This turkey neck gravy recipe is savory, flavorful, and can be prepped ahead of time! Plus, no other stock is required, and your homemade gravy will be ready in less than 1 hour!
No one likes a dry holiday turkey, so we smother ours with the best gravy made from turkey neck! It may sound odd, but this part of the turkey has so much flavor and makes a heck of a turkey gravy recipe. If you are hosting Thanksgiving and need a gluten free option, we go with this gravy recipe.
When it comes to the holiday season, we love serving creamy mashed potatoes, sausage or stovetop stuffing, buttermilk cornbread, and glazed carrots. Most recently, we have even starting experimenting with smoking turkeys and it turns out the process is super simple!
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Neck Gravy Recipe
- Very simple to make.
- Only a few ingredients are required.
- No part of the turkey is wasted.
- The perfect recipe when you want to make gravy ahead of time since you won’t need the pan drippings.
What Ingredients do I Need for Turkey Neck Gravy?
- neck of a turkey and chopped giblets – we only use the heart and gizzard; you can also use the liver if desired
- large onion
- carrots and celery
- butter – salted or unsalted will work.
- Salt and black pepper
- all-purpose flour
- water
Before You Start: Rinse off the giblets and pat them dry using clean paper towels.
How to Make the Best Turkey Neck Gravy Recipe
BROWN AND BOIL: Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the onion, turkey neck, and giblets. Then season with salt and pepper. Add the veggies and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30-40 minutes.
STRAIN AND MAKE A ROUX: Remove the giblets and neck from the pot. Once cooled, pick the meat from the bones and set it aside. Pour the simmered liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, collecting only the turkey broth. Melt the remaining butter in a medium saucepan, stir in flour using a wooden spoon, and brown.
WHISK IN THE BROTH: Pour the broth in, while whisking constantly to reduce lumps. Cook until the gravy thickens. Add the neck meat and cooked giblets in and heat until they are warm.
- If your turkey comes with more than one heart or gizzard, add all the giblets to your broth for a nice, rich gravy.
- Slice parallel to the gizzard membrane to remove it, then chop it into tiny pieces.
- To thicken the gravy even more, use a cornstarch slurry by mixing together a tablespoon of cold water and a tablespoon of cornstarch.
- This is also a great recipe to make homemade turkey stock if you didn’t want to use it for turkey giblet gravy.
- If you are making this delicious gravy to use the next day, simply warm it in a gravy boat in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat until warmed through.
Fun Fact
Sometimes you may find two turkey necks in the cavity, but this doesn’t mean the turkey had two heads. It’s just an error at the processing plant.
Substitutions and Variations
- Some choose to use chicken broth or chicken stock in place of water.
- If you prefer more seasoning, you can use a bay leaf, sage, fresh thyme, or sprigs of rosemary.
- For those who don’t love turkey giblets, you can make a half-and-half batch where you leave half of the gravy without any meat and giblets.
Keep leftovers stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave to warm before re-serving.
Sure can and it’s actually very delicious! This part of the turkey is tender, rich, and very flavorful.
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
Turkey Neck Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 turkey neck and turkey giblets giblets diced into small pieces (we only use the heart and gizzard; you can also use the liver if desired)
- ½ large onion cut into chunks
- 1 cup diced carrots and celery
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse turkey giblets and pat dry.
- In a medium saucepan or stock pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Brown turkey neck, giblets, and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper while browning.
- Add carrots and celery and 4 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove turkey neck from the pot. When cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones.
- Pour the simmered liquid through a fine mesh sieve, collecting the broth.
- Pull the giblet pieces from the strained ingredients and add to the neck meat.
- In a saucepan, melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and brown over medium heat.
- Whisking constantly, pour in the strained broth, cooking over medium heat until gravy thickens.
- Add the neck and other giblet pieces to the gravy and heat through.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat gravy in the microwave or on the stovetop to thin. Sometimes your turkey will come with more than one heart or gizzard. Go ahead and add all the giblets to your broth for a nice, rich gravy. The gizzard has a tough membrane on one side of it. Slice parallel to the membrane to remove it and then chop the gizzard into tiny pieces. You can also use your giblets in my stovetop stuffing recipe
Nutrition
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