I made this sauce from Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratios out of the pan drippings from the roasted chicken and it turned out great. I served it over the roasted chicken and a stuffed baked potato but it would be great with mashed potatoes, a roasted potatoes, roasted veggies, almost anything! Well, except maybe that cheesecake we made the other night…gross!
Anyways! You can also replace the white wine in this sauce with some other type of liquor, juice, or stock, and use different herbs to make a completely different sauce. It is a very versatile recipe with endless possibilities! I think using some orange juice in this would give it a very nice tangy flavor or you can use some tequila with cilantro and chile’s for a South American twist!
As I mentioned in my post for the roasted chicken, I like to roast my chicken in my cast iron skillet because when it is done I simply remove the chicken, transfer the skillet to the stove-top and I have the base for my sauce all ready to go! Just reduce it a bit over medium heat, add your vegetables, aromatics, and liquid, then thicken it with a beurre manie and you have yourself a delicious savory sauce in no time without making any extra dirty dishes!
The key to making this sauce thick and delicious is making a beurre manie, which is an equal amount of flour and butter rubbed together to form a paste. This is added after the sauce has been cooked and strained and adds an amazing amount of texture and flavor to your sauce.
Making a sauce from leftover pan juices after roasting any type of meat really adds a level of sophisticated complexity to your dish and can take a boring old chicken dinner and turn it into something rich and decadent and worthy of a crowd!
Sauce Fines Herbes
Adapted from Ratio by Michael Ruhlman
Makes about 1 cup of saucePan drippings from a roasted chicken
1 tablespoon butter kneaded with 1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, tarragon, chervil, and chives plus the reserved stems
1 medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced1 cup white wine
Make a beurre manie by combining the butter and flour in a small bowl and kneading it with your fingers until it becomes to a uniform paste. Refrigerate it until you are ready to finish the sauce.
When the chicken is done roasting, remove it from the oven and carefully lift the bird out of the pan. Place the pan over high heat to cook some of the juices down, and brown any skin that has stuck to the pan. Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan and return the pan to the heat. Add the onion, carrot, and reserved herb stems and cook for about a minute on high heat. Add the wine, and boil the wine down, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat edged wooden spoon to get up all the skin and browned juices. When the wine is nearly gone, add about a cup of water and repeat the reduction. When the water is gone and the pan is crackling add 8 ounces of water along with some juices from the chicken, bring it to a boil for one minute, then strain the sauce into another sauce pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the beurre manie, whisking or stirring until it is completely melted and the sauce has thickened. Remove it from heat.
Printable Recipe: Sauce Fines Herbes
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