Ingredients (8)
- Pan drippings, vegetables, and turkey neck from our Easy Roasted Turkey (recipe link in intro)
- 1 cup white wine or sherry
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or turkey stock or broth
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (optional): rosemary, thyme, and/or flat-leaf parsley
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
This simple gravy turns roasted turkey from good to amazing. To start, you’ll need the roasting pan (with the drippings) of our Easy Roasted Turkey. To make the gravy without the bird, follow the method in our Smoked Turkey recipe, omitting the pan juices.
And when you’re ready to graduate to something a bit more complicated, check out our recipe for Bourbon-Cream Gravy.
Instructions
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1Pour off the drippings from the roasted turkey into a small heatproof bowl. Let sit for a few minutes for the fat to rise to the top, then skim the fat off with a spoon and discard; set the drippings aside.
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- 2Place the roasting pan across two burners over medium heat. Put the onion and celery from inside the roasted turkey, along with the roasted turkey neck, in the pan. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a flat spatula.
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3Add the wine or sherry while scraping the bottom of the pan and simmer until reduced by half.
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Add the reserved drippings back to the pan. Pour the mixture through a strainer set over a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. Discard the solids from the strainer. - 4Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, sprinkle the flour evenly over it.
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5Whisk the flour and butter together and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture (known as a roux) turns the color of peanut butter, about 5 to 7 minutes.
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6While whisking continuously, slowly add the chicken stock or broth and the strained pan juices.
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Add the fresh herbs, if using. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, being sure to whisk at the edges of the pan, until the gravy thickens slightly. ![]()
Add salt and pepper to taste.![]()
Add the reserved drippings back to the pan. Pour the mixture through a strainer set over a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. Discard the solids from the strainer.
Add the fresh herbs, if using. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, being sure to whisk at the edges of the pan, until the gravy thickens slightly. 
Add salt and pepper to taste.