I recently had Popeye's chicken for the first time, and honestly, it was one of the best fried chickens I've ever had. The biggest standout of the meal was their cajun gravy. It was probably the most flavorful gravy I've ever had at a fast-food chicken place. It was full of Southern flavors, texture, and all-around deliciousness. I knew I had to try making it at home.
Try this on my Popeye's spicy chicken recipe!
My copycat Popeye's cajun gravy uses slightly different ingredients than the original recipe, but I swear it tastes just as good if not better. The main difference is they use chicken gizzards but I couldn't find any, so I used bacon instead.
Why I use bacon instead of chicken
It's a well-known fact that Popeye's gravy has chicken gizzards in it. The problem is chicken gizzards are not easy to find, and who wants to cook with gizzards anyway?
A good substitute I found is using bacon. It adds a little texture to the gravy and the fat is full of delicious flavors. You want to chop the bacon into very tiny pieces (about ⅛-inch). This will make it easier to render the fat and also crisp up faster.
How to make a roux
A roux is what helps thicken the gravy. We will use the leftover bacon fat when making the roux. To the pan of bacon fat, add two tablespoons of butter and wait for it to melt. Then add two tablespoons of flour and cook until it is golden brown. Then all you do is add the beef stock and cook until it thickens.
What beef stock to use?
Better Than Bouillon is my favorite brand of beef stock. Unlike other brands, it actually tastes like beef. I buy mine in big jars at Costco for about 70% of the price of regular jars at other grocery stores. All you do is mix it with water and it's ready to go.
If you find the gravy is not salty enough, I recommend increasing the amount of beef base instead of adding salt. It will make the gravy more flavorful.
Should I add bell peppers?
If you've had Popeye's gravy, you know there are tiny specks of bell peppers in the gravy. However, I decided not to include them in my recipe because, honestly, I cannot even taste them. Bell peppers are getting really expensive where I live so I didn't want to shell out $5 just for some specks of color.
Popeye's Cajun Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 strips bacon (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock (I'm using Better Than Bouillon roasted beef base)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bacon bits and cook for about 8-10 minutes until most of the fat is rendered out and the bacon is brown and crispy.
- Add the butter and cook until it melts.
- Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flour turns a light golden brown color.
- Gradually pour in the beef stock and whisk until it thickens. Add the mustard and whisk until incorporated.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve this with my copycat Popeye's fried chicken!
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