Roast Chicken Pan Dripping Alternatives

Pan drippings from roast chicken are a collection of fats, juices, and browned bits of fond that accumulate at the bottom of a roasting pan as meat cooks. They are full of flavour and can be used to make gravy, salad dressing, croutons, and more. If you're looking for a substitute for pan drippings, you can try using melted butter for the fat and extra broth or water in place of the drippings. This will still give you a rich flavour to work with.

Using pan drippings to make croutons

Pan drippings are the fats, juices, and browned bits of fond that collect at the bottom of a roasting pan when cooking meat, such as roast chicken. Instead of letting these drippings go to waste, they can be used to make ultra-flavoursome croutons.

How to Make Croutons Using Pan Drippings

The best method to flavour croutons with poultry pan drippings is to add the bread to the roasting pan at the same time as the chicken. Scatter oiled, torn pieces of bread into the bottom of the pan before placing the seasoned chicken on top. This saves time and effort and produces superior results. The croutons placed directly under the chicken will absorb the juices and swell with flavour, while those around the chicken will become crisp, caramelised, and subtly aromatic.

Choosing the Right Bread

Any variety of bread can be used to make croutons, such as baguette or brioche. Stale bread can also be repurposed for this recipe. However, it is important not to make the croutons too small, as this increases the risk of burning.

Other Uses for Pan Drippings

Pan drippings can also be used in a variety of other ways, such as a sauce or gravy to serve with the meat, as a salad dressing, or tossed with roasted vegetables, rice, or popcorn.

Making a sauce to serve with the chicken

Once you've roasted your chicken, don't throw away the drippings! Chicken drippings are not only plentiful but also very flavourful. You can use them as a base for a sauce to serve with your chicken.

While your chicken is resting, put your pan of drippings onto the stovetop. Add some broth or water and stir as it simmers, scraping the bottom of the pan to take advantage of the fond. You can also add a little butter and some flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Then, either drizzle the sauce over the chicken or serve it on the side in a gravy boat.

If you want to make a gravy, pour the drippings into a measuring cup and skim the fat, reserving about 1/4 cup. Add the skimmed fat to a saucepan and stir in some flour to create a roux. Then, slowly add the remaining chicken drippings and broth to the saucepan, whisking continuously. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it reaches your desired consistency. Finally, strain the gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste.

You can also use chicken drippings as a salad dressing. Brighten it with a little lemon juice and toss it with your salad, especially if there are croutons involved. Or, you can simply drizzle the drippings over bread or rice.

Making gravy

Gravy is a super simple recipe that should be part of any home cook's repertoire. It is a great way to use the pan drippings from a roast chicken. Pan drippings are basically a collection of fats, juices, and browned bits of fond that accumulate at the bottom of a roasting pan as meat cooks.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup drippings from a roast chicken
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups cold chicken stock, or more if needed
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method:

• Pour the fat from the drippings into a bowl and reserve.
• Whisk flour into the remaining drippings left in the pan; the mixture will seem dry.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved fat, or as needed, to the drippings mixture to combine with the flour.
• Place the pan with the drippings mixture over low heat and toast the flour until light brown and the mixture gives off a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle about 1/3 cup of cold chicken stock at a time into the pan drippings, whisking each addition of stock into the mixture until thoroughly combined.
• Continue whisking, scraping any browned pan drippings from the bottom of the pan into the gravy; bring to a simmer.
• Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thick and the flour has combined with the liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.
• For the smoothest texture, strain the gravy before serving.
• If the gravy is too thick, whisk in a little more stock. If it's too thin, continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until reduced and thickened, about 10 more minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tips:

• You can make homemade chicken gravy without roasting a bird by substituting melted butter for the fat and using extra broth in place of the drippings.
• For easier fat removal, tip the measuring cup slightly and use a metal spoon to carefully remove the clear fat that rises to the top. You can also use a fat separator tool if you have one.
• You can also add vegetables to the gravy. While the chicken rests post-roast, get your pan of drippings onto the stovetop, add a bit of broth (or even water), and stir as it all simmers, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as it reduces. Stir in a little butter, some flour or cornstarch if you want, and then serve this either drizzled over the chicken or alongside, in a little gravy boat.

Using drippings to roast vegetables

Chicken drippings are very flavourful, so it would be a waste to throw them away. One way to use them is to roast vegetables in them.

To do this, you can either add chopped raw vegetables to the roasting pan with the chicken so that they can benefit from the drippings as the chicken roasts, or you can roast the vegetables in the drippings after the chicken is done.

If you want to roast the vegetables with the chicken, cut your vegetables into chunks. Any hardy vegetable works, so you can use onions, garlic, hunks of carrot, steak-fry-looking potatoes, thyme, rosemary, leeks, shallots, or even line the whole thing with rounds of sliced baguette. Cover all of the vegetables in a thin coat of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper before you put the chicken on top. Make sure the chicken is slightly elevated so that air can circulate between the chicken and the vegetables. This will allow the vegetables to caramelize. Toss the vegetables together two to three times throughout the roast.

If you want to roast the vegetables after the chicken is done, heat the pan to get the drippings moving, then toss the vegetables in the drippings and roast. You can use any vegetable, but potatoes are an obvious choice.

Eat your vegetables, and repeat with a different vegetable until you are out of pan drippings, or mop them up with some bread. Then, and only then, should you wash your roasting pan.

Making a salad dressing

Chicken drippings are very flavorful, so they can be used to make a salad dressing. Here's a guide on how to make a salad dressing using chicken drippings, as well as some general tips on making a salad dressing from scratch.

To make a salad dressing with chicken drippings, start by getting your pan of drippings onto the stovetop while your chicken rests post-roast. Add a bit of broth or water, and stir as it simmers, scraping the bottom of the pan to take advantage of the fond. You can also stir in a little butter, flour, or cornstarch to thicken the mixture.

Next, brighten the mixture with a squeeze of lemon juice. You can use the lemon you roasted with the chicken, if you have one. Finally, toss the dressing with your salad. This works especially well with salads that have croutons.

A simple salad dressing can be made with just a few basic ingredients. The exact ingredients and preparation methods will vary depending on the type of dressing you want to make, but here are some general guidelines.

Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette is a basic salad dressing made with oil and vinegar. You can use different types of oils and vinegars to create different flavors. For example, you might use olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together until they are well combined, and then drizzle the dressing over your salad.

Creamy Dressing

A creamy dressing typically starts with a base of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt. You can then add various ingredients to create different flavors. For example, you might add garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make a creamy garlic dressing. Alternatively, you could add buttermilk, parsley, dill, and ranch seasoning for a ranch dressing.

Fruit-Based Dressing

Fruit-based dressings typically use fresh fruit, vinegar or citrus juice, and a sweetener like honey or maple syrup. For example, you could blend together strawberries, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper to make a strawberry vinaigrette. Or, you could blend raspberries, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to make a raspberry vinaigrette.

Asian-Inspired Dressing

Asian-inspired dressings often use ingredients like sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and honey. For example, you could whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, grated ginger, and salt to make a simple Asian-inspired dressing.

Experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations to find your favorite salad dressings!

Frequently asked questions