Copycat St Hubert Gravy Recipe & Baked Chicken Thigh Prep

For generations of Quebec families, the words “St-Hubert” mean one thing: that glossy, deeply savoury brown gravy ladled over roast chicken. It is a flavour etched into childhood memories across la belle province, and it is also one of the most-requested copycat targets in Canadian home cooking. This copycat st hubert gravy recipe is our homemade take inspired by that iconic rotisserie-chicken-and-gravy plate — built around juicy baked chicken thighs and a rich, from-scratch gravy that reheats like a dream. To be clear: this is not affiliated with or endorsed by St-Hubert, and we are not claiming to have cracked their proprietary formula. We are simply making a deeply satisfying homemade chicken gravy in the same spirit, designed for a week of comforting meal-prep dinners.

The whole batch takes about an hour, most of it hands-off oven time, and yields six generous portions at roughly $3.50 CAD each. The gravy is the star — silky, peppery, with real roasted-chicken depth — and the thighs stay moist for days, which is exactly what you want from meal-prep poultry.

Key Takeaways

• Our homemade inspired-by St-Hubert gravy builds flavour from roasted chicken drippings, toasted flour roux, and poultry seasoning.
• Six portions cost roughly $21 CAD total — about $3.50 per serving.
• Bone-in, skin-on thighs are the best meal-prep chicken: they stay juicy for 4 days refrigerated.
• Store gravy separately and reheat gently with a splash of stock to restore the silky texture.
• This copycat st hubert gravy recipe is not affiliated with St-Hubert; it is an original homemade recreation.

Why Chicken Thighs Win for Meal Prep

Chicken breast is the default meal-prep protein, but it is also the first thing to turn chalky by day three. Thighs — especially bone-in, skin-on — carry more fat and connective tissue, which means they stay succulent through refrigeration and reheating. They are also consistently cheaper per kilo at every Canadian banner, often half the price of breast. For a gravy-smothered comfort dish, thighs are not a compromise; they are the correct choice.

We bake them hot and fast to crisp the skin, then the gravy goes on at serving time. Crispy skin plus silky gravy is the whole textural point of this plate, so do not skip the high-heat finish.

Copycat St Hubert Gravy Recipe: Ingredients

Ingredient	Amount (6 portions)	Notes
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs	12 thighs (about 1.8 kg)	Family pack from Superstore or Costco
Unsalted butter	¼ cup (60 g)	For the roux
All-purpose flour	¼ cup	Toasted for depth — do not skip the toasting
Chicken drippings	¼ cup	Reserved from the roasting pan
Low-sodium chicken stock	3 cups	PC or Campbell’s; boxed is fine
Soy sauce	1 tbsp	For colour and umami depth
Poultry seasoning	1½ tsp	The signature savoury note
Garlic powder	1 tsp	Background warmth
Onion powder	1 tsp	Rounds out the flavour
Coarse black pepper	1 tsp, plus more	St-Hubert-style gravy is peppery
Dried thyme	½ tsp	Crushed between your fingers
Olive oil	2 tbsp	For the thighs
Kosher salt	To taste	Season the thighs generously
Paprika	1 tsp	For colour on the chicken skin

The Gravy: Step by Step

A great brown gravy is a roux plus patience. Here is the method that has never failed us.

Step 1 — Roast the thighs and save the drippings (45 minutes)

Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the thighs very dry — moisture is the enemy of crisp skin. Rub with olive oil, then season aggressively with kosher salt, black pepper, and paprika, getting under the skin where you can. Arrange skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 40–45 minutes until the skin is deep golden and a thermometer reads 175°F (79°C) in the thickest part. Thighs are forgiving; that higher temp renders the fat fully.

Rest the thighs 10 minutes, then pour off the drippings from the pan into a heatproof measuring cup. You want about a quarter cup of that liquid gold. If you are short, top up with a little melted butter.

Step 2 — Build the roux (8 minutes)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the reserved drippings. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking as it bubbles. Here is the critical part: let the roux cook a full 5–6 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns the colour of peanut butter. A pale roux makes a pale, floury-tasting gravy; a toasted roux makes the deep, nutty, amber gravy you are after. It will smell like toasted hazelnuts when it is ready.

Step 3 — Add stock gradually (10 minutes)

Pour in the chicken stock a half cup at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition until smooth before adding more. Dumping it all at once is how lumps happen. Once all the stock is in, add the soy sauce, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and thyme. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust: more pepper for bite, a pinch of salt if needed, a splash more soy for colour.

The gravy will look slightly thin in the pan — it thickens as it cools, and it thickens further in the fridge. Resist the urge to over-reduce; you want it pourable, not paste.

Building the Meal-Prep Plates

Six containers, six complete comfort-food dinners. In each, place two thighs and a generous scoop of mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles — both are classic partners for this gravy and both reheat well. Tuck a portion of frozen peas or green beans alongside; they steam in the microwave with the rest of the plate. The gravy goes into separate small containers, about ⅓ cup each, so the skin stays crisp and nothing gets soggy.

Make the mash while the thighs roast: 1.5 kg of russet potatoes, boiled and mashed with butter, warm milk, and salt. One pot, fifteen minutes of attention, and it stretches the whole batch into genuinely filling plates.

Storage and Reheating Without Ruining the Gravy

Refrigerate the plates and the gravy for up to 4 days. The gravy will set into a firm gel in the fridge — that is the gelatin from the drippings and it is a sign you did it right, not a problem. To reheat, warm the gravy gently in a small saucepan over low heat with a splash of chicken stock, whisking until silky again. Microwaving works too: 60% power in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.

For the chicken, reheat uncovered at 375°F for 12–15 minutes to re-crisp the skin, or microwave the meat and accept softer skin. Freeze portions (gravy in separate freezer bags, laid flat) for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.

Cost Breakdown (Approximate, $ CAD)

Item	Est. cost ($ CAD)
Chicken thighs, 1.8 kg family pack	$9.00
Potatoes, 1.5 kg bag	$2.50
Chicken stock, 900 mL box	$2.00
Butter, flour, seasonings (pantry amortized)	$2.00
Frozen peas, 750 g bag	$2.50
Milk for mash	$1.00
Total for 6 portions	$19.00
Per portion	~$3.17

Plug your numbers into

to get your per-portion cost with your local prices. This is genuine comfort food at a price that beats any rotisserie-chicken takeout night.

Approximate Nutrition Per Portion

Estimates for two thighs with mash, peas, and ⅓ cup gravy. Approximate only.

Nutrient	Approximate amount
Calories	~680 kcal
Protein	~44 g
Carbohydrates	~48 g
Fat	~32 g
Sodium	~1,050 mg

Troubleshooting Your Gravy

• Lumpy gravy: pour it through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk hard — or blitz with an immersion blender. Next time, add stock more gradually.
• Too thin: simmer 5 more minutes, or whisk a teaspoon of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in.
• Too thick: whisk in warm stock a splash at a time until it pours.
• Bland: it almost always needs more pepper and a touch more salt. Taste, adjust, taste again.
• Too dark or bitter: the roux went past peanut-butter colour. Unfortunately there is no fix — start the roux again, and pull it earlier next time.

Serving Day: The 10-Minute Plate

When dinner time comes, give yourself ten minutes and this plate will taste like it just came out of the oven. Warm the thighs uncovered at 375°F while you heat the gravy in a small saucepan with a splash of stock, whisking until it turns glossy again. Mash goes in the microwave with a knob of butter on top. Pour the gravy over everything at the table — never before storing, always at serving — and finish with cracked black pepper and a few thyme leaves if you are feeling fancy. That hot-gravy-over-everything moment is the whole payoff of this prep, and it never gets old, even on day four.