Consommé
A hearty chicken built around lean minced chicken or beef, carrot, finely diced and celery stalk, finely diced — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for pan and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (6)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Chill the stock completely and skim off any solidified fat from the surface so the final consommé stays clear.
- In a bowl, combine the minced meat, lightly beaten egg whites, diced carrot, celery, leek and tomato to form the clarification raft mixture.
- Stir this mixture into the cold stock in a tall heavy pot, then place over medium-low heat and stir gently and constantly until it approaches a simmer.
- Stop stirring as soon as a raft of coagulated protein forms and floats to the top, then make a small hole in the raft with a spoon to let the stock bubble through, and keep at the barest simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour without disturbing the raft.
- Carefully ladle the clear liquid through the hole and strain it through a sieve lined with a damp cloth into a clean pan, discarding the raft.
- Season the strained consommé to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the madeira, and reheat gently without boiling.
- Serve the hot consommé in warmed bowls, clear and golden, garnished simply if desired.
You'll use: Pan · Large pot · Saucepan
Tips & common questions
How long does Consommé take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Consommé is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Foie Meatballs in Soup - duck consommé with baby lotus root (16373986586).jpg by Arnold Gatilao from Oakland, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.