In the world of dish and food seasonings, chicken demi-glace definitely stands in a class of its own. For people who love the chicken flavoring in their dishes, chicken demi-glace definitely provides a lot of benefits.
Essentially, chicken demi-glace is a sauce that incorporates simmered chicken bones to improve the taste. You can add it to several dishes and soups to boost their flavor and add that missing spice. However, like every seasoning option, you could be looking to get a different choice altogether.
What is the best substitute for chicken demi-glace? Yes, there is. While several options are available, you will find that the beef demi-glace is the most appropriate substitute for chicken demi-glace. Apart from a few variations in taste, beef demi-glace is the perfect substitute as both can be used to flavor similar dishes, and their preparation steps are fairly identical.
An Overview of Chicken Demi-Glace
Primarily, demi-glace is just a sauce that originates from French cuisine. It is mainly made by simmering bones, as well as the addition of several sauce materials to provide a spicy flavor that will complement pretty much any dish. Chicken demi-glace has been around for quite a while, and it is especially famous for its lovely taste.
Along with chicken bones, you can also make chicken demi-glace by using simmered chicken wings. It all depends on your preference. While you get the initial taste of steamed chicken in the demi-glace, you can also season it to taste with pepper and salt. Remember not to take things too overboard, or you could spoil the chicken demi-glace.
Today, chicken demi-glace is used as a seasoning element for different dishes. You can stir it into stews, soups, risottos, and other dishes to improve their taste and give that chicken flavoring. Just be free with it, and you’ll see the demi-glace difference!
Chicken demi-glace is available at grocery stores all around you. However, you could also go online to find some interesting homemade recipes if you have the time and patience to make it yourself.
Why Replace Chicken Demi-Glace?
A complex preparation process: While incredibly tasty, one of the primary drawbacks of chicken demi-glace is that it can be challenging to prepare. The preparation process includes way too many steps, and sometimes, getting a substitute is just the best to help you save time.
Difficulties with taste: Not many people disagree with the taste of chicken demi-glace. For some, it’s just a matter of changing the palette and eating something new from time to time. Whatever it is, a substitute becomes necessary at this point.
Not readily available: If you don’t have your chicken demi-glace available, then you will need to get a proper substitute somewhere else. This is especially critical because you can’t just get up on a good day and make chicken demi-glace. The preparation process is pretty challenging, as stated earlier. So, just get a substitute instead.
Options for Chicken Demi-Glace Substitutes
Best Overall Substitute for Chicken Demi-Glace: Beef Demi-Glace
As you can expect, the primary difference between chicken demi-glace and beef demi-glace is the taste. Both are prepared pretty much the same way, but beef demi-lace comes with that natural beef taste that distinguishes it.
However, note that the beef taste in this demi-glace is slightly more robust than what you would get with chicken demi-glace. It’s not much of a problem, of course; it just means better flavoring and sauce for the dish you’re looking to make.
Like chicken demi-glace, the beef demi-glace can be used to season pretty much any dish. It’s just a case of switching up chicken for beef, and you’re ready to roll.
To make beef demi-glace, you can follow these steps:
- Preheat your oven (usually to about 400°)
- Get your beef bones and brush some tomato paste over them. Palace the bones in a roasting pan that’s been coated with some cooking spray.
- Bake at 400° for half an hour.
- Place the bones in a stockpot.
- Add two cold water cups to a roasting pan and scrape the pan to loosen any browned bits.
- Pour the liquid from the pan into the stockpot.
- Throw in additional ingredients – including onions. Carrots, celery, peppercorns, thyme, thyme sprigs, and parsley sprigs.
- Add ten cold water cups and boil the entire thing.
- After boiling for two hours, skim the surface occasionally.
- Strain your beef stock through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl, then cool it.
- Cover the bowl and let it chill for about eight hours.
- Take out any fat from the surface of the stock. Place the stock in a saucepan and boil it. As needed, skim the surface.
Best Substitute for Easy Preparation: Beef stock
In truth, beef stock doesn’t quite have the same depth of flavor that you’ll get from chicken demi-glace. However, in some recipes, it could work as a viable substitute. These recipes will primarily not rely on the texture of beef stock as they do with sauces.
By cooking the beef stock down, you can easily improve the thickness and intensify its flavor, making it something more like demi-glace. Note that you won’t need to add any water while making beef stock as you did while applying any of the demi-glace recipe options.
Best Time-Saving Substitute: Demi-Glace Concentrates
Demi-glace concentrates are also available, in case you’d like to have those. Several manufacturers have developed these concentrates, allowing you to reconstitute them for recipes that require demi-glace.
Essentially, a demi-glace concentrate is an intensely flavored item that uses real chicken (or beef, as the case may be), as well as ingredients like veal, onion, celery, carrots, and tomato paste. You can find them at gourmet food stores and grocery stores around you.
Remember that these concentrates won’t exactly have the same natural taste and flavor as the chicken demi-glace. However, they’re much easier to prepare, and you will most likely need them when you’re in a rush. As long as you can store them well, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.