Giblet Gravy

Make this classic giblet gravy recipe using the neck, liver, heart, and gizzards from a turkey or chicken.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated September 13, 2021
Elise Bauer
Giblet Gravy
Elise Bauer

Giblet gravy, a gravy made with the choicest pieces of the bird, is the queen of gravies. So full of wonderful flavor from the giblets and drippings.

Video: How to Make Giblet Gravy

2:20

Giblet Gravy

What Are Giblets?

Giblets are comprised of the heart, gizzard, liver, and neck of the chicken or turkey. They are often found in a small bundle inside the cavity of the whole bird.

You can make gravy from the giblets of either a turkey or a chicken, though I think it's more usual with a roast turkey. The giblets are bigger, and there's more meat to put in the gravy.

Giblets
Elise Bauer

How to Make Giblet Gravy

To make the gravy, you first make a stock from the giblets, which cooks on the stovetop while you are cooking your turkey.

When the bird has finished roasting, you combine the stock, along with chopped up cooked giblets, with the roasting pan drippings to make the gravy.

giblet-gravy
Elise Bauer

You can also make giblet gravy with a few hard boiled eggs and 3 tablespoons of chopped pimentos thrown in.

Do you make giblet gravy? If you do, what are your variations? Please let us know in the comments.

Featured Video

Make Ahead Tips for Giblet Gravy

You can make this gravy ahead of time, but unless you also cook the turkey or chicken ahead of time, you won't have the drippings from the turkey to add to it. As a workaround, try one of these two things.

  • To fully make the gravy ahead of time, you'll need to use a different type of fat. Remove the giblets from the uncooked bird, and make the gravy as directed. In Step 5, instead of using the drippings from the turkey or chicken, use two tablespoons of bacon fat or two tablespoons of butter and continue.
  • To simply make the stock ahead of time, remove the giblets from the uncooked bird complete Steps 1 to 4 of the recipe. Cool and refrigerate the stock and the minced giblet meat for up to 2 days. Getting this far will save you a lot of time the day of cooking.

How to Make This Gravy Gluten Free

Make this gravy gluten free simply by choosing cornstarch as the thickener instead of flour, following the optional directions in Step 5. Just be sure to first mix the cornstarch with water to make a slurry, rather than adding dry cornstarch straight to the drippings.

All of the other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.

What to Serve with the Best Giblet Gravy Ever!

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Giblet Gravy

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs 15 mins
Servings 12 servings
Yield 3 cups

We've included the liver in our giblet gravy, which gives it a richer flavor. If you simply cannot abide with even a hint of the taste of liver, you can leave it out.

Turkeys and chickens are usually sold with the giblets wrapped in waxed paper or plastic, located inside of the cavity. On a turkey, some of the giblets may be found in the neck cavity as well.

Giblet gravy is usually served "chunky", if you want, you can purée it for a smoother gravy.

One traditional option is the addition of chopped hard boiled eggs to the gravy. If you want to try that, chop up 3 hard boiled eggs finely, and add them to the gravy in Step 6.

Ingredients

  • Giblets (neck, gizzard, heart, liver) from a turkey (or chicken)

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 cup diced onion

  • 1/2 cup diced carrot

  • 1/2 cup diced celery

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 5 cups water

  • Drippings from the turkey or chicken

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons flour (or 2 to 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved first into 1/4 cup of water)

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons mustard (yellow or Dijon)

Method

  1. Brown the giblets in butter:

    Heat the butter in a 2-quart saucepan on medium-high heat. When hot, add the giblets to the pan. Brown them on all sides.

    giblet-gravy-method-1
    Elise Bauer
  2. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic:

    Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

    giblet-gravy-method-2
    Elise Bauer
    giblet-gravy-method-3
    Elise Bauer
  3. Add the herbs and water, then bring to simmer:

    Add the bay leaf, thyme and water. Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat. Partially cover so that some steam escapes, and cook on a low simmer for several hours, while the turkey (or chicken) is cooking.

  4. Strain the stock, then mince the giblet meat:

    Once the bird is close to being done, strain the giblets and stock through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Set aside the stock. Remove the giblets from the sieve. Finely mince the giblet meat. If you want, you can pull some of the meat off of the neck and mince that as well.

    giblet-gravy-method-4
    Elise Bauer
  5. Add the flour or cornstarch to the drippings:

    Once the bird is done, move it to a cutting board to let it rest. Pour off the excess fat (all but a tablespoon or two) from the roasting pan. Set the roasting pan over two burners of the stovetop set over medium heat.

    giblet-gravy-method-5
    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer

    Add the flour (or cornstarch slurry) and whisk it into the drippings. Stir in the minced giblets. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring while cooking.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
  6. Add the stock and minced giblets:

    Add the strained giblet stock to the pan drippings and giblets and mix well to combine. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the gravy thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.

    Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of mustard (to taste). Check for salt and add more salt to taste if needed. Serve it as-is, or purée the gravy in a blender for a smoother texture.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
Giblet Gravy
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
103 Calories
7g Fat
5g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 103
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Cholesterol 91mg 30%
Sodium 119mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 2mg 9%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 100mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.