Chicken jus is what separates a good roast chicken from a great one. This version is adapted from the technique used at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro - simplified for a home kitchen, ready in under two hours, and built on one professional principle: the secret is in the bones.
The Story
The chicken jus at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro is exceptional. It begins with scratch-made chicken stock. Then, after days of roasting bones, simmering, and endless straining, it's served with the bistro's infamous roast chicken.
It's unbelievably savory, herbal, and delicious. And a lot of work. So here's the way I teach my cooking class students to create a similarly rich, savory, collagen-loaded, and downright delicious chicken jus. It's adapted from the same techniques the chefs at Bouchon use. And ready in a couple of hours, instead of a couple of days.
Drizzle it over home fries for a poutine-style dish and of course over any kind of chicken dish. Or enjoy it straight outta the mug as a soul-warming sipper (don't knock it 'till you try it).
The Nutrition
Roasting and then long-simmering bones extracts collagen, which converts to gelatin during cooking. That gelatin is responsible for the sheen that distinguishes a well-made jus from thin pan drippings. A gorgeous deep hue brimming with flavor and protein.
And the apple cider vinegar in this recipe is not accidental. The acid from the vinegar helps break down the collagen, increasing gelatin extraction. It's a technique used in traditional bone broth preparation for the same reason. This is instinctual food as medicine: a technique developed by French chefs over centuries that aligns with modern nutrition science. Not only does a long-simmered bone broth taste rich and savory, but it also allows you to get the most nutritional bang for your buck from the ingredients.
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Smart Shopping
In a professional kitchen, chefs begin with tens of pounds of bones that simmer in stock pots the size of a third grader. For the home kitchen, skip the heavy lifting and use the bones of a roast chicken instead. And instead of starting with water, I recommend an unsalted or low-sodium bone broth or chicken stock with minimal ingredients and no added flavorings or salt. Many grocery chains sell their own, which are typically easier on the wallet.
The next time you roast a whole chicken (or even legs) or bring one home, freeze the carcass once you've eaten all the meat. Seal it well to prevent freezer burn. I even carve the meat off the leg bones. In the absence of leftover roasted chicken bones, chicken wings or necks (or both) work great.
For a flavorful, balanced jus, add a variety of aromatic vegetables like onions, celery, and carrots. Traditional herbs in a chicken jus are Italian parsley, thyme, and tarragon. But use what you have on hand or what you like. Leeks are subtle and luxurious; make sure to clean them well. Bay leaves and peppercorns are wonderful to add, as well, for more nuance.
The Formula
This ratio for successful chicken jus is based on classical French cooking formulas with hundreds of years of trial and error. I don't argue with the French when it comes to savory sauces.
Chicken Jus Ratio
1 quart of stock or broth + 8 ounces of bones
When it comes to procuring your main ingredients, one rotisserie chicken carcass is about 8 ounces. And a standard box of stock contains one quart (32 ounces). Clearly, a match made in culinary heaven!
The Technique
First roast, then simmer. This chicken jus comes together faster than a traditional recipe because the bones have already been cooked once. So they don't need extended roasting to become caramelized, only 15 or 20 minutes. The deeper the color of the roasted bones, the richer the flavor of the finished jus.
Once you caramelize the bones and bring them to a simmer with your stock or broth, reduction is the name of the game. Aim for a nice bubbling that cuts the volume of broth by at least two-thirds. This concentrates the flavors and naturally thickens the sauce.
For a silky, pure chicken jus worthy of any restaurant menu, strain the jus through a fine-mesh sieve. For an extremely smooth, shiny sauce, line the sieve with cheesecloth.
Chef's Tips
- Clean the bones of a previously-roasted chicken well. Any remaining meat will burn at high oven temperatures and create a bitter broth. They will also create advanced glycation end products (AGEs), or inflammatory compounds that contribute to aging and chronic disease.
- Don't hesitate to experiment with or use any aromatic root vegetables you have on hand. I love using fennel leftover from when I make homemade pizza sauce and sliced leeks. More to try include shallots, turnips, roasted mushrooms, or even parsnips.
- Don't throw out the juices in the bottom of the pan or rotisserie chicken container. It's liquid gold! While it is mostly rendered chicken fat, it'll add body to your sauce. And better yet, more flavor. I like to pour it off into a small dish and chill it. Then I skim the murkier part off the top before adding it to the pot.
What to Serve It With
This chicken jus is perfect for serving with any kind of chicken recipe or even pork. It is divine poured over baked potatoes, with home fries, or mashed potatoes. With all that luscious gelatin, it can also be sipped solo as a healing bone broth.
Dietary Variations
GAPS Diet Protocol. For a chicken jus safe for the GAPS Diet protocol, begin with your own homemade roasted chicken carcasses, or fresh chicken necks and wings. Then simmer the roasted bones in your GAPS broth with the added vegetables and herbs.
Vegan or Vegetarian. A rich, delicious vegetable jus can be made with the same method. Simply roast your root vegetables to a deep golden brown in place of the chicken bones. Then simmer them in vegetable stock or broth with smashed garlic, peppercorns, and plenty of fresh herbs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The roasted chicken bones are so flavorful, even simmering them with water and the aromatic vegetables and herbs will create a lovely sauce. If you use water, you may want to increase the ratio of bones to liquid to make up for the flavor you'll miss from not using broth.
Chicken jus can last up to a week (seven days) in the refrigerator (a professional, food safety standard). But it also freezes great and thaws quickly. So don't hesitate to freeze any leftovers.
I like to cool chicken jus, seal it in a large zipper bag, and lay it flat in the freezer so it hardens in a thin layer. It takes up much less space that way. And then breaking off pieces of it for heating and serving is quick and easy.
Chicken broth and chicken stock are made in similar ways, but the ingredients differ. A stock is made by simmering roasted bones in water with aromatic vegetables and herbs. However, a broth is classically made by simmering meat and bones in stock, also with added herbs and aromatics for more flavor.
Any kind of broth can be served as a finished dish. But stock is typically used as a base for sauces and soups. Although a carefully-made bone broth is wonderful enjoyed as is.
📖 Recipe
Roast Chicken Jus
My absolute favorite sauce to serve with roast chicken! Take a trip to Napa Valley and enjoy this Bouchon Bistro-inspired sauce with your favorite roast chicken.
The original recipe serves four people, allowing for about two ounces of chicken jus each. Use the buttons on the side of the recipe to scale it up to serve a crowd.
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 32-ounce box of unsalted chicken bone broth or stock (or 1 quart of water)
- ½ of a pound or 8 ounces of chicken bones and/or rotisserie chicken carcasses
- ½ of a yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
- 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns, any cole
- ½ bundle of fresh Italian parsley
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, optional
- ¼ of a teaspoon of kosher salt (if even necessary, taste the finished jus before adding salt)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450° F. Allow frozen or chilled bones to come to room temperature.
- Remove as much leftover meat as possible from the roast chicken carcasses. Wings and necks don't need any special preparation.
- Place the bones on a baking pan and drizzle with a high-heat oil like avocado, sunflower, or canola. Then roast the bones until they are a beautiful, deep golden brown, about twenty minutes for previously-roasted carcasses, or about forty minutes for wings and necks.
- While the bones roast, chop the celery and onions into inch-sized pieces. Peel and chop the carrots the same. Smash the garlic cloves but leave the skin on. Cut the stems off the bottom of the parsley and chop and reserve the leaves for garnish.
- Place the caramelized bones in a large pot, dutch oven, or even Instant Pot, and add your broth, stock, or water and the apple cider vinegar. Bring the ingredients to a strong simmer, then turn the heat down to medium. I like to place the pot slightly off the center of the burner. This creates a small amount of convection (heat movement) in the pot.
- Once the broth comes to a steady simmer with bubbles breaking the surface consistently, add the vegetables, herbs, and any whole spices like peppercorns. Simmer for an hour, or until the volume reduces down to a quarter of what you started with (about a cup of liquid for every quart of broth).
- Once the vegetables are soft and the broth has reduced to a quarter of its original volume, strain the chicken jus through a fine mesh sieve into a heat-proof bowl or container. You can also strain the jus into a smaller pot to keep it warm for serving. If you don't have a mesh strainer, you can line a colander with cheesecloth to catch all the bits of vegetables, bones, and herbs (or in a pinch paper towels, but it may take a bit of trial and error). I like to strain any liquid over the sink for safety.
- Stir in any fresh chopped herbs you are using and taste the chicken jus to see if it needs salt. If you simmered rotisserie or roast chicken carcasses, you may not need to add any salt since they were seasoned previously. If the sauce does need salt, add a few granules and stir to dissolve it. Then taste and repeat until you reach the right level of saltiness for you.
- Store any leftover chicken jus in the refrigerator for up to a week. Or cool it, seal it in an airtight food storage bag, and freeze it. I like to lay bags of sauce flat in the freezer so they harden in a thin layer. It makes them easier to store once frozen solid and saves space.
Notes
The Technique of Roasting the Vegetables
If you'd like to roast and caramelize the celery, onion, and carrots along with the bones you can. It's a classical technique and will add more flavor. I don't call for it specifically in this recipe for the sake of keeping it simple. The bones and vegetables will roast at different speeds and require more attention. I also like the fresh, light flavor of simmering the raw vegetables in the broth. But your kitchen, you're the boss.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 20.1 g
- Sodium: 4028.9 mg
- Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 55.5 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Cynthia R.
This looks super easy and super delicious. Will definitely give it a try with my left over chicken bones.
Christina
It is a fair amount of ingredients, but pretty hands off!
Veronica
So much YUM
Christina
So true! Wish I could take full credit for this on, because it's so yummy.;)
Jane
I used the leftovers for sandwiches and they were amazing. The jus goes great with fries!!
Christina
One of my favorite ways to eat up the leftovers, Jane!