Nothing jazzes up chicken, steak, pork or salmon like a savory pan sauce. Pan sauce sounds so gourmet, yet it’s so easy to make. You don’t need a degree in the culinary arts to make this basic pan sauce recipe.
Get creative and add lemon, white wine, or fresh herbs to add your own flair.
Why I Love Making Pan Sauce
We raise chickens for meat on our homestead, and using the entire bird allows us to get the most from our financial and time investments. After a savory meal of roasted chicken with lemon reduction sauce, I use the chicken carcass to make nourishing bone broth.
This habit of making bone broth has led to experimenting with variations, such as bone broth with a secret immune-boosting ingredient.
And because we have a large family, it’s not uncommon to have quite a bit of bone broth made on hand. To extend its shelf life, I pressure can the bone broth to make getting three homemade meals on the table each day easier.
While it’s important to have bone broth in a well-stocked pantry, knowing how to use it is equally important.
A jar of bone broth makes it easy to whip up bread soup for a quick lunch, add a depth of flavor to homemade chicken pot pie and tangy sorrel sauce, or put together a versatile pan sauce to make any dish a little extra.
What Is Pan Sauce
The terms pan sauce and gravy are often used interchangeably, but they are technically different. Flour or cornstarch is a thickener used to make gravy, whereas a pan sauce is cooked down or reduced to make it thicker.
The natural juices, browned bits and fat left behind generated from the cooked protein are the base for a good pan sauce.
Ways to Use Pan Sauce
This recipe is versatile enough to suit almost any flavor profile. Use pan sauce to top your roasted or pan-fried beef, chicken, fish or pork.
Pan sauce also pairs well with rice, couscous, potatoes and vegetables. It’s amazing how just a drizzle of the pan sauce over rice and asparagus can take the meal to new heights of flavor.
Sometimes a pan-seared pork chop (or any seared meat) needs a savory pan sauce to add flavor and finish. If the meat is overcooked, a good pan sauce can help restore it to a moist, flavorful cut of meat.
In the Homestead Kitchen
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Supplies Needed
- Heavy Bottom Skillet – I recommend purchasing cast iron, but stainless steel works well. Homesteading Hack: The secret to cooking with cast iron is knowing how to properly season a cast iron pan.
- Wooden Spoon – Scraping up the bits of meat and stirring the pan sauce occasionally after the sauce has reduced will keep the right consistency.
- Wire Whisk – To create a sauce that is smooth and silky.
- Serving Bowl – Stop the cooking process and hold the pan sauce until you ladle it over your meal.
Ingredients Needed
- Pan Drippings (or fat) – Cooking oil (such as coconut or avocado oil) can also be used or added if you don’t have enough fat from the protein of choice.
- Small Onion, Minced – Whatever you have on hand and prefer will work. If you substitute chopped shallots, use 3-4 shallots. Homesteading Hack: Grow onions from seed and learn the best way to store onions for the best flavor.
- Juice (wine or broth) – Use apple juice for white meat or red juice, such as cranberry or grape, for red meat (we often substitute white or red wine, or more broth)
- Broth – Vegetable, beef or chicken stock, plus extra, as needed.
- Butter – We like to use our homemade butter, but any butter will do. If you’re using salted butter, you may not need to add as much salt when seasoning. Homesteading Hack: Adding some cream to the sauce can add another layer of richness, especially for chicken and fish.
- Salt and Pepper – Depending on the meat and stock, taste it after it’s reduced and add salt and pepper accordingly.
Variations
Feel free to add any of the following:
- 1 Cup Thinly Sliced Mushrooms – Any popular type of mushroom, such as Button, Crimini, Oyster, Portobello, etc., works well.
- 2 Tablespoons Finely Minced Herbs – Add herbs when cooking the onion for the best flavor.
- 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard – I add this with the butter or cream (great with pork!)
- Squeeze of Lemon Juice – This adds a nice flavor finish to the sauce before serving.
How to Make Pan Sauce – Step by Step
- After cooking your meat, pour off all but two tablespoons of leftover cooking oil or rendered fat from the pan. Homesteading Hack: If you are making your sauce in a new pan, melt your two tablespoons of fat in the pan.
- Sauté the onion until golden brown, about 2 1⁄2 to 3 minutes.
- With the pan on medium-high heat, pour in the juice (or wine or additional broth).
- As the liquid reaches a simmer, scrape any crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the spatula.
- Let simmer for about 3 minutes or until reduced by half.
- Pour the remaining stock into it and stir until combined.
- Let the sauce come to a rapid simmer.
- Reduce the liquid by half to about 1 cup. This should take 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once the liquid is reduced, lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter or cream. Whisk gently until the butter has completely melted.
- Continue to simmer until slightly thickened.
- Pour your sauce into a serving cup and add salt and pepper to taste.
- This sauce will be best when used right away.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo of your pan sauce (including any unique variations) and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see!
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
- Instant Pot Bone Broth
- Homemade Chicken Bone Broth (Immune Boosting Ingredient)
- 13 Tips for Making Broth
- Canning Bone Broth
- Michele’s Skillet Supper
- Freeze-Dried or Frozen Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
- How to Get 3 Home Cooked Meals on the Table Every Day
Quick & Easy Pan Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons fat pan drippings are best
- 1 small onion minced
- 1/2 cup apple juice or wine, or stock
- 1 1/2 cups broth
- 1/4 cup butter
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- After cooking your meat, pour off all but two tablespoons of leftover cooking oil or rendered fat from the pan. Homesteading Hack: If you are making your sauce in a new pan, melt your two tablespoons of fat in the pan.
- Sauté the onion until golden brown, about 2 1⁄2 to 3 minutes.
- With the pan on medium-high heat, pour in the juice (or wine or additional broth).
- As the liquid reaches a simmer, scrape any crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the spatula.
- Let simmer for about 3 minutes or until reduced by half.
- Pour the remaining stock into it and stir until combined.
- Let the sauce come to a rapid simmer.
- Reduce the liquid by half to about 1 cup. This should take 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once the liquid is reduced, lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter or cream. Whisk gently until the butter has completely melted.
- Continue to simmer until slightly thickened.
- Pour your sauce into a serving cup and add salt and pepper to taste.
- This sauce will be best when used right away.
Notes
- You can substitute white or red wine for the juice, or use additional broth.
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Feel free to add any of the following variations:
- 1 Cup Thinly Sliced Mushrooms – Any popular type of mushroom, such as Button, Crimini, Oyster, Portobello, etc., works well.
- 2 Tablespoons Finely Minced Herbs – Add herbs when cooking the onion for the best flavor.
- 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard – I add this with the butter or cream (great with pork!)
- Squeeze of Lemon Juice – This adds a nice flavor finish to the sauce before serving.
