How To Make Giblet Gravy - Classic Version - Stacy Lyn Harris

Classic Giblet Gravy is iconic and a must-have on the Southern holiday table. If you aren’t familiar with the gravy, it’s prepared by using the fowl’s (turkey, chicken, etc.) offal, rather the heart, gizzard, and liver. The neck meat is often used as well in giblet gravy.

I don’t ever remember a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday without it gracing our table. My mom didn’t cook that much growing up, but she sure knew how to make giblet gravy. She was an expert at it. The gravy makes all the difference in the taste of everything holiday.

What is giblet gravy made of?

Giblets are the chicken or turkey parts that you find in a little pouch inside the cavity of a processed bird. They include the heart, gizzard and liver. These poultry parts are high in protein and have a rich flavor that’s perfect for making gravy.

In this giblet gravy recipe, you start out by simmering the giblets and neck bone in stock for 2 hours. This rich stock becomes the base for your gravy.

Why start with stock instead of chicken broth?

Like chicken broth, most variations of chicken or turkey stock simmer with aromatic vegetables and herbs: onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. However, the beauty of stock is that it’s cooked with the bones as well as the meat. Collagen and natural gelatin from the bones thicken the liquid and provide extra nutrition.

How to Make Giblet Gravy

Giblet gravy is relatively simple to make, and the flavor is out of this world. Simply remove the heart, gizzard, and liver and place in a medium pot with stock and water. Add the neck to the pot if spatchcocking the turkey or chicken. Lower to a simmer for a few hours, and then strain out the giblets and chop the meat into tiny pieces. That’s it for the giblet part of the recipe.

The rest of the preparation is pretty much the same way you make brown gravy. Melt butter, stir in flour, and continue to stir until it becomes thick. Then add pan drippings from the cooked turkey, or add some of the drained broth from water in which you boiled the giblets until the gravy is the desired consistency. Add a little milk to give the gravy that silky texture, and then add a few boiled eggs chopped very small. The chopped egg gives the gravy a nice color, texture, and flavor.

Pouring this gravy over mashed potatoes, turkey, chicken, or cornbread dressing brings a comfort like none other. For me, this is comfort food at its best!

I demonstrate how to make giblet gravy in this video from my Thanksgiving Feast series on the Outdoor Channel:

Giblet Gravy – Classic Version

5 from 3 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Course Side DishCuisine American

Ingredients

• giblets from a whole turkey
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 2 cups water
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 large eggs, hardboiled and chopped

Instructions

• Bring giblets, turkey neck, stock, and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
• Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the giblets. Transfer giblets to a cutting board and allow to cool. Remove the meat from the neck and chop all the meat from neck and the rest of giblets.
• Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour. Whisk continuously for 4-5 minutes. Slowly pour in and whisk drippings from the turkey roasting pan and 2 cups of remaining broth into the butter-flour mixture in the saucepan and boil for 3 minutes at medium heat. Add the milk and continue stirring until mixture is thickened. Stir in chopped boiled eggs.
• Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

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