Description
This Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy recipe delivers a rich and flavorful gravy made from roasted turkey wings and vegetables, perfect for enhancing your holiday meals. Slow-roasting the wings with aromatics and deglazing with white wine results in a deeply savory sauce that can be prepared in advance to save time on the day of your feast.
Ingredients
Scale
Roasting
- â…“ cup olive oil (divided)
- 3 onions, quartered
- 6 stalks celery, chopped into 2-inch chunks
- 4-5 carrots, chopped into 2-inch chunks
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 2 pounds turkey wings
Deglazing and Sauce
- ¾ cup white wine
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup flour
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C) to prepare for roasting the turkey wings and vegetables.
- Prepare Roasting Pan: Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Scatter the quartered onions, chopped celery, carrots, and fresh thyme over the oil. Lay the turkey wings on top and season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the wings.
- Roast Wings and Vegetables: Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast the turkey wings and vegetables for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the wings are golden brown and the vegetables are softened.
- Deglaze Pan: Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the white wine to deglaze. Scrape the bottom of the pan to lift up the browned bits, which add rich flavor to the gravy.
- Add Broth and Continue Roasting: Pour in the chicken broth and return the pan to the oven. Roast for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce by about half for a concentrated flavor.
- Strain Gravy Base: Remove the turkey wings from the pan and set aside for another use. Pour the contents of the roasting pan, including the vegetables and liquid, through a strainer into a large bowl or fat separator to separate solids from the broth.
- Thicken Gravy: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour to create a roux. Gradually add the strained broth, whisking constantly until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
- You can store the gravy in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- For a smoother texture, puree the strained vegetables before adding broth to the roux.
- Use the reserved turkey wings for soup or stock to avoid waste.
- Adjust the thickness of the gravy by varying the amount of flour in the roux.
- Fresh thyme can be substituted with dried thyme if fresh is unavailable; use about 1 teaspoon dried.
