Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace
Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace delivers deep, restaurant-level richness with a glossy, gelatinous body and layered roasted flavors. Built from chicken wings, beef shank, and tomato paste, it mirrors classic French demi without veal, perfect for enriching pan sauces, gravies, and elegant dinner mains. Serve whenever you want a powerful, concentrated sauce base that elevates steaks, roasts, and braises.
- Prep10 mins
- Cook15 hrs 20 mins
- Serves8
- DifficultyHard
easyChef Pro health score
Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.
- Glycemic ImpactFair
- 47 / 100
- Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
- Nutritional DensityPoor
- 16 / 100
- Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
- Energy DensityGood
- 100 / 100
- Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
- NOVA Unprocessed or minimally processed
- 1 / 4
- Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.
How it scores for each health goal
The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.
- 30
- Heart Health
- 47
- Metabolic
- 53
- Digestive
- 24
- Inflammatory
- 55
- Performance
- 50
- General Wellness
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- 2
Oil a large roasting pan with vegetable oil. Place the celery, onions, and carrots in the pan. Drizzle the tomato paste over the vegetables and toss to coat. Arrange the chicken wings and beef shanks on top of the vegetables.
- 3
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Turn the chicken and beef pieces. Continue roasting until the mixture is very well browned and slightly charred in spots, another 30 to 40 minutes.
- 4
Transfer the mixture to a large stock pot along with the pan juices. Add 6 quarts cold fresh water, the bay leaf, and the peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over high heat; reduce the heat to low to keep a gentle simmer with small bubbles and minimal movement. Simmer until the meat is falling off the bone and the flavor is extracted from the chicken and beef, 12 to 14 hours. Remove from the heat.
- 5
Strain out all the solids. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to about 2 quarts, or by 50 percent. Strain the liquid through a strainer into a container, pressing down on the solids to extract all the liquid.
- 6
Let come to room temperature before covering, then refrigerate. When the demi-glace has solidified, gently use a spatula to scrape off any fat collected on the top.
- Calories 744.02 kcal High 37%
- Protein 50.3 g Good Source 101%
- Carbohydrate 43.68 g 16%
- Total Fat 42.66 g High 55%
- Saturated Fat 11.71 g High 59%
- Trans Fat 0.0 g Low Source 0%
- Cholesterol 201.32 mg High 67%
- Sodium 753.19 mg High 33%
- Dietary Fiber 19.48 g Good Source 70%
- Total Sugars 34.76 g --
- Added Sugars 29.8 g High 60%
- Calcium 102.76 mg Low Source 8%
- Iron 0.76 mg Low Source 4%
- Potassium 1140.55 mg Good Source 24%
- Vitamin A 53.61 mcg Low Source 6%
- Vitamin C 8.15 mg Low Source 9%
- Vitamin D 0.0 mcg Low Source 0%
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Celery
- Tomatoes 🍅
- Onions 🧅
About This Recipe
Chef John's Shortcut Demi Glace is a French side dish recipe made with 10 ingredients. It takes about 15 hrs 30 mins, serves 8, and is rated hard. Key ingredients include Black Peppercorns, Carrot, Celery, and Chicken Wings. Each serving provides about 744.02 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace?
- It is a French recipe made with 10 ingredients, usually served for side dish.
- What is Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace made of?
- The main ingredients are Black Peppercorns, Carrot, Celery, Chicken Wings, Dried Bay Leaves. The full list of 10 is above.
- How long does it take to make Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace?
- About 15 hrs 30 mins in total: 10 mins to prepare and 15 hrs 20 mins to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 744.02 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace easy to make?
- This recipe is rated hard, with 10 ingredients and 6 steps.
- Is Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace healthy?
- Chef John's Shortcut Demi-Glace has an easyChef Pro health score of 49/100. Per serving, it provides 744.02 calories and 50.3 g of protein, or 101% of the Daily Value. It is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 753.19 mg (33% of the Daily Value), saturated fat at 11.71 g (59% of the Daily Value) and added sugars at 29.8 g (60% of the Daily Value). It contains Celery, Tomatoes and Onions, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.
How easyChef Pro scores recipes and products
easyChef Pro analyzes up to 41 nutrients using data sourced from USDA and other verified food databases. Its scoring method uses the nutrients relevant to nutrition quality, calorie density, processing level, and your selected health goal. Recipes and food products get a health score from 0 to 100, calculated using consistent rules instead of being estimated by AI. The same nutrition data, serving size and health goal will produce the same result.
The calculation evaluates nutrients, calorie density, processing level, and how well the food supports your selected health goal. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients can strengthen the score. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, added sugar and other nutrients may lower it.
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