Recipe: Quick and Easy Turkey Gravy
Stock, leftover pan drippings and other seasonings have all the elements to make your holiday meal complete. (Southern Bite)
Gravy is really only as good as the ingredients you put into it. My recipe calls for stock, not broth. Stock is often cooked longer and isn’t seasoned. It has more flavor from the bones, meat and vegetables that are used to make it because of the longer cook time. That makes it perfect as a building block for sauces and gravies. And we’re going to use some pan drippings from the turkey as well.
Quick and Easy Turkey Gravy
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock (see note 1)
- salt
- pepper
Optional ingredients:
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 to 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In medium pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Whisk the flour into the butter.
- Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the stock, whisking well after each addition.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning. (see note 3)
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until thick and smooth.
At this point, you can add in chopped cooked giblets, liver, boiled egg or even shredded turkey. Or you can omit them completely. I prefer it without the additions.
Serve immediately.
Notes
- The trick to making a great gravy is starting with good stock or pan drippings. Pan drippings are a great addition, especially if you’ve cooked your turkey with aromatics like carrots, onions and celery. Be sure to strain the drippings and ladle away as much of the rendered fat as possible; otherwise you could end up with greasy gravy.
- Don’t have enough pan drippings? Simply add enough premade or boxed stock to make 2 cups total.
- Often where gravy fails is with flavor, and there are lots of variables here. If your turkey was brined or dry rubbed, you might find that your stock has tons of flavor, but might also be super salty — resulting in salty gravy, so taste it before adding more salt. Using boxed stock is a great way to make gravy without having to deal with the hassle of pan drippings, but it also doesn’t usually have tons of flavor — making for a rather bland gravy. To beat that, crush a chicken bouillon cube (or two) between two spoons and whisk it into the gravy to add flavor. You can also add about 1/4 teaspoon of poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder or all three to add even more flavor.
This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.”
