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Home » Holidays » Thanksgiving ideas » The Best Gravy Recipe EVER

The Best Gravy Recipe EVER

November 6, 2020 by Jenny 19 Comments

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I have struggled for years trying to find the perfect brown gravy recipe.  I could never quite get the consistency that I was looking for.  My husband always let me know that mine was never as good as my mom's, which thrilled my mom, but always frustrated me. 

When I was growing up my mom would make Chicken, rice and gravy just about every Sunday in the Fall.  It was as if Fall meant football and Chicken, rice and brown gravy. Although it felt a bit mundane at the time, I now cherish that recipe, particularly the gravy.

In fact, I spent several years attempting to nail that gravy recipe and am so finally excited to share my "Best Gravy Ever Recipe" with my readers!

Jump to:
  • The Story Behind The Best Brown Gravy Recipe EVER
  • Some Tips About This Recipe
  • The Rest if (Brown) Gravy! Pun Intended
  • The Best Brown Gravy Recipe EVER
  • Want more Sunday & Holiday Dinner Ideas?

The Story Behind The Best Brown Gravy Recipe EVER

The best gravy recipe ever

This recipe is largely constructed from my mom's, but I finally realized that the consistency was an issue because she didn't make a roux.  What's a roux, you may ask? It's the idea of mixing flour and fat together to thicken a sauce. It's used quite often in gravy recipes.

So it hit me one day when I was making my Tomato Bisque soup that the roux was exactly what was missing in my mom's brown gravy recipe.  Some of you might be face palming yourself at this point and saying, "Really?!"  But I'm telling you that for me it was a light bulb moment and it pulled together the base recipe into a complete culinary success!

Gravy in a gravy boat being poured over sliced turkey on a plate

Some Tips About This Recipe

This gravy recipe not only works with a Roast Chicken, which I'll be sharing with all of you later in the week, but also with my Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe that will have everyone singing your praises for Thanksgiving.

If you serve this gravy at Thanksgiving I would recommend using a gravy separator like in the pictures, but then also pouring it into a fun gravy boat. I want all of you to truly appreciate the color and consistency of the gravy, which is why I chose to keep it in the separator for the photos. Also, if you've never used a separator before then you NEED to get one and I've linked to a few options in this article.   It separates the gravy and the fat that rises to the top so that just the gravy gets poured out.  

Finally, one reader had a great suggestion that you could actually make the roux the day before and store it in a container in your fridge. It's a great way to cut down on time and pressure, especially during a crazy holiday like Thanksgiving with a house full of family.

gravy served in gravy boat with ladle

The Rest if (Brown) Gravy! Pun Intended

Gravy in a gravy boat being poured over sliced turkey on a plate

The Best Brown Gravy Recipe EVER

This brown gravy recipe has been perfected over generations and is the perfect compliment to your Thanksgiving or any Sunday Dinner
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken gravy, gravy, thanksgiving, turkey gravy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 66kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Gizzards from chicken or turkey
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup butter salted is best
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup whole milk

Instructions

  • While your turkey or chicken is baking, simmer the gizzards in water with an onion.
  • Once the turkey/chicken is done remove it from the roasting pan and place on top of the oven with both burners on low.
  • As the pan heats up, you'll be able to scrape the cooked on bits from the turkey/chicken.
  • Remove the gizzards and most of the onion from the simmered water and pour into the roasting pan. 
  • Meanwhile, start the roux by melting ¼ cup of butter in a small saucepan.
  • Add in the 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine it with the butter.
  • Over medium heat add in the 1 cup of milk and continuously stir to create a rue that thickens and has some texture to it. 
  • Before I pour the roux into the roasting pan, I salt the pan. We like things salty so I would say I add in about 2-4 teaspoons of salt, but this should be salted to your liking.
  • Combine the rue with the broth in the roasting pan and continue to stir until it is well combined.
  • I always use a gravy separator before pouring the gravy into my serving dish so that there are not any unwanted chunks and it separates the gravy from the fat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Want more Sunday & Holiday Dinner Ideas?

Some of my favorite dishes to make every Holiday include this healthier take on a traditional corn casserole, these delicious balsamic glazed brussel sprouts and my all time favorite garlic creamy mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AO

    November 24, 2021 at 11:39 pm

    I am excited to try your gravy recipe for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I make gravy every year and while my husband says it should have its own food group my father isn't a fan. Maybe he will like yours better ;). I looked to see if you had posted your moms Chicken, Rice and Gravy recipe but I did not see it, is it something you would be willing to share?
    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
    • Jenny

      November 30, 2021 at 1:25 pm

      I hope it turned out great! I will look for that Chicken, Rice and Gravy recipe and send it along as soon as I find it!

      Reply
  2. Shari

    November 29, 2014 at 10:11 am

    Gravy is the main event in our home for thanksgiving. The turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing are all just there as a delivery system for the gravy. Of course we all just eat it with a spoon when no one is watching, but in front of each other, we pretend to have restraint. We refer to the gravy as "liquid gold!"

    I roast either a second turkey, or just some turkey legs the day before Thanksgiving. All the meat from this is chopped up and placed in my freezer for turkey pot pies and soup. I then boil the bones, gizzards, neck etc. overnight with aromatics (carrots, celery, onion, garlic & herbs) to make homemade stock. Some is used in the stuffing, potatoes and gravy and the rest is frozen. Then (this is the important part) I place the entire roasting pan, with the drippings into the fridge. The fat congeals on the top overnight and you peal the fat off. I hate greasy gravy. Then I heat the drippings back up and make it in a similar manner to yours, but I've never used milk, just the stock I made with the first turkey. I also chop up some turkey to put in the gravy as well. Full of turkey flavor and again, the star of our meal. This method was passed to me by my mother and hopefully one of my boys will carry on our gravy tradition! Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  3. Audrey

    November 24, 2014 at 7:54 am

    Adding the neck and gizzard to the water, along with a carrot, celery, onion and a boquet garni (bunch of fresh herbs tied together in a bundle) makes for a more flavorful broth and gravy. Also it's a roux (a mix of flour and fat), not a rue. A rue, is regret or sorrow, not exactly what you want with your turkey dinner.

    Reply
  4. Kim

    November 16, 2014 at 11:52 pm

    Here is my little to to add......I make my rue the day before one less thing to worry about that day!

    Reply
  5. Lori

    November 03, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    I'm a little confused. Why so many ingredients for a simple gravy? And what is the point of a gravy separator? The best gravy is made by leaving the grease in the pan, adding flour to thicken it, then the water off your potatoes to that. If you get rid of the grease, where's the flavor?

    Reply
  6. Dianne

    October 18, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    How much water do you use? Thank you.

    Reply
  7. Glenna @ My Paper Craze

    October 15, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Thanks so much for this recipe. Every holiday I stress whether my gravy will turn out right or not. This will make my life so much easier.

    Reply
  8. Layne

    October 13, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    This looks delicious!

    Reply
  9. Pam Gordon

    October 11, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    I make my gravy in a similar manner, but I use the separater to isolate the fat in the pan drippings, using them, with flour, to make the roux. I think it's important to let the roux cook til it darkens, caramel color for poultry, darker yet for other meats. Then, add the flavored water, or broth and whisk til smooth. Last trick: when you think the gravy is done, let it simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. It makes the gravy smooth, glossy and perfect!

    Reply
    • Jenny Melrose

      October 12, 2014 at 8:30 am

      I'm emailing you the recipe now. I'm sorry about the inconvenience.

      Reply
  10. Christine

    October 11, 2014 at 8:26 pm

    I couldn't read this post or recipe because of the ad taking up half the page (I'm on my tablet). The ad couldn't be closed.then, when I came down to make the comment, there is another one taking up a good portion of the bottom of the screen. I'm super bummed cause I need a good great tutorial.

    Reply
  11. melissa

    October 10, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    How much water do you use?

    Reply
  12. ColleenB. ~ Texas

    October 10, 2014 at 7:46 am

    Oh, I remember the very first time when I tried to make gravy. I was around 15 yrs old; my mom was away at the time when I was the cook of the house. If we had rolls of wall paper, I think we could had used my gravy as wallpaper paste. Yes, it was that bad. Needless to say; over the years, I have learned A lot.....including making gravy.
    I also have that same separator and highly recommend that everyone has one in their own kitchen.
    Anything I don't like is the taste of greasy gravy.
    Thanks for sharing your recipe

    Reply
  13. Raquel

    October 07, 2014 at 11:17 am

    This looks great Jenny! I am so in need of a good gravy recipe!

    Reply
    • robin

      November 15, 2014 at 4:54 pm

      Much better if you pour some white wine over your bird while roasting!

      Reply
      • Jenny Melrose

        November 16, 2020 at 5:19 pm

        amazing idea!

        Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Roast Chicken | The NY Melrose Family says:
    October 10, 2014 at 6:00 am

    […] Football and that is my mama’s Roast Chicken.  I promised this recipe after I shared my best Gravy Recipe EVER.  And when this girl makes a promise I have to deliver.  Believe me you won’t be […]

    Reply
  2. The Perfect Roast Turkey Recipe | The NY Melrose Family says:
    October 7, 2014 at 7:57 am

    […] and giblets I put off to the side to simmer while the turkey cooks so that I can use it to make my gravy, which I just recently perfected.  It only took me 5 […]

    Reply

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Jennifer Anderson Hey, I’m Jenny! As a working mom, I understand the importance of saving time and money. My hope is that my blog brings you countless resources for great, fast recipes and easy cleaning, health and DIY tips. MORE ABOUT ME »

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