How to Make a Simple Pan Sauce
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell1/9Sizzle your meat or fish
A great pan sauce starts with, well, a pan—one that's just been used to sear a juicy piece of meat (or fish). Go for stainless steel, which will collect all of those stuck-on bits that are the foundation of your sauce.
Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in the pan over medium-high. Season your choice of meat or fish (we used a boneless, skin-on chicken breast here) with salt and pepper. Once the oil is shimmering, add the meat or fish to the pan, skin-side down (if applicable). When the skin is golden brown and crisp, flip and continue to cook until desired doneness, and transfer to a plate.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz2/9Choose the Right Pan
Resist the urge to rinse out your skillet. Those flavor-packed brown bits that the chicken left behind, called thefond,are the foundation of your pan sauce. But if your pan has a lot of fat left in it, pour off the excess, leaving just a tablespoon in the pan (don't worry, the brown bits won't pour off). If it doesn't haveenoughfat, add more oil until you've got a tablespoon or so.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz3/9Start With Aromatics
Your pan should already have a tablespoon or so of fat in it (leftover from browning your meat); if it doesn't, supplement with olive oil. Now add an aromatic or two to the pan: A couple of smashed garlic cloves or a sliced shallot; a sturdy fresh herb, like thyme or rosemary. Give them a few minutes over gentle heat so they release their flavors.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz4/9Add Some Wine (or Juice)
Add a splash of liquid to the pan. Wine is the classic choice (red, white, sparkling—anything goes). You can alternatively use a fortified wine, or go the non-alcohol route with juice. Whatever you choose, you don’t need much—just enough liquid to coat the bottom of the pan will do the trick. Though you won’t feel like you’re engaged in any fancy activity here, this step is called deglazing, and it’s pretty darn official.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz5/9Put Your Wooden Spoon to Work
At this point, your liquid is simmering and mingling with those terrific stuck on bits. Now's the time to grab your wooden spoon. (A stainless steel tool will scratch your skillet, and while a rubber spatula will work, it’s not nearly as pretty.) Give the pan a scrape or two with the wooden spoon, and watch those once stubborn cooked-on tidbits magically lift from the bottom of the pan and dissolve into your sauce.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz6/9Add Broth and Reduce
Now, add some chicken, beef or vegetable broth—about a cup. Gently simmer the sauce, letting it reduce, until you have about 2 tablespoons of liquid per person left in the pan. Taste, season with salt, and your pan sauce is done! Unless, of course, you want to take it over the top...
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz7/9Butter That Sauce
Butter isn’tnecessaryfor a pan sauce...but if you love yourself, you'll whisk or swirl in about a teaspoon of cold butter per person, 1 to 2 pieces at a time.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz8/9Finish with a Bang
Remove and discard your aromatics, then taste the sauce and adjust the salt. Add a dash of freshly cracked black pepper and, if you like, a squeeze of lemon or other citrus.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz9/9Now For the Best Part
Slice your meat and spoon your silky pan sauce over the top. Got pan sauce left in the pan? That's what crusty bread was made for.
