Chicken Drippings

[Letsgogreen09]

I make lots of chicken and there's always drippings left in the pan. I can't stand the idea of throwing the drippings away, after learning the deliciousness that is bacon fat and its many uses. Is there a way a could make some sort of sauce?

I am on the Whole 30 so no dairy, but I do use almond flour as binding in recipes and such so that would be fine.

[Susan W]

Is the chicken pastured? If so, you can pour the drippings into a container and use it to cook with. If it is conventionally raised, I would avoid the fat because that is where the stress hormones and other icky stuff resides. When I roast a whole pastured chicken, I pour the fat into a container and deglaze the pan with bone broth and let it reduce into a sauce. Yum!!

[jent103]

Sure, I do this often! How are you cooking the chicken - roasting, pan sauteeing...? As Susan noted, the basic concept is to just deglaze the pan, add any flavorings you want (if you want any - I do make one recipe with leeks added) and let it reduce.

[kitty08]

I made a really simple sauce after I sauteed my chicken burgers tonight--sprinkled a couple splashes of coconut aminos in the pan and deglazed with water (bone broth would be tastier but I didn't have any), scraped up all the brown goodies, reduced for a few minutes, and dumped it on the burger. You can get as simple or creative as you want with these.

[Letsgogreen09]

Ok I feel kinda silly but I don't know what "deglaze" means. I work at a restaurant and Ive heard them talk about "deglazed this" or "demi glaze that" but never asked how its done.

[Letsgogreen09]

I have also just found myself with some extra chicken stock, about a cup and a half, from the restaurant I work at. They use clean, locally raised chicken and their stock is made in a big vat, Ive walked past it before, I can see the chunks of veggies(again local from a farm 10 min S of town) simmering, so I know the stock is good stuff.

[Susan W]

It's okay..nobody was born knowing what deglaze means. You know when you bake a chicken and there are all those brown bits on the pan? You take hot stock or wine (not W30) and pour it over the bits and scrape them up with a wooden spatula or whatever you have. Then you let the stock bubble away until it reduces into a sauce. A little salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon will brighten it up. Now you know how to make a sauce. :0)

[sheba-kitty]

Deglaze basically means cleaning off the yummy stuff that is stuck to the pan and turning it into a sauce or gravy, you do it by adding more liquid of some kind and scraping, stirring. Etc. I think demi glaze is the resulting product, but not sure kn that one.

[Roz Griffiths]

"Demi glace" is basically beef stock & wine reduced right down into a syrup

[Letsgogreen09]

So basically I just get the chunks out of the drippings, add stock(how much?) and boil until it thickens to sauce? Now I have put the drippings in the fridge, how does this change the process of deglazing them? How should I heat them up?

I am going to take a basic cooking class at the end of this month, coincidentally taught by the head chef at our restaurant.

[Susan W]

I pour off the bulk of the fat and add about 2 cups of bone broth to the pan and scrape up the brown bits. They will melt and flavor the broth. I think you said you have a cup and a half..that will work. So I am assuming you already removed the fat and scraped out the brown bits? In that case, I would just use that fat for cooking. Deglazing happens in the roasting pan. Maybe roast another chicken, but this time dont clean the pan out. You can freeze the broth if you aren't ready to roast another chicken.

[Letsgogreen09]

Here's exactly what I did with the chicken:

First I made zucchini patties(shredded zucchini, garlic, onion, a bit of almond flour and an egg) and the remainder of that, the juices left over, I pour onto the chicken. So what was left in the pan, liquid and brown stuff, I poured into a Tupperware container, I scraped all of it into the container. Can I still use this for anything or should I toss it?

[Susan W]

Has it separated in the fridge? As in solidified fat at the top and juices at the bottom? I would use the fat to cook with and add the juices to your broth if they taste good. Freeze the broth until you are ready to roast a chicken and when you are ready, use it to make a sauce per instructions above. Or..maybe your chef will even have a better idea.

[Letsgogreen09]

Thanks for all the tips, I am roasting a chicken right now and will try to make some sauce when it's done. I'm so excited!

[XIIxOveR]

When I roast pasteured chicken I just take the roasting pan, set it directly on the stove (after setting aside the chicken), and reduce the drippings, fat and all, including any solids from the chicken that stuck to the pan; use a whisk while heating it up to break all that deliciousness up and blend it all well! The fat acts as a thickener and it usually ends up being the best pan gravy I've ever had. If there are large pieces of "stuff" that don't seem like they'll complement the gravy I usually pull it out before serving it.

 

If not doing this the drippings and the fat are still liquid gold! Never...I say...never throw that stuff away!