Turkey Gravy Recipe for Thanksgiving or Anytime
What better way to show off your Thanksgiving turkey than with a rich and flavorful turkey gravy recipe? I love gravy, but it isn't part of our everyday meals at home.
I am more likely to make a quick pan sauce or a reduction than I am to make a large amount of gravy, except for Thanksgiving. Then, I make a generous amount--enough for the Thanksgiving meal and leftovers the next day. And the next.
My favorite part of the meal is perfect mashed potatoes served with thick, rich turkey gravy. If there are seconds to be had (and there always are), I'm heading back to the potatoes.
The turkey will keep for leftovers, but those creamy mashed spuds have a limited life span, so I'm jumping on the mashed potato gravy train. "All aboard!"
And if you want to prepare your own turkey stock for making the most delicious turkey gravy on Thanksgiving or any time you roast a big fat turkey, check out my recipe for turkey stock.
📖 Recipe
Turkey Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 carrot
- 1 rib celery
- ½ yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- neck and giblets except the liver from the turkey
- ½ cup apple juice
- 2 Tablespoons Calvados apple brandy or brandy
- 4 cups homemade chicken stock or turkey stock
- 4 cups mixed cooking liquids from your Thanksgiving side dishes - potatoes, peas, green beans, etc
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns whole
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup dry white wine
- turkey pan drippings all but 2-3 tablespoons of fat skimmed off
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic.
- Measure out the 8 cups of liquid (stock plus cooking liquids).
- Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the neck and giblets and cook until the meats are cooked through and have taken on a bit of color.
- Add the chopped vegetables and garlic, and sauté until the vegetables are caramelized for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. You may need to turn the heat down to low or medium-low.
- Mix the apple juice and brandy, and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the juice mixture to the pan to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce until the juice evaporates to an essence. (Approx. 5 minutes)
- Add the 8 cups of liquid, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for one hour. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Strain this "quick stock" and set it aside.
- Remove the turkey from the roasting pan. Pour off pan drippings and reserve. Place roasting pan over high heat (straddling two burners, if necessary) and deglaze with white wine.
- Skim all but 2-3 tablespoons of the fat from the reserved pan drippings and return the drippings to the pan.
- Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook over medium-high heat, scraping and constantly stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the quick stock and bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat to thicken.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
Turkey Gravy in a Hurry
Need a fast but delicious turkey gravy recipe...
Who says you have to roast a turkey to have turkey gravy? Maybe you want some turkey gravy for leftovers or open-faced turkey sandwiches.
We don't roast a big turkey that often except for Thanksgiving, but I have many friends who enjoy roasting the big bird several times a year. It is an inexpensive way to put protein into your diet and can be used for soups, fajitas, sandwiches, and many other recipes.
Here's a quick and easy recipe that should do the job.
📖 Recipe
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup flour
- 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme sprig
- Pan drippings from roast turkey
- salt & ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Assemble all the ingredients that you will need to prepare this gravy.
- Start by making a roux with the melted butter and flour and hold to the side.
- In a saucepan bring chicken stock or turkey stock, thyme sprig and pan drippings to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
- Whisk the reserved roux to simmering stock being careful to get rid of any lumps.
- Over low heat, cook the gravy for about 10 minutes until it has reached the desired thickness.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, strain to remove the thyme sprig and any unsightly "stuff" from the pan drippings and serve.
Notes
Check out the links below for the best source for roasted chicken stock and classic turkey gravy. In addition, Amazon has a full line of commercial stocks and stock reductions that are perfect for this recipe and making gourmet sauces.
And you may be interested in some of the other brands making commercial turkey stock for your turkey gravy.
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