Total Time
1½ hours
For folks who really want to get ahead on their Thanksgiving prep, we present this make-ahead gravy, which you can stash in your refrigerator up to 5 days before T-day. (And, frankly, in your freezer for up to 3 months.) Since we don’t assume you have a casual turkey carcass and drippings lying around, this recipe deploys a different poultry that’s available (and relatively inexpensive) year-round: chicken wings.
For the most flavorful gravy, you’ll fortify pre-made stock (store-bought or homemade) with the seared wings and a few aromatics. For thickening the gravy, we turn to Wondra flour, a very finely milled variety that is less prone to lumps. (It’s also great for frying and makes pretty great pie crust too.) You can use all-purpose if you wish, just be sure to add the liquid slowly, and whisk well between each addition.
When you’re ready to reheat the gravy, have a cup or so of stock on standby. Gravy has a tendency to thicken over time, but a splash more liquid and a vigorous whisk will easily bring it back to silky, mashed-potato-pooling glory.
Ingredients
8 servings
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
3
¼
½
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook 1 lb. chicken wings, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Add 1 large onion, unpeeled, coarsely chopped, 1 large carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped, and 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped, and cook, stirring and turning wings often, until everything in pan is deeply browned, 14–16 minutes. Add a small handful of rosemary, thyme, and/or bay leaves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup dry white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add 6 cups Thanksgiving Stock or low-sodium chicken broth and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by a third, 35–40 minutes.
Step 2
Strain fortified stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. (You should have about 4 cups. If you don’t, add enough stock or water to get you there.) Discard solids. Keep fortified stock warm while you make your roux.
Step 3
Heat 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Whisk in ¼ cup Wondra or all-purpose flour and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is golden brown and looks smooth and shiny, about 4 minutes.
Step 4
Whisking constantly, ladle fortified stock into roux, pouring in gradually and making sure to incorporate after each addition before adding more. Simmer, whisking often, until gravy is thickened and reduced to about 3 cups (it should coat a spoon), 8–10 minutes. Stir in ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce, taste, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Do Ahead: Gravy can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat over low before serving.
Editor’s note: This Make-Ahead Gravy recipe was first printed in our November 2017 issue. Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (27)
Back to TopI have never made gravy from scratch. Although this recipe took around an hour to make, the result was worth every minute!!!!! This gravy was a hit at my Thanksgiving dinner. The flavor is unbelievable. Next time I will double the recipe. Highly recommend this gravy recipe.
Anonymous
Redding, CA
11/30/2023
delicious --I made no changes--everyone loved it
Sholzi
Fort Worth, Texas
11/25/2023
Admittely I always buy my gravy from the Williams Sonoma mix and it's so good. But this year, I forgot and realized it as I started cooking the day of! So I found this recipe that I had pulled from the magazine years a go and gave it a while. I used the turkey neck instead of wings, regular chicken broth instead of turkey broth and WOW! I may not go back, sorry Williams Sonoma! Highly recommend. Super easy to make and very good!
Vita Herman
Glen Ridge, NJ
11/24/2023
I love this recipe. I have been using it for years now and the flavor is so delicious.
Sherry R
Atlanta, GA
11/22/2023
Echoing Mr Spachcock, I made the turkey stock from the backbone and wings of the turkey the gravy was for and went straight to step 3 and added the herbs in there.
Anonymous
CO
11/25/2022
Is it really necessary to do this fortifying process with the 'Thanksgiving Stock'? That stock is already quite fortified and concentrated. Seems like you could just do one or the other of making the real stock, or fortifying a store bought stock.
Alfred Spatchcock
NC
11/3/2022
How many cups of gravy does this make?
Pamz
SC
11/24/2021
Delicious. How can I make it gluten free?
CLE550
Cleveland
11/23/2021
I tried this recipe for the first time and it I turned out dark, rich and tasty! I used turkey parts (not chicken)...wings, back, liver. I also used turkey bone broth and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I did not use Worcestershire sauce. For me, the Phase1 parts simmer for 30-40 minutes made all the difference! I will definitely make this again.
Amy Martin
SF Bay Area
12/10/2020
I made the recipe in advance with turkey wings instead of chicken wings, and using bone broth instead of homemade. I thought it was good but lacking the depth of flavor I associate with turkey gravy, so after I grilled my turkey, I added some of the pan drippings to the premade gravy. Excellent, and less stressful than doing the whole gravy from scratch after the turkey is roasted.
Home Chef
Santa Cruz, CA
11/28/2020
Can someone help me understand why I make this recipe twice? Why not use the original stock recipe and add the roux? I’m making the stock now, just seems redundant.
Anonymous
Orlando
11/28/2019
This will be my 3rd Thanksgiving to make this gravy and I thought I owed it to Andy Baraghani to leave a review and sing the praises of this gravy! It is easy, it is rich in flavor, it is done 2 days before the feast! I have converted at least 4 friends into Thanksgiving pros with this recipe.
Anonymous
11/26/2019
Looking forward to making this for Thanksgiving. Has anyone doubled this recipe? Any special tips, or experience to share? How large a saucepan would you suggest for doubling? Thank you!
Anonymous
St. Paul, MN
11/25/2019
I just made this for the second time and it's so easy and turns out fantastic every time. No lumps or crazy last minute whisking on Thanksgiving! It does take some time but it is absolutely worth it!
Anonymous
Hershey, Pennsylvania
11/24/2019
Hi again - I couldn't figure out how to amend my previous comment but for anyone trying to halve this - 1/4 a cup is 4 tablespoons, so the flour to butter ratio for the roux is 4:3 so for half, 2 tablespoons of flour to 1.5 tablespoons of butter. Also, I've made this a couple of times when roasting chickens and my wife says it's the best gravy she's had so my updated review is now five stars. Oh, but the time she said that, I didn't put in any Worcestershire sauce. But please, BA, make your units more uniform.
barleydavidson
Brooklyn, NY
6/6/2019