If so, how do you use it?
Consume it straight?
Add it to something else (i.e., like stock)?
Something else?
So… if I’m Googling correctly, chicken essence is a highly extracted chicken soup? One product I found contains caramel, so is it sweet?
A friend made some once. A whole chicken made enough to sauce three plates of pasta. It was fantastic.
I’m not sure if it’s the same thing as glace de volaille or an even further reduced version.
Truth in labeling for a commercial product containing caramel would be “imitation chicken essence.”
Not exactly.
Different methods to doing it, but it’s essentially pressurized steamed chicken juice.
Basically steaming the snot out of a whole chicken to extract all of its juices without the addition of any liquid (which is what makes essence different than stock where water is always added).
I think my friend might have done that using a pressure cooker. He called it chicken essence. I’ll have to ask him.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/03/grocery-ninja-essence-of-chicken-1.html
I googled it and immediately thought "pressure cooker ".
Pressure cooker does not work well.
Best method is to use a double-boiler.
Interesting that the first recipe I Googled said to “double BOIL”, so one would assume the addition of liquid. Sounds lik steaming is a more traditional method.
Are you sure it didn’t say double boiler?
Okay, I have one of those. Have you made this?
At least 2-3 times a week (when I’m home).
The inner-bowl-on-a-rack method with an electric pressure cooker on low pressure seems like it might produce good results. The broth pork shoulder throws off when I dry-steam it is insanely delicious.
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I don’t think so.
“Chicken essence is the juices from the flesh and bones of chicken. It is extracted by double-boiling the chicken in high temperature for about three hours. The extract contains highly nutritious active components like protein, peptides, mineral, trace elements etc.”
Ah yes, that quote is form this site:
Which if you look at the pictorial instructions, she’s actually using a double boiler contraption setup.
Whoa. I’ve never heard of this. That’s an expensive cup of broth.
Can anyone describe the difference between the end product for this method versus reducing a typical stock? I get that the method is quite different, but I’m half a hard time figuring out why evaporating the water out of a typical stock wouldn’t produce very similar results.
Despite the cost and the question, I still feel compelled to make this immediately. Maybe my impatience and curiosity will banswer my own question.
Never, ever, think Ipse doesn’t know all. 
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It’s more pure.
It’s almost like a purer version of clarified stock.
Or in other words, a clearer consommé
One thing to keep in mind.
While it usually takes a whole chicken to make a simple cup of chicken essence, the leftover chicken can still be used to make stock – and very good stock, at that too.
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How do you dry-steam in an Instant Pot? I thought you had to use at least 1/4 cup water. Actually, what is dry-steaming? Won’t the pot burn?
I think what is meant by dry steaming is really just another way of saying double-boiler.
Put the thing to be steamed in an enclosed container, then put that container in a steaming vessel, then steam. Which is what a double-boiler does setup provides.
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