Chef Juliette
Ordinary or White Consommé
Beef shin, lean beef, and fowl begin in cold water and rise slowly toward a tremble. Skim before the boil, and you learn the quiet discipline that gives every clear French broth its backbone.
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Poultry Glaze
Created by Chef Juliette
A clear poultry stock reduced slowly until it veneers a spoon, light enough for chicken, concentrated enough to turn a quick pan sauce into something deep, glossy, and unmistakably itself.
Sauces & Condiments
French
Make Ahead
Batch Cooking
Freezer Friendly
10 min
Active Time
2 hr 30 min cook•2 hr 40 min total
YieldAbout 1 cup (240 ml / approximately 280 g)
Glace de volaille (poultry glaze) teaches the pure grammar of reduction: water leaves, gelatin and flavor remain. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is that the fire must grow gentler as the stock grows stronger. A hard boil near the end can carry a pale, supple glaze from clear to scorched while you reach for a spoon.
The original recipe assumed a saucier on staff, Poultry Stock (No. 10) never far from the fire, an open hearth, and a procession of smaller stew pans with muslin at every transfer. At home, two saucepans and a fine-mesh sieve do the same work. We begin with two quarts and finish with about one cup because the brigade quantity and repeated pan changes are scaffolding; the careful straining, steadily waning heat, and spoon-veiling finish are the dish, and they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Done properly, the glaze is lighter in color and gentler in flavor than Meat Glaze (No. 15), but it is not thin. It should lie over a spoon in an even translucent coat and set to a firm jelly in the cold. Watch the final reduction closely. That slow finish decides everything, and if you take it only a little too far, ça se rattrape.
Glace de volaille belongs not to one French province but to the saucier’s station in the classical kitchen, where concentrated stocks allowed many finished sauces to grow from one disciplined foundation. From the grand kitchen it passed naturally into cuisine bourgeoise, where a small jar could deepen a chicken jus or pan sauce without beginning a stockpot at supper time. Its lightness is often misunderstood: compared with Meat Glaze (No. 15), the flavor and color are gentler, but the finished glaze must still veneer a spoon and set firm in the cold.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
finished method reference
Quantity
1 finished preparation, Meat Glaze (No. 15), not added
consulted for the reduction technique
hot water (optional)
Quantity
Up to ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g)
only for rescuing an over-reduced glaze
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted Poultry Stockwell chilled | 2 quarts (1.9 L / about 2 kg) Poultry Stock (No. 10) |
| finished method referenceconsulted for the reduction technique | 1 finished preparation, Meat Glaze (No. 15), not added |
| hot water (optional)only for rescuing an over-reduced glaze | Up to ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide 4-quart (3.8 L) stainless-steel saucepan
- •1½-to-2-quart (1.4-to-1.9 L) stainless-steel saucepan
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Heatproof 2-cup (475 ml) measuring jug
- •Metal spoon and damp pastry brush
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the stock
Lift every trace of firm fat from the chilled Poultry Stock (No. 10), then pass the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide 4-quart saucepan. The finished Meat Glaze (No. 15) supplies the reduction method only; nothing from it enters this pan. The stock must be unsalted because the salt would concentrate along with the gelatin. If it already tastes fully seasoned, use it for another dish and begin with unsalted stock.
- 2
Reduce in the wide pan
Bring the stock to a boil over medium heat, then adjust the fire to maintain a lively but controlled simmer. Leave the pan uncovered. Skim away foam or beads of fat as they gather, and wipe any sticky tide marks from the inner wall with a damp pastry brush so they cannot scorch. At this broad stage the water may leave briskly; continue until about 2 cups (475 ml / roughly 520 g) remain, usually 1½ to 2 hours.
Do not stir the reducing stock. Stirring works impurities back into the liquid and clouds a glaze that should remain clear. - 3
Strain into smaller pan
Pass the reduced stock through the clean fine-mesh sieve into a 1½-to-2-quart saucepan, without pressing on anything caught by the mesh. The original kitchen moved the stock through a succession of smaller stew pans and strained at every change. One careful transfer is the honest home equivalent: the extra pans were brigade scaffolding, while removing impurities and narrowing the pan for the final reduction remain essential.
- 4
Finish by the spoon
Return the smaller pan to moderate-low heat and let the glaze reduce slowly, lowering the heat again as it concentrates. Watch it continuously once it approaches 1 cup (240 ml): the bubbles will become rounder and more deliberate, and the surface will take on a clear amber gloss. Dip in a metal spoon. The Glace de Volaille is ready when it evenly veneers the spoon in a thin, translucent coat rather than running off like stock or clinging like caramel. If it turns tacky or begins drawing threads but still tastes clean, remove it from the heat and whisk in hot water 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) at a time until the light coating returns. Ça se rattrape. If it smells burnt, pour the clean upper portion into another pan without scraping the bottom; a scorched flavor cannot be repaired.
The measured yield is a guide, not the final judge. The gelatin content of the original stock decides the exact stopping point, and the spoon tells the truth. - 5
Cool and portion
Pass the finished glaze through the clean sieve into a heatproof measuring jug. Set the jug in an ice-water bath and stir until the glaze is cool, then transfer it to a clean covered container and refrigerate within 2 hours. It will set into a firm, amber jelly in the cold. Portion it by the tablespoon for freezing, so a chicken pan sauce needs only one small piece rather than the whole batch.
Chef Tips
- •The Poultry Stock (No. 10) must be gelatinous, unsalted, and thoroughly cold. Chilling brings the fat to the surface in one removable cap; fat left in the pot clouds the glaze and gives it a greasy finish.
- •Use a pale stainless-steel saucepan for the final reduction. You need to see the glaze darkening and the bubbles changing, and a black pot hides both warnings.
- •No roux, starch, or seasoning belongs here. Reduction is the whole dish. The glaze receives its final seasoning only when it enters a sauce, where the cook can judge the complete pan.
- •For a chicken pan sauce, deglaze the browned pan first, then dissolve in 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml / about 6 to 12 g) of glaze per serving. Finish with cold butter once the pan is off the heat. C’est la même grammaire.
- •A cloudy batch is still useful, only less clear. Do not try to clarify it by boiling harder; strain it carefully, reduce gently, and reserve it for dark pan sauces or braises.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare and chill the Poultry Stock (No. 10) at least a day before reducing it. Cold stock is easier to degrease completely, and the set texture confirms that it contains enough gelatin.
- •The finished glaze keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator in a clean covered container.
- •For longer storage, freeze the glaze in 1-tablespoon (15 ml / about 18 g) portions for up to 3 months. Transfer the frozen portions to a sealed bag once firm and add them directly to simmering pan sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 18g)
Calories
15 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
3 mg
Sodium
35 mg
Total Carbohydrates
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
3 g
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