Recipe
Chicken Confit
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Serves: 4
Confit is the act of preserving or slow-cooking meat in fat. Our version uses olive oil for an extremely juicy chicken and a nice crispy skin.
Ingredients
Chicken:
2 tbsp (30 mL)
kosher salt
2 tbsp (30 mL)
fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp (15 mL)
cracked pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL)
grated lemon zest
4
chicken legs (1 1/4 lb/600 g)
4 cups (1 L)
olive oil (approx.)
Salad:
1/4 cup (60 mL)
lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 mL)
grainy mustard
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL)
each salt and pepper
6 cups (1.5 L)
assorted bitter lettuces (such as radicchio, endive, escarole, frisée and baby dandelion leaves)
Instructions
Chicken
1
Toss together salt, thyme, pepper and lemon zest; sprinkle all over chicken legs in bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
2
Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Arrange chicken in large Dutch oven in single layer. Pour oil over top, adding enough oil to submerge chicken completely. Cover and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until chicken is very tender but not falling off the bone. Let stand in oil for 30 minutes. Carefully transfer to foil-lined baking pan fitted with metal rack. Broil on centre rack for about 10 minutes or until skin is crisp. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Salad
1
Meanwhile, pour oil through fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Whisk together 1/3 cup (75 mL) oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper; toss with bitter lettuces (reserve remaining oil for another use). Serve with chicken.