This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (2024)

  • Gravies
  • Thanksgiving Side Dishes
  • Turkey

This classic gravy recipe uses everything—the neck, liver, heart, and gizzards—from either a turkey or a chicken.

By

Elise Bauer

This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated March 28, 2024

This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (2)

18 ratings

In This Recipe

Giblet gravy, a gravy made with the choicest pieces of the bird, is the queen of gravies. So full of wonderful flavor from the giblets and drippings.

This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (3)

What Are Giblets?

Giblets are comprised of the heart, gizzard, liver, and neck of the chicken or turkey. They are often found in a small bundle inside the cavity of the whole bird.

You can make gravy from the giblets of either a turkey or a chicken, though I think it's more usual with a roast turkey. The giblets are bigger, and there's more meat to put in the gravy.

This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (4)

How to Make Giblet Gravy

To make the gravy, you first make a stock from the giblets, which cooks on the stovetop while you are cooking your turkey.

When the bird has finished roasting, you combine the stock, along with chopped up cooked giblets, with the roasting pan drippings to make the gravy.

This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (5)

You can also make giblet gravy with a few hard boiled eggs and 3 tablespoons of chopped pimentos thrown in.

Do you make giblet gravy? If you do, what are your variations? Please let us know in the comments.

Make Ahead Tips for Giblet Gravy

You can make this gravy ahead of time, but unless you also cook the turkey or chicken ahead of time, you won't have the drippings from the turkey to add to it. As a workaround, try one of these two things.

  • To fully make the gravy ahead of time, you'll need to use a different type of fat. Remove the giblets from the uncooked bird, and make the gravy as directed. In Step 5, instead of using the drippings from the turkey or chicken, use two tablespoons of bacon fat or two tablespoons of butter and continue.
  • To simply make the stock ahead of time, remove the giblets from the uncooked bird complete Steps 1 to 4 of the recipe. Cool and refrigerate the stock and the minced giblet meat for up to 2 days. Getting this far will save you a lot of time the day of cooking.

How to Make This Gravy Gluten Free

Make this gravy gluten free simply by choosing cornstarch as the thickener instead of flour, following the optional directions in Step 5. Just be sure to first mix the cornstarch with water to make a slurry, rather than adding dry cornstarch straight to the drippings.

All of the other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.

What to Serve With This Gravy

  • Thanksgiving Stuffing With Sausage and Apples
  • Dry Brined and Roasted Turkey
  • Perfect Mashed Potatoes
  • Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
  • Popovers

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Giblet Gravy

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 15 mins

Servings12 servings

Yield3 cups

We've included the liver in our giblet gravy, which gives it a richer flavor. If you simply cannot abide with even a hint of the taste of liver, you can leave it out.

Turkeys and chickens are usually sold with the giblets wrapped in waxed paper or plastic, located inside of the cavity. On a turkey, some of the giblets may be found in the neck cavity as well.

Giblet gravy is usually served "chunky", if you want, you can purée it for a smoother gravy.

One traditional option is the addition of chopped hard boiled eggs to the gravy. If you want to try that, chop up 3 hard boiled eggs finely, and add them to the gravy in Step 6.

Ingredients

  • Giblets (neck, gizzard, heart, liver) from a turkey (or chicken)

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 cup diced onion

  • 1/2 cup diced carrot

  • 1/2 cup diced celery

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 5 cups water

  • Drippings from the turkey or chicken

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons flour (or 2 to 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved first into 1/4 cup of water)

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons mustard (yellow or Dijon)

Method

  1. Brown the giblets in butter:

    Heat the butter in a 2-quart saucepan on medium-high heat. When hot, add the giblets to the pan. Brown them on all sides.

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (6)

  2. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic:

    Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (7)

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (8)

  3. Add the herbs and water, then bring to simmer:

    Add the bay leaf, thyme and water. Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat. Partially cover so that some steam escapes, and cook on a low simmer for several hours, while the turkey (or chicken) is cooking.

  4. Strain the stock, then mince the giblet meat:

    Once the bird is close to being done, strain the giblets and stock through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Set aside the stock. Remove the giblets from the sieve. Finely mince the giblet meat. If you want, you can pull some of the meat off of the neck and mince that as well.

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (9)

  5. Add the flour or cornstarch to thedrippings:

    Once the bird is done, move it to a cutting board to let it rest. Pour off the excess fat (all but a tablespoon or two) from the roasting pan. Set the roasting pan over two burners of the stovetop set over medium heat.

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (10)

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (11)

    Add the flour (or cornstarch slurry) and whisk it into the drippings. Stir in the minced giblets. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring while cooking.

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (12)

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (13)

  6. Add the stock and minced giblets:

    Add the strained giblet stock to the pan drippings and giblets and mix well to combine. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the gravy thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.

    Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of mustard (to taste). Check for salt and add more salt to taste if needed. Serve it as-is, or purée the gravy in a blender for a smoother texture.

    Did you love the recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (14)

    This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (15)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
117Calories
8g Fat
5g Carbs
7g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g10%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 132mg44%
Sodium 128mg6%
Total Carbohydrate 5g2%
Dietary Fiber 1g3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 2mg9%
Calcium 21mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
Potassium 114mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

This Family Recipe Is the Best Poultry Gravy, Period (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good gravy? ›

Here are my principles for making great gravy without fear:
  • Make it ahead. This is the most important one. ...
  • Make a really good homemade turkey stock first. Don't skimp on this crucial first step. ...
  • Reinforce the stock's flavor. ...
  • Simmer, simmer, simmer. ...
  • Strain and cool. ...
  • Reduce. ...
  • Hot liquids only.
Nov 5, 2021

What is the difference between brown gravy and poultry gravy? ›

Brown gravies are usually beef flavored. They can be turkey, (they could be anything, really), but most poultry gravies are blonde. Like Dan Hunter says, you turn the blonde gravies brown by allowing the flour and oil roux to brown. The darker the roux, the darker the gravy.

What is the formula for gravy? ›

A traditional roux uses roughly an equal amount of flour and fat, but gravies often call for a bit more flour than that, to ensure the gravy is thick enough. (The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.)

What is the second step out of the five steps in the basic method for making gravy? ›

How to Make the Most Delicious Chicken Gravy with Drippings
  1. Step 1: Pour Drippings into a Measuring Cup. Start by roasting your chicken. ...
  2. Step 2: Measure the Fat. With a spoon, skim the fat from the drippings. ...
  3. Step 3: Add Flour to the Saucepan. ...
  4. Step 4: Add Drippings to the Saucepan. ...
  5. Step 5: Strain and Season Gravy.
Aug 11, 2022

What can I add to my gravy to make it better? ›

Add Herbs. Try thyme, sage, chopped parsley, a teeny bit of tarragon, and some chives. When using fresh herbs, add them toward the end of cooking. Lemon verbena, lavender, rosemary, basil, and mint for simple syrups.

What can I add to gravy to make it tastier? ›

Fortunately, Shannon has several suggestions for fixing bland gravy, starting by adding a bouillon cube, herbs or a splash of wine or cognac. But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic.

What do KFC make their gravy out of? ›

What is the gravy at KFC made of? The restaurant uses a simple combination of gravy powder, water, and – their secret ingredient – chicken crackling. This is a collection of the browned bits and pieces leftover from frying their world famous chicken.

What is a Southern gravy called? ›

Other common names include country gravy, sawmill gravy, milk gravy, and sausage gravy.

Is it better to make gravy with cornstarch or flour? ›

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

What is it called when you mix flour and water for gravy? ›

You cannot make gravy with just water and flour. What you will get is a slurry, not gravy. To make gravy you mix equal parts of oil (or butter) and flour. Whisk them together until you have a smooth roux. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes.

What is the best ingredient to thicken gravy? ›

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

Can you freeze gravy? ›

Yes, you can definitely freeze gravy. If you don't plan on eating up the gravy in a week, freeze it in containers, freezer bags, or even ice cube trays. A flour-based gravy can keep for up to three months in the freezer.

How do you make gravy less salty? ›

Milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half: Stir in 2 tsp of one of these dairy products to the gravy to reduce its saltiness. Yogurt: Add 1 tsp of plain yogurt to salty gravy. Sour cream: A dollop of sour cream can help balance the flavor of over-salted gravy.

Is gravy better with flour or cornstarch? ›

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

Why is my gravy not tasty? ›

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful. Homemade stock, even made with chicken stock rather than turkey, will produce a superior gravy—so it's worth the effort.

What can you add to brown gravy to make it taste better? ›

Supplement with Sautéed Vegetables

Soft, fragrant, sautéed vegetables lend a sweet, earthy, warm flavor to your store-bought gravy. Use any combination of onions, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, and mushrooms cooked in butter, olive oil, or pan drippings.

References

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