Turkey Gravy
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This homemade turkey gravy is made from turkey drippings, chicken broth, and flour. It has a rich and robust flavor that comes from simmering for a bit on the stovetop. And, of course, no lumps!
If you follow this site, you know I make a lot of gravies. From chicken gravy to pot roast gravy to swedish meatball gravy to country white gravy to onion gravy – I love them all.
This turkey gravy is a deeply flavored, slow simmered gravy that adds texture and richness to your turkey dinner. It is of course the ideal gravy to serve at Thanksgiving, but don’t limit yourself to having it just once a year!
The trick in this recipe is the double simmer. The first simmer reduces the chicken stock a bit and concentrates the flavor of the stock and drippings. That’s where the richness and depth of flavor comes together.
The second simmer, with the flour slurry, thickens and smooths out the gravy, giving it the thick, hold the back of a spoon consistency we’re looking for in a poultry gravy.
I think this gravy is really perfect just as it is – but you may want to season with salt and pepper to taste. But please try it first, chicken stock and the drippings will both be salty, so you don’t want to over-salt it.
If you use herbs when you roast your turkey, you can save some and add them to the last simmer of this gravy. This will add herby goodness to the gravy, nicely accompanying the herbed flavor of your roasted turkey.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Turkey drippings – This is my favorite recipe for roasting a turkey – it makes the best turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Save all the drippings from the roasting pan to give this gravy loads of delicious flavor.
- Chicken broth – Adds to the flavor.
- Flour – this helps to thicken the gravy.
Step by Step Directions
The long-simmering time for this gravy is what gives it the rich, robust and delicious flavor you will love it for.
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Transfer drippings to a medium saucepan. Add 3 and ½ cups of the chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Whisk together the flour and the remaining chicken broth in a small bowl; whisk into broth mixture.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat; reduce heat to medium and boil gently for about 20 minutes, until gravy has reduced and thickened. Serve with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, and of course cranberry sauce.
Tips For Success
- Make sure you whisk the flour and broth well enough to remove any clumps of flour. Once you pour this mixture into the hot broth, any lumps that remain will be very difficult to remove. Whisk constantly as you pour in the slurry.
- You can make this same gravy with chicken pan drippings instead of turkey if you are looking to serve it with roasted chicken.
- Vegetable broth or turkey stock can be used in place of chicken broth.
- Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, pour the gravy into a saucepan and add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth or water to thin it if needed. Heat it on medium-low heat until warmed through.
FAQ
You can use cornstarch if you don’t have all purpose flour on hand, but remember cornstarch works twice as well as flour to thicken sauces, so just use two tablespoons of cornstarch.
Apple cider – substitute 1 cup of the chicken broth for 1 cup of apple cider to give the gravy truly more of a fall feel.
Herbs – you can add herbs like dried sage, thyme or rosemary to your gravy while it simmers to give it more of an herby flavor. Play around and experiment.
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- Reserved drippings from roasted turkey
- 4 cups chicken broth, divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Transfer drippings to a medium saucepan. Add 3 ½ cups of the chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Whisk together ¼ cup all-purpose flour and the remaining ½ cup chicken broth in a small bowl; whisk into broth mixture.
- Bring to a boil over high; reduce heat to medium and boil gently for about 20 minutes, until gravy has reduced and thickened. Serve with roasted turkey.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.