1Separate the oil from the liquid in the turkey drippings by pouring the drippings into a clear 4-cup measuring cup. Allow the drippings to settle and separate into oil on top and juices on the bottom. Remove 1/4 cup oil using a kitchen syringe; transfer to a saucepan.
2Mix flour into the oil in the saucepan; cook and stir over medium-low heat until color changes to a light brown, about 5 minutes. Pour 1 cup juices from the measuring cup into flour mixture (roux); cook and stir, adding more drippings for a thinner gravy, until gravy is heated through and smooth, about 5 minutes. Mix chicken broth into gravy; cook and stir until heated through, adding more broth for a thinner gravy, about 5 minutes.
Footnotes
Cook's Notes:
For a 15-pound turkey, I usually have enough ingredients to make 4 times the above batch but I'm usually short by about 1 to 2 cups on the pan drippings. The result is still very good but the flavor isn't as strong.
There are a lot of factors that will influence the taste and quantity of your gravy. If you use a brine on your turkey, your gravy will naturally pick up some of those flavors and more importantly if you use a high-salt-content brine, the gravy will retain that as well. Taste the final result of the above ingredients and then begin seasoning to your taste preference. You can adjust the flavor with other spices such as rosemary, thyme, cooking wines.
I recommend letting the gravy cool for a few minutes and then heating over a medium-high heat while stirring. This will give you a better idea of how thick it will become. Sometimes it gets very thick upon reheating.
You can adjust the flavor with other spices such as rosemary, thyme, or cooking wines.