Make-Ahead Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy

recipe by: Sarah Menanix

yields: servings, 3.5 cups

prep time: 5

cook time: 1 45

total time: 1 50

Rich and flavorful gluten-free turkey gravy you can make in advance to save you time! And you can still add pan drippings on the day of for even more flavor.

5 from 9 reviews

Ingredients

3.5-4 lbs turkey wings, legs, and/or other parts (see note)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 large shallots or 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
3 chopped large carrots, roughly chopped
3 chopped celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 cup dry white wine
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, packed or ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
2 bay leaves
3½ tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup sweet rice flour, also called mochiko; do not substitute white or brown rice flour. See note for substitution.
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Season the turkey parts with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the turkey parts, rotating and rearranging the pieces with tongs every couple of minutes, until browned on all sides. About 8-10 minutes total.
Add the shallot or onion and toss until nestled underneath the turkey. Cook for 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften, stirring the pot so they don't burn. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 more minutes, until the veggies begin to brown. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 more minutes.
Remove the turkey pieces to a bowl and pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Nestle the turkey pieces back into the pan (optionally, leave them in if you can navigate deglazing with big turkey pieces).
Stir in just 6 cups of the chicken broth and add the thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove the turkey parts to a bowl, shredding the meat if desired to save for another purpose (turkey tortilla soup?). Strain the turkey broth through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press the vegetables to release as much liquid as possible. Skim the fat off the broth (you can either pour broth into a fat separator or freeze the broth for 20 minutes to easily skim off the fat). You should have about 1.5 cups turkey broth.
Measure out enough chicken broth (about 2 cups) so with the turkey broth you have 3.5 cups total liquid (if you have a bit less, you can top it off with a bit of water).
Rinse the pot, but don't bother cleaning it. In the same pot, make the roux. Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the sweet rice flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and just light brown. (Note: if substituting with corn starch substitution, don't add the corn starch to the butter. Instead, make a slurry with the corn starch and ⅓ cup of the chicken broth. Add that along with the turkey broth and remaining chicken broth to the browned butter then stir in the corn starch slurry.)
While whisking, slowly pour the turkey broth followed by the chicken broth into the pot, whisking until smooth. Simmer whisking, for 3-5 minutes until thickened as desired. Taste and whisk in salt and pepper to taste.
Let cool then store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve. To defrost, you can put it in the fridge the night before to defrost it, you can run the container under warm water to defrost the bottom/sides and dump it into a pan to defrost on low heat on the stove, or you can microwave it!
If you serve the make-ahead gravy alongside Thanksgiving turkey, skim the fat off the drippings and add the drippings the day of if you've got them! Just be sure to sample the drippings first to make sure you like the flavor before adding them.

Video

Notes

Turkey wings, legs, and/or other parts: You can use whatever parts you can get your hands on in advance. Some years we make it with just turkey wings and others it's a combo. If using turkey wings only, you'll have a lot less fat to skim off the top, but the gravy is still just as flavorful!

Corn starch substitution: You can substitute ¼ cup corn starch in place of the sweet rice flour. To do this, skip making the roux. Instead, make a slurry with the corn starch and ⅓ cup of the chicken broth. Brown the butter in your saucepan and then add the turkey base, chicken broth, and corn starch slurry. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until thickened to your liking.