Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey with the Best Homemade Gluten Free Gravy

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5 from 1 vote

Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey with the Best Homemade Gluten Free Gravy

(Recipe based on 20-22 lb. turkey)

Prep Time20

Cook Time3

Total Time3 20

Course: dinner, holiday dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrots, gravy, Onions, turkey

Servings: 16 people

Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

Instant-Read Thermometer, Very Large Roasting Pan with Rack Insert

Ingredients

Whole Roasted Turkey

20 lb fresh brined or kosher turkey
5-6 medium-sized carrots peeled or scrubbed, and cut into quarters
2-3 large onion, white or yellow peeled and cut into 4 wedges through root

Gluten Free Homemade Gravy

5 cups chicken broth or stock
5 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 5 tablespoons COLD chicken broth or water*
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups white or yellow onion diced, approx 1 medium-sized onion
2 cups carrots(orange) diced, approx 5-6 medium-sized carrots
1 cup white wine (the real stuff!) or dry vermouth
couple of sprigs of thyme or rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme/rosemary
turkey drippings

Instructions

Whole Roasted Turkey

Take turkey out of fridge 2 hours before roasting and set aside.**
Before putting turkey in the pan, remove contents of cavity, reserving neck and gizzard (if included) for the pan drippings, if included. Trim turkey of excess skin (but don't trim too much because you want enough drippings in the pan to make the gravy). Then thoroughly pat dry with a paper towel which allows for crispier skin.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees on Roast setting if you have it, otherwise Bake setting.
Next place turkey in a roasting pan large enough to comfortably fit the turkey on a rack and allow for vegetables on the bottom.
Place neck and gizzard (if included) in the bottom of the pan. Then add roasting rack and place turkey BREAST-SIDE DOWN. (You’ll know it’s breast-side down if the wings are facing up and the legs are on the bottom!)
Cook turkey for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees, uncovered. While turkey is cooking prepare carrots and onions.
After 1/2 hour, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees for the remainder of the time. Allow the turkey to cook for 1 1/2 hours before carefully placing carrots and onions in the bottom of the turkey pan with the neck and gizzard (if included) and continue cooking uncovered for another 1 1/2 hours or so. Total cooking time is approximately 3 1/2 hours (but start checking for doneness at two hours 45 mins using an instant-read thermometer inserted into the dark meat; temperature should be 165 degrees). The only way to really know when the turkey is fully cooked is to USE AN INSTANT READ THERMOMETER!
Remove turkey from the oven. Transfer turkey to a large platter or cutting board with grooves (to catch any liquid). (Set pan with drippings aside. Drippings will be used to make the gravy). Then tent the turkey with foil. Let rest for 45 minutes. The turkey will stay warm for a couple of hours, so be patient and let it rest for best results.

Gluten Free Homemade Gravy

Making the gravy is a two-part process. Part 1 is making the gravy base which can be done 1-2 days in advance. Part 2 is combining the gravy base with the turkey drippings the day of cooking the turkey.

Part 1: Gravy Base

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and carrots and cook until lightly browned. Then add broth, thyme and white wine or vermouth to the carrots and onions.
Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes until significantly reduced. Strain broth over another medium saucepan and press gently on veggies to remove all the broth. Discard the veggies.
Combine 5 tablespoons cornstarch with 5 tablespoons cold broth or water. (This is called making a Slurry).
Heat strained broth over low heat (broth should be at a simmer) and slowly add slurry mixture stirring constantly. Heat may need to be adjusted to keep at a simmer. Thoroughly mix until broth thickens, approx 5 minutes. Let cool and set aside.
Place gravy base in a container, cover and refrigerate.

Part 2 - Combining the Gravy Base with the Turkey Drippings

Let gravy base come to room temp for one hour before adding to the turkey drippings on the day you are roasting your turkey.
Once the turkey is done cooking, it's time to defat the turkey drippings by tilting the pan and skimming the fat using a spoon. I find It’s best to have someone hold the pan for you while doing this.
Leave some fat in the pan for a tastier gravy. Then heat two burners to medium-low temp and place the turkey pan directly on the burners. Add the gravy base slowly (one cup at a time) to the pan scraping up all of the cooked bits and stir constantly (this is called deglazing the pan). For a rich brown-colored gravy, you may not need to use all of the Gravy Base.
Adjust burner temperature as necessary to keep gravy at a simmer. Taste and season with salt if necessary. The final step is to strain the gravy into a saucepan. Reheat gravy when ready to serve.

The Finale: Serving the Turkey and Gravy

You're now ready to carve your turkey. Garnish as desired, place gravy in a large gravy boat (or two) and serve! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Notes

*When making a slurry it’s VERY IMPORTANT to use a COLD liquid (either broth or water) with the cornstarch. If you use room temperature or warm liquid the slurry will be lumpy and so will your gravy and no one wants that.

**Even if you are buying a fresh (not frozen) turkey, You MUST make sure your turkey is completely defrosted (check inside the cavity) before cooking because the cook time will be greatly affected by the coldness of the turkey.

This recipe is based on using a turkey that has been brined which reduces the overall cooking time. If using a turkey that hasn’t been brined, cooking time may need to be increased. USE AN INSTANT READ THERMOMETER!

If you can't resist seasoning your turkey with butter, olive oil, and/or spices go right ahead but in my experience the skin tastes amazing without any seasoning and also most people don't eat the skin...except for me, my sister, my aunt Barb and my dad!

For the best turkey drippings which produce the best gravy, make sure to use a roasting pan that fits your turkey. If the roasting pan is too big the drippings will evaporate.

For the best tasting gravy, you want to wait to add the carrots and onions to the roasting pan until the turkey has been in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. This way the vegetables will be cooked perfectly instead of overcooked or burnt!

I carve my turkey in the kitchen and then transfer the turkey slices to a serving tray. For those of you who carve your turkey at the dining table and want to have a picture-perfect turkey, turn the turkey breast-side up for the last 1/2 hour-45 minutes of cooking.

If the turkey is smaller than 20 lbs:

For gravy quantities: adjust gravy quantities accordingly based on size of turkey…it’s always an equal ratio cornstarch to broth. So, if making one cup of gravy for smaller turkeys, it would be 1 cup broth to 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water.

For cooking the turkey: for a smaller bird (in the 10-12 lb range), the cooking time may be as little as 2 1/2 hours total but the only way to really know when the turkey is fully cooked is to USE AN INSTANT READ THERMOMETER! If you are cooking a turkey that is less than 10 lbs., start checking the temperature after 1 1/4 hours.