Chicken Chips and Gravy
Nov 06, 2023, Updated Mar 13, 2024
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Food doesn’t always need to be fancy to taste delicious. Humble food when done well can be some of the best choices around. Chicken chips and gravy is a food that I find absolute comfort in. Everything is homemade--from the roast chicken to the crunchy chicken salt chips and the light gravy--and it’s perfect. The whole family will love this for a comforting dinner or special treat!
Want even more recipes for chicken and chips? You'll love these garlic butter fries and this roasted chicken with salsa verde!
Every country has their own take on chicken, chips, and gravy—from crispy French fries in France to KFC in the US. In Australia, we keep it simple with roasted chicken, homemade chips, and a rich, savoury gravy made from pan juices. It’s comfort food at its best—easy, filling, and guaranteed to lift your mood. The secret? A good chook, low and slow cooking, and a homemade gravy that ties it all together.
Ingredients
Curious what you need to make this special comforting dinner? Grab these key ingredients and you'll be ready to enjoy a steaming plate of chicken chips and gravy!
- Chicken: You'll need to start with a whole chicken that's been spatchcocked (butterflied) so it lays flat for easy cooking.
- Potatoes: Choose a firm, starchy potato variety, like russet or Yukon Gold, for the chips. They'll get crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
- Chicken Salt: This uniquely Australian flavour adds a lot of umami! Even if you don't have any chicken salt on hand, don't worry--I show you how to make your own in this recipe.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add Spice: Add a kick to your roast by adding a touch of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes to the garlic butter. Or serve hot sauce on the side with the chips.
- Sweet Potato Chips: Swap potatoes for sweet potatoes to make fun and tasty chips! Since sweet potatoes cook faster than regular potatoes, you'll need to skip the boiling and first frying.
- Bravas Sauce: In a hurry and don't want to make gravy? Swap it out for homemade bravas sauce instead for a Spanish-style variation. (Refer to my patatas bravas post for my recipe!)
How to Make Chicken Chips and Gravy
- Cut the potatoes into chips, then soak them in a bowl of cold water and rinse until the water is cloudy to remove excess starch.
- Drain the chips, then cook them in salted water for 20 minutes, or until they're fork tender. Let the chips drip-dry by putting them on a wire rack and chill them in the fridge or freezer until they're cold.
- Fry the chips in 140°C (285°F) oil for 8 minutes. They should only be very lightly coloured at this stage.) Let them cool on wire racks in the fridge or freezer again until they're cold.
- Fry the chips a second time in 180°C (355°F) oil until they're golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Drain them on paper towels and season them generously with your homemade chicken salt.
- Roast three bulbs of garlic, then let them cool and squeeze the cloves out of the skins. Mash the roasted garlic with the butter, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Melt ⅓ cup of the garlic butter (about 80g) for the chicken and set the rest aside for another use.
- Rub some of the garlic butter under the chicken skin to season it, then place it on a roasting rack. Spread the vegetables in the roasting tin and place the rack of meat on top.
- Roast the chicken until the skin is golden and it has an internal temperature of 75°C (165°F), about 45 minutes at 210°C (410°F).
- Make the chicken gravy by combining the chicken drippings and roasted vegetables in a saucepan. Add the wine and cook briefly, then whisk the cornstarch and chicken stock together and add it to the gravy. Simmer until thickened, then pour through a strainer.
- Serve the chicken and chips with a generous amount of gravy poured on top. Enjoy while the chips are hot and crispy!
Recipe FAQs
For the most flavourful chicken chips and gravy, choose a whole chicken and spatchcock (butterfly) it before roasting. This method flattens the bird, helping it cook evenly and giving you beautifully crispy skin. Using a high-quality, free-range chicken will also elevate the flavour of both the meat and the gravy.
To spatchcock a chicken for chicken chips and gravy, all you need is a sharp pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Flip the chicken upside down with the legs toward you. Cut along both sides of the bone going down the centre of the chicken, pull it out, then press the chicken flat with the heel of your hand. It’s a simple step, and can cut your roasting time in half!
To make the crispiest chips for your chicken chips and gravy, start by parboiling the potatoes until they're fork tender, then let them cool completely in the fridge or freezer. This helps remove moisture and firm them up. When fried in hot oil, they’ll turn golden and crisp on the outside while staying fluffy inside. I recommend frying them twice for even crispier chips!
Serving Chicken Chips and Gravy
To balance out the richness of the chicken, chips, and gravy, I love serving it with a fresh and vibrant salad on the side. Try my peach salad with garlic confit dressing, which combines juicy peaches, burrata, rocket, and prosciutto with a sweet-tangy balsamic glaze. For something heartier, this roasted pumpkin, walnut & kale salad is perfect!
If you’re after something fresh and green, tabouli is a great choice to cut through the richness. Or go for a classic with my Caesar salad, made with crisp cos lettuce, garlic confit aioli, and homemade croutons for that irresistible crunch. Each of these sides adds a different flavour and texture to round out the meal beautifully.
Expert TIps
- Cool the chips properly after boiling. After parboiling and doing the first fry, chill the chips in the fridge or freezer. Skipping this can lead to soggy chips!
- For faster, more even cooking, spatchcock the chicken. It's quicker and easier than it sounds!
- Make sure that you roast the chicken over the veggies; you're going to need the juices later to bring a great flavour to the gravy.
- For a flavourful roast chicken, don't skip the garlic butter!
Other Chicken Recipes You'll Love
Have questions or want to leave a review? Please do so below the recipe card! I always love answering your questions and hearing your feedback.
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Chicken Chips and Gravy
Ingredients
For the Chicken Salt Chips
- 3.3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
- 8 ½ cups vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
For the Garlic Butter
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 3 bulbs garlic
- ⅓ cup parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 pinch flakey sea salt, or to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper, or to taste
For the Roasted Chicken
- 3.3 pounds chicken, spatchcocked (butterflied)
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 onions, peeled and quartered
- 2 bulbs garlic, halved crosswise to expose the cloves
- ½ lemon, quartered
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Chicken Gravy
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
Making the Chicken Salt Chips
- Cut Chips: Trim off the edges of the potatoes until they have a square shape. Cut the potatoes into chip that are roughly ¾ by 2 ½ inches (2 by 6 cm). Place the cut chips as you go into a bowl of cold water to keep them from oxidising.
- Rinse: Place the bowl of cut chips under the tap and rinse until the water turns cloudy to remove excess starch from the potatoes. Drain in a colander and rinse again with cold water.
- Boil: Place the chips into a large pot and cover with cold water. Season with a generous amount of salt. Place the pot onto the stove on a high heat and start the timer for 20 minutes as soon as you turn the heat on. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat to medium. Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender.
- Cool: Drain the chips with a spider or slotted spoon and place them on a cooling rack to allow all the moisture to drip off. Place the cooling rack into the fridge or freezer until the chips are cold, not frozen; this takes about 30 minutes in the freezer or up to 2 hours in the fridge.
- Fry #1: Fill a large pot with the vegetable oil and bring to 140°C (285°F). Carefully place the chips into the hot oil with a spider or slotted spoon and fry for 8 minutes. Remove the chips from the oil and place back onto the cooling rack. Put the chips back into the fridge or freezer until they're cold.
- Chicken Salt: While the chips are in the freezer, prepare the chicken salt by combining the chicken stock powder, onion and garlic powder, flakey sea salt, and white pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined.
- Fry #2: Use the same oil but heat it to 180°C (355°F) this time. Using a slotted spoon, carefully place the chips into the hot oil and fry for 4-6 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chips from the oil and place back onto the cooling rack. Season generously with as much chicken salt as you please and serve.
Making the Garlic Butter
- Season Chicken: Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towel and generously season with sea salt flakes and pepper all over. If time allows, allow the chicken to come to room temperature; about 2 hours. This step acts like a dry brine for extra juicy chicken.
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).
- Roast Garlic: Using a sharp knife, slice about 2-3 cm (1 inch) off of the tops of 3 garlic bulbs to expose the raw cloves. Place the garlic bulbs into the centre of an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove Skins: Remove the garlic from the dish and set aside to cool until you are able to handle it. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins with your fingers.
- Garlic Butter: Place the garlic cloves in a bowl with the butter, parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Mash together with a fork until well combined.
- Increase Temperature: Increase the oven temperature to 210°C (410°F).
Roasting the Chicken
- Butter Chicken: Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the chicken breast and evenly stuff each side with just under a tablespoon (10g) of garlic butter.
- Melt Garlic Butter: In a small pot on a low heat, melt ⅓ cup (80g) of the garlic butter. Reserve the remaining butter for another use.
- Roast: Lay the onions, carrots, two halved garlic bulbs, lemons, and rosemary sprigs into a baking tin. Place the chicken on a wire rack and set over the tin. Drizzle the melted garlic butter and some olive oil all over the chicken. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden, and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 75°C (165°F).
- Cool & Rest: Remove the wire rack with the chicken on it from the tray and set to the side. Allow the chicken to rest while you prepare the gravy.
Making the Gravy & Serving
- Making Gravy: Transfer the chicken drippings and roasted vegetables into a medium saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium heat, then add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with the chicken stock to make a slurry, then and add it to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened, whisking occasionally. Pour the gravy through a mesh strainer that is placed over a bowl to remove any lumps.
- Serve: Slice the chicken into quarters and serve with the chicken salt chips and a generous amount of gravy on top. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cool the chips properly after boiling. After parboiling and doing the first fry, chill the chips in the fridge or freezer. Skipping this can lead to soggy chips!
- For faster, more even cooking, spatchcock the chicken. It's quicker and easier than it sounds!
- Make sure that you roast the chicken over the veggies; you're going to need the juices later to bring a great flavour to the gravy.
- For a flavourful roast chicken, don't skip the garlic butter!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!Images by Alanna Penna Photography.
I can never get enough of fries and gravy (poutine is one of my favourites, and I always have some when I go back home to Canada). This version with chicken looks wonderful--and chicken salt sounds really intriguing! Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
We made this for the family last night. It was incredible. Perfection. We declared it the best chicken and gravy we’ve ever had. Thanks!
Wow! What a lovely comment to receive. Thanks for sharing!