Homemade Turkey Gravy (With or Without the Drippings)
This homemade turkey gravy is a cinch to make with or without pan drippings! Or use this recipe to make chicken gravy.
Pan gravy is easy to prepare with the fat and drippings from roasted turkey. Whether you are roasting a whole turkey or a turkey breast, you should have enough drippings for a tasty gravy. Keep gravy in mind when you season the bird. If you use too much salt or you are heavy on the herbs, that could come through in your gravy. And make sure to rinse the bird thoroughly if brined.
This is a basic version made with drippings and stock. Turkey fat will produce the most flavor, but if you don’t have enough, go ahead and use butter. You can even make a decent gravy without the drippings. Just use butter, flour, and a good quality turkey or chicken stock. Some cooks like to add a bit of cream to their gravy for richer flavor.
The same formula can be used for chicken. Scale the recipe up for a large bird.
Homemade Turkey Gravy (With or Without the Drippings)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup turkey fat, or butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Pan drippings plus enough chicken or turkey stock to make about 1 3/4 cups
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a measuring cup or fat separating cup.
- Skim off the fat or use a fat separator. Put 1/4 cup of the fat in a medium saucepan and place it over medium heat. Scrape up any browned bits left in the roasting pan and add them to the saucepan.
- Stir in the flour. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the turkey or chicken stock to the remaining defatted drippings in the measuring cup to measure 1 3/4 cups. Pour the liquid into the saucepan and continue to cook until thickened, stirring frequently.
- If the gravy is too thick, add some extra stock. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the gravy for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Strain through a mesh sieve and pour into a gravy boat or serving dish.
