How To Make Giblet Gravy
Are you craving that delicious, savory gravy to pour over your Thanksgiving turkey or holiday roast? Our recipe delivers a rich, thick, and flavor-packed gravy that'll make you wonder why grandma never considered skipping the giblets.
Servings: 16
Calories: 45kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Turkey giblets the liver, heart, and gizzard
- 1 Turkey neck
- ½ onion
- Pinch of salt
- 3-4 cup turkey broth or chicken broth, divided
- 5 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Roasted veggies, bay leaf, and drippings from Roast turkey recipe
Instructions
- This recipe uses the roasting pan, veggies, and pan drippings from a roast turkey recipe.
Sear the giblets and neck:
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan preheated over medium heat. Add the giblets, neck and tail to the pan and saute to brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced onion, an sauce another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring as needed.
- Reduce the heat to low, and allow the giblets and onion to cook until the water has evaporated from the giblets and they are well browned, about 15 minutes.
- Then, cover with 1 cup broth.
- Tie the rosemary and thyme together. Then, add thyme and rosemary sprigs and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Adjust the heat to a low simmer for around 30 minutes.
- Strain, and reserve the liquid.
- Discard the neck (or save it for turkey stock and the gizzard)
- Transfer the giblets (the heart and liver) to a blender and pulse until finely chopped
Make the roux:
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan.
- Add the flour, and whisk slowly to form a roux. Let the roux cook to a dark brown.
- Slowly, whisk in 1 cup of the chicken broth. It will first form a thick paste as you add the liquid and then thin out a bit.
- Allow the gravy to thicken one minute longer, whisking.
- Add one more cup and simmer over low until the sauce thickens again. It will be thick and soupy now.
Make the giblet gravy:
- While the turkey rests, heat the pan that the turkey cooked in, with the veggies and dripping, over 2 burners set to medium heat.
- Add one cup of broth and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly whisk the gravy, 1 cup at a time, into the pan. Whisk to fully incorporate the mix and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Then strain the large leftover vegetables with a slotted spoon and discard. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaves as well.
- Add the minced giblets back to the pan with the gravy and bring to a simmer. Simmer to heat through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- Make this gravy from giblets while the turkey rests, using the pan drippings from the bird. If you didn't use a traditional roasted turkey for this recipe, use 1 cup of homemade turkey stock in place of the drippings and skip the steps to mix in the pan veggies.
- If you want a smooth gravy, you can omit adding the giblets back in or use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until smooth.
- If the gravy gets too thick, thin it while in the saucepan with a little cold water.
- Our favorite trick we've picked up on through the years is to keep gravy warm by storing it in a coffee carafe. When cold, giblet gravy can congeal, leaving an undesirable texture. If you simmer it too long, you can burn the bottom. We find a coffee carafe the perfect tool to transfer the gravy to and serve from so everyone gets piping hot gravy over their turkey, whether it's their first or third portion.
- You can make this gravy up to 6 months in advance and freeze it. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a saucepan to serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg