t wait to try this!!
Hi Deanna, Yes, some of them break down and some don’t. Honestly, I wouldn’t try this with chopped garlic. It will burn and burnt garlic is not a pleasant taste. If you don’t want them in the gravy (and truthfully, they are very mellow in flavour, if that’s what you’re worried about), you could easily spoon the cloves out before serving.
This chicken dish looks fantastic! I can taste mash potatoes smothered in the delicious gravy already :-)
Thanks so much, Karen :)
Tried this last night. I had a lot of chicken and thought I’d just cook it all and hope for the best. Ummm… can I tell you I’m SO GLAD I cooked it all. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers today! Thanks for a wonderful recipe (tastes like my childhood Italian chicken meals).
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura!
I think a crispy roasted potato would be great with this too… might have to be our Sunday supper this week.
I don’t think you could go wrong with any side dish, Jackie (and crispy potatoes are always good!). Enjoy!
Your photos are divine, and this recipe sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. I love chicken thighs, and the garlic addition will be delicious. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Brenda.
Your photos are just stunning! Pinning pinning pinning
Thanks so much Sarah :)
Not much beats one pan and this gorgeous chicken would be the perfect dinner! :)
Thanks Tieghan. I agree. I’m a sucker for anything with gravy (means I can make mashed potatoes, too ;)
What a wonderful meal! I love getting everything in one pan, especially during a busy week. I am sooooooo making this tonight!
Thanks so much Meghan. Enjoy!
What a cozy meal, I love the garlic gravy!
Thanks Laura. Gravy is always good :)
One pan meals are my new fave. I like your tip to get the oil super hot for crispy skin.. Taking that one to the bank. Great recipe!
Thanks Heidi. Yes, even though I know to be patient when heating my oil, patience is not always my strong suit ;)
Another tip that might help, once the chicken is crisp it should move easily in the pan, so don’t try turning/moving the meat unless it releases easily from the skillet. Again it takes patience! ?
Hi Liz and great tip! Patience has never been my long suit ;)
This was amazing!!! The leftovers are just as good.
So glad you enjoyed it, Rachel!
Made this tonight after a quick search on Pinterest for chicken thigh recipes, first recipe that popped up. It turned out absolutely delicious and surprisingly simple! Just looking at the picture I assumed it was going to be complicated and tedious, definitely not the case. It will now be one of my go to quickies. My two and four year old devoured it!!
I think I made a terrible mistake tonight. I used Italian white wine and I am thinking that’s why the whole dish tasted so sour and a bit like the wine?? So disappointed because I knew it shouldn’t have tasted like that! What white wine do you use? Thanks. Anita
Hi Anita, I use a dry, white wine, usually Ontario or California. A chardonnay is nice with this.
Anita
I use either Robert Mondavi chardonnay or simple cooking wine from the grocery store.
Very good and as they have said , great with mash potatoes also I did a green bean casserole with it. A definite crowd pleaser!
So glad you enjoyed it :) Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This dish is sophistically delicious and very easy to make. I paired mine with lemon butter egg pasta and it tasted superb. A great recipe for quick get together or an impromptu dinner with simple ingredients already in your pantry. This one is a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Abbie and so glad you enjoyed it! Sounds perfect with the lemon butter pasta :)
Just made this dish and OH MY LORD WAS IT FANTASTIC. Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)