Dot each chicken breast with ½ tablespoon of butter
Bake until chicken reaches about 160F (20-30 minutes)
Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to stand while preparing the gravy. Chicken will finish cooking to 165F during standing time
Add the drippings from the baking dish to a pan over medium heat
Add butter and allow it to melt
Add the flour and whisk until flour is thick and begins to get golden
Add the milk and half and half whisking constantly
Cook until gravy thickens
Taste and add salt and pepper to taste
Notes
Storage:Refrigerate leftovers promply for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.Be generous with the pepper!
Always pat chicken dry with a paper towel before cooking with it.
Sometimes you can buy pre-packaged mixed bunches of fresh herbs in the grocery store. The great thing about that is you get a variety of herb flavors, without needing to spend a ton of money.
Scrape the bottom of the pan well to get all the browned bits of chicken drippings out. This is what adds the most flavor to your delicious gravy.
Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Larger chicken pieces will take longer to bake than smaller ones.
If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, baking is done when the juices of the chicken run clear (rather than pink or red.) However, this method is trickier, not as accurate as measuring by temperature, and often results in drier meat.
Let the milk and half and half come to room temperature while the chicken cooks. Avoid adding ice-cold milk to the gravy mixture.
Don't hold back on the black pepper. Fresh-cracked is even better!
This gravy recipe is fabulous on mashed potatoes and green beans, too, so don't skip it and you'll have a complete meal! Don't ya' just love easy dinners?!