Don't Throw Chicken Drippings Away – Use It To Make Jarred Alfredo Sauce 10x Better

Learn how to repurpose kitchen waste, and it can readily turn into culinary magic. For instance, say you've just finished pan-frying a batch of chicken thighs or roasting a whole bird and now have generous drippings on hand. While it can be tempting to simply discard this excess fat, the liquid is actually savory, flavor-dense magic. Best of all, it requires nothing fancy to shine: Simply work a good store-bought Alfredo sauce into the hot drippings, then chop in the chicken, and you'll end up with a rich-tasting pasta.

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Chicken drippings are full of complex fatty acids, which lend Alfredo sauce an added dimension that can't be bottled. Plus, this leftover fat also collects all of the poultry's seasonings, whether that's herbs, a spice mix, or simply generous sprinkles of salt and pepper. For an ingredient that's simply leftover in a pan, that's quite a dense array of perks. So don't skip this simple way to enhance a chicken fettuccine Alfredo recipe, all while easing kitchen cleanup in the process.

In addition to use in pasta sauces, you can hold onto chicken drippings for a variety of other applications, too. You don't have to use the leftovers immediately: You can store the fat in a sealable glass or ceramic vessel for up to a week in the fridge. Then, dollop out several spoonfuls whenever a dish needs a hit of fatty, savory magic.

You can employ chicken drippings in lieu of butter in rice dishes, beans, or roasted greens, replicating the magic of roast chicken on a bed of vegetables. Alternatively, use the poultry fat for a rich salad dressing or to craft ultra-tasty pieces of toast. You could even save the drippings as a way to hack traditional canned soups for extra flavor.

Finally, don't overlook the most tried-and-true drippings application: gravy. Alongside flour and stock, the leftover fat thickens into an especially delectable form. And if you're not feeling like cooking, the drippings can also remarkably enhance store-bought gravy, too, a showcase of the kitchen scrap's flavor-packed versatility.