*This post is sponsored by Jennie O but all opinions are my own. Thank you for allowing us to share our favorite brands with you to keep this blog going.*
The turkey is the star of Thanksgiving dinner . . . but what is a turkey without gravy?! My husband seriously drenches his entire plate in gravy! With some leftover pan drippings, turkey gravy is actually quite simple to make!
Now let’s talk turkey . . . cooking a turkey has always been super intimidating to me. I remember my mom waking up on Thanksgiving around 5 am to get the turkey in the oven, after it had been thawing for exactly 31 1/2 hours (give or take a couple minutes). Then there is the issue of the giblets and having to pull out all those insides . . . I just can’t do it.
This year, I discovered that Jennie-O had done all the work for me! You can now purchase their Whole Bird Oven-Ready Turkey at your local grocery store . . . and can I just tell you what a life-saver it is?! You pull it from the freezer (NO THAWING required!), place it in a roasting pan, cut a few slits in the cooking bag it comes in, then let it roast away for about 4-5 hours! It has already been rubbed with herbs and seasoning and all giblets have been removed prior to freezing. It literally took me 5 minutes to get it in the oven.
When it was finished cooking (it has a popper that popped up when it was done), I removed it from the oven, placed it on a serving dish, and used the leftover pan drippings to make this perfect gravy. Thanksgiving just got SO much easier and tasted like I had been prepping for a week to make this perfect turkey!
Now onto the gravy to use as the topper to all your delicious dishes:
Serves: 5
Using pan drippings from your turkey, you can make this quick and easy turkey gravy to pour on top!
5 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
15 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 (11 to13-pound) JENNIE-O Oven-Ready Whole Turkey
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups pan drippings from roasted turkey
Instructions
- From frozen, cook turkey as specified on the package (mine took about 4 hours).
- Remove turkey from pan and pour drippings through a strainer into a large bowl.
- Let sit for about 3-5 minutes and remove any fat that moves to the top of the drippings.
- To make this gravy, you are going to need about 4 cups of drippings. If you do not have four cups at this point, add enough chicken broth to make 4 cups.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter and add in black pepper over medium heat.
- Lower heat to medium-low and whisk in 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
- Slowly add in pan drippings, about 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly to keep the flour from clumping. Continue to whisk after adding all the liquid until the gravy starts to bubble and thicken (about 2-3 minutes).
- Use gravy immediately, or keep warm on stove top and stir well before serving.
Join us in making the switch to turkey for a tasty way to eat better!
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