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make ahead turkey gravy

Recipe by
Jane -
small town, OR

Timing is everything when cooking a turkey dinner. Gravy should be made from the drippings but that is difficult to do when you have to wait until the turkey is done to make the gravy. While you make gravy and wait for it to cook down to the right consistency, everything else is getting cold. This recipe solves that dilemna. Please do not substitute the flour with cornstarch; especially if you plan to freeze any of the gravy. Cornstarch does not freeze well...I learned the hard way. Making gravy ahead also gives you the option of refrigerating the broth overnight to remove all the fat.

yield 8 -10
method Bake

Ingredients For make ahead turkey gravy

  • 3 lb
    turkey wings (about 4)
  • 2 md
    onions, peeled and quartered
  • 1 c
    water
  • 8 c
    chicken broth
  • 3/4 c
    carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp
    dried thyme
  • 3/4 c
    flour
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter
  • 1/2 tsp
    pepper

How To Make make ahead turkey gravy

  • 1
    Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange wings in a single layer in a large roaster pan. Scatter onions over the top. Roast about 1 1/4 hours, or until wings are nicely browned.
  • 2
    Transfer all to a 5-6 quart pot. Add the water to the roaster pan and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom and add those to the pot. Add 6 cups of broth and the thyme and carrots to the pot. Refrigerate the remaining 2 cups of broth.
  • 3
    Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours. Remove wings. Save meat for another use. Strain broth, pressing vegetables to extract as much broth as possible. Discard vegetables.
  • 4
    Skim fat from the broth, or if time permits, refrigerate overnight to bring fat to the top to be easily removed before proceeding. Discard fat.
  • 5
    Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups of broth until well blended and lump free. (I use a Mason jar with a tight lid and shake, shake, shake.)
  • 6
    Bring broth that has had fat removed (or most of it) to a gentle boil. Whisk in broth flavored flour mixture and boil 3-4 minutes to thicken gravy and cook flour. If gravy is thicker than you like, add broth, 1 teaspoon at a time. If gravy is too thin, let simmer over very low heat until it is the consistency you are looking for. Stir in Butter and pepper. Add a bit of Kitchen Bouquet to adjust the color to your liking. Serve now or freeze in proper containers for up to 6 month.
  • 7
    This first appeared in Woman's Day Magazine in November 1999. I wonder if anyone at Just a Pinch saved and/or used it.

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