Do you know of a good French recipe for sauce that could be used with either beef or chicken?

Answer 1

I'd advise looking to a sauce that included either (or a combination of) Madeira, Marsala, or Sherry wine. These wines will give your sauce a very versatile flavor that can be used on a multitude of meats. Try this out once:

Start by sweating some shallots and a very little bit of fresh garlic in a saucepan with either olive oil or butter. By sweating, I mean Medium - Low heat for about 10 - 15 minutes.

When the shallots are tender & translucent, add about 1 cup of wine, crank up the heat, and let it reduce down to almost nothing.
At the same time, mince some fresh Thyme, Sage & Oregano, and add it to your sauce. Add Salt and Pepper to taste AFTER it has reduced about 80%. You can use it just like this or add some of your own twists to it. I like mushrooms, for instance.

If you want, you can use this as a base and add a slurry of chicken broth and flour to thicken it for the chicken and use a beef based slurry to thicken for the beef.

I love demiglace, but I think it might overpower the chicken. Particularly, if you're using chicken breast.

Answer 2

go to a gourmet foods store and buy some demi-glace!