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Chicken Confit




Source of Recipe


www.e-cookbooks.net


Recipe Introduction


Confit began as a way to preserve a surplus. If you cook duck, goose or pork in its own fat, then bury the meat in that fat as it congeals, you create a sealed environment not unlike one created by canning. Kept in a cool place, confit does not spoil for months, making it a splendid winter staple, as well as a traditional part of a grand cassoulet.

Although refrigeration has made this technique entirely unnecessary,confit is so enjoyable that the dish is likely to last as long as people cook and eat. The tenderness, richness and subtlety created by cooking meat slowly in its own fat are incomparable, as are the mingling of aromas and flavors (garlic, salt and thyme are the most common components of confit).

When confit is reheated, as it usually is, the meat becomes beautifully crisp in a short time. This crispness, which contrasts so wonderfully with the tender inner meat, is yet another part of the appeal of confit.

What is new here is that confit can be made successfully with olive oil and chicken. The results are not the same as with the fattier meats, but they are satisfying in their own right.

Begin with a good chicken (legs only, please; white meat becomeshopelessly dried out), and use good olive oil or rendered chicken or duck fat.

You can almost ignore the chicken as it is cooking, as long as you keep the heat low. And the dish comes with a delicious bonus, for while you are making it, you are also creating a fantastic garlic oil that can be strained and used again. As for the garlic that flavored it, I spread it on bread or stick it in a vinaigrette.

Wrapped in plastic or stored in a covered bowl, chicken confit will keep for a few days in the refrigerator; there's no need to pack it in oil. Use it as a simple, no-fuss main course that can be crisped up in about 15 minutes. The chicken is good whole or shredded over a
bed of lightly dressed greens. Another option is to shred it into apot of beans with the garlic and some of the olive oil.

Or you could go whole hog and integrate it into a true cassoulet.



List of Ingredients




4 chicken leg quarters
4 cups extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 head garlic, cut in half

Recipe



1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Put chicken in a pan just large enough to fit it comfortably and deep enough for oil to completely cover chicken. Add remaining ingredients. Place on stovetop over medium-high heat, and cook only until bubbles come up.

2. Transfer pan to oven, uncovered. Cook for about two hours; oil should be bubbling, but just barely; adjust oven heat as necessary. When done, meat can be easily pierced with a thin-bladed knife. Cool slightly, then remove chicken from oil. Strain and reserve oil for another use (store in refrigerator). Meat may be refrigerated for several days before using.

3. To reheat, put 2 tablespoons reserved oil into a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook on both sides until nicely browned, 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature, preferably on a bed of dressed greens.

YIELD: 4 Servings